“God had only one Son, and He made Him a missionary” – David Livingstone

One of the things that missionaries throughout the ages have had to grapple with, and likely always will, is the issue of identifying with the people of the culture in which they serve, becoming like them – a people whose culture and value systems may be vastly different from theirs – and the inevitable culture shock and conflict that this may produce. Like Jesus, the greatest missionary ever (in my opinion), we need to become like our brethren in every way, so that we might be full of mercy and keep faith in everything to do with them. And yet one of the issues that I struggle with is the clash of cultures, when the ways of my adopted culture and people come into conflict with the ways that I am used to.

For example, driving in Bamako. The rules that are universally accepted as good driving rules do not apply here. Mopeds do not use the driving mirrors; rather they are folded inwards like dog-ears, or removed altogether! ‘Slow down’ is non-existent in Malian driving culture! And those are the trivial ones, there are many others that grate so much more. And as we face the challenges, many of them so subtle that one doesn’t realize their impact, I am finding that my love is severely challenged. |  Continue reading “Navigating the cultural icebergs in missions”