- Be a human.
- Seriously. To go and show others the love of God in any kind of capacity, requires that one be human. It’s how God did it, so why should we be any different?
- Tough skin.
- Most folks will have no problem telling you what’s wrong with how you are doing your mission, how you live your life, how many children you have, and that pretty much everything you think is cool is of the devil.
- O, and many cultures don’t have the same “polite” tendencies of your own. Example, here in Kenya folks have no problem pointing out how fat I am. In fact they seem to glory in noticing. Thankfully I am completely o.k. with who I am and so it really doesn’t bother me. I can imagine some people that would not be so o.k. with it.
- Good communication skills.
- Not only will you have to learn to communicate with your host culture, but you will need to do so with donors, family, friends, and a whole host of others seeking information out of you.
- Tough skin plays a vital role here, as many times people will misunderstand what you are communicating, or want to tell you what you are saying is wrong and your doctrine is clearly out of whack.
- Ability to empathize.
- If you can’t figure out your friends in the host culture, things will be tough.
- Faith
- It will not always be there, but with practice you can rely upon it.
Any others?
Kate’s thoughts:
- Risk taker.
- Have to take a leap of faith almost every day, just to survive.
Feel free to chime in.
