assimilation

I am so grateful that prior to my arrival, I was able to see training at MTI as something valuable from the Lord. I stopped viewing the experience as a means to an end. God has a purpose in me being here, before I am in Haiti. Already, I am learning to the very depths of my soul. My heart is being simultaneously stirred and calmed as I soak in each lesson. Today, a valuable truth set in as I struggled with the paradox of respecting Haitian culture and remaining true to myself. 

In Haiti, I must both honor the context I am living in while still protecting my ability to minister. My choices should honor the Haitian culture, even when as an American, those choices seem unnecessary. My ability to create loving relationships hinges on accepting and, in part, embracing the Haitian lifestyle. Likewise, I must make choices that protect who I am, choices that protect my energy level, my heart and my ability to be a Kingdom worker. There is a balance in assimilating into a new culture that requires more than we imagine. My lifestyle choices are going to look odd to most in this paradox of living as a missionary, but hopefully, I will look more like Jesus - and transforming my soul into what God intendeds is when He can complete the good work that He began.