Understanding Interpersonal Relationships in Africa, Part 3 of 3

Let me give an example from my own life. My family and I live in an apartment, have no domestic help, and do not have a car. (Each one of these facts places us in the lower middle class ranks of an average middle-class Ghanaian). One day I was in a taxi traveling to town when the taxi driver asked me if I was getting my car fixed (addressing me in English), to which I told him that I did not have a car (which I said in English to be polite, since the question was asked in English). He then asked me how long I had lived in Ghana, to which I told him I had lived in Ghana for four years. When I told him this he paused and then addressed my friend (he being an African that I was traveling with) and said to him in Twi (not thinking that I could understand, because I was foreign), “So why does the white guy park his car at home and hide it so that people think he does not have one?” My friend told him that I did not have one, and the man had trouble believing such a thing.

Because of past history, the lifestyle of international businessmen, diplomats, and some missionaries, not to mention the preconceived idea of the African, it is almost impossible for the average person in Africa to view a missionary as poor.


Let me tell you one more experience. One day one of my helpers called me and told me that he wanted to have a meeting with me. It sounded very urgent on the phone so we met just an hour later. When I met this young man, I asked him what he wanted to speak with me about. He told me that he was concerned that I was buying a motorbike for use while on visitation. (I had told the people that I was praying for the money to buy one so that I could save money on transportation and save time while on visitation). I asked him if he was concerned with my safety since Africa drivers are not known to be the best drivers in the world. He said no, he was concerned for my status (concerned with what people thought of me). Of course, when he said this I was shocked. I asked him why. Was a motorbike considered to be sinful? To this he gave me this reply: a motorbike is a poor man’s vehicle. He said that Ghanaians will accept an African pastor that rides one, because a pastor might be poor, but a white man riding one was not acceptable. He said that if a white man rode a motorbike, then it was like he was telling people that he was poor, and no white men are ever poor so people would think that the white man was a liar! I asked him if it was a poor testimony, to which he said no!

The missionary needs to see these facts very clearly. It is very important for the missionary in Africa to maintain a simpler lifestyle than most expatriates that live in his same country. The missionary will always battle with public opinion. The moment the average African sees a missionary, he does not think of a person that has forsaken all to follow God, a person that has come to a new culture to reach souls. The first impression is of a rich man that has everything in life. I will state here that driving SUV’s and Land Rovers does not help with this regard and neither does living in large compounds with large accommodations. Is it possible then for the missionary to live on a local level? Is it even wise? No. Many of the things of a totally local lifestyle would greatly hinder the missionary’s health, family life, and children’s spiritual growth. (For proof of this please read Isobel Kuhn’s book “In the Arena”, pg. 208). But this being stated, everything above basic needs for life will make it more difficult for the local people to see past your status as a rich man.

To illustrate the way that Africans see there Western co-workers, missionaries, and bosses, here is a quote from David Maranz, African Friends and Money Matters, pg.134, “A Kenyan friend gave me his opinion about what people should pay relative to their means on a scale of 1 to 10. It can be charted as follows,

Class of persons ---------------------------Relative price they should pay

Tourist (Foreigner) …………………………………………...…...........10
Senior government functionaries and rich people………………...8
Middle class or average people…………………………………...........5
Poor people…………………………………………………….................2-3

This quote has been given to let the Westerner see that the average person places him/ her very high on the economic ladder. The Westerner is even higher in the minds of local people than government leaders, which many times have unlimited resources.

What is to be gained from all of this? What a missionary does with his money and how he displays his wealth will greatly influence his friendships, followers, and ministry. When he is asked for financial help that first time, he is making a greater decision than simply giving that money. He is deciding on a friendship. He is making a decision on the direction of his ministry philosophy.

The missionary that starts to face these requests needs to make some very important decisions. Will he follow his home culture or host culture? What does the Bible have to say about the basis of Christian relationships and ministry?

In the end the choices are basically three: 1. the missionary takes on the cultural role of the ‘big man’. The locals come to him for all there needs and he freely gives. The locals appreciate his wealth and generosity and he has many friends and followers. 2. The missionary tries to down play his social/ economic status, and seeks to be more local (middle class). He also tries to follow the Western mode of relationships, (this can be for religious or cultural reasons) and seeks to build his relationship on a non-material foundation. The locals appreciate their interaction with this missionary. They like the way he seems to connect with them more as equals, but some do not appreciate or understand the lack of giving, and therefore he has fewer followers. 3. The Westerner continues to live a public high status life (in the African viewpoint) but retains a Western view on relationships. The missionary will be admired only for his wealth, but he will have few to no followers and will have many disgruntled personal acquaintances.

No man is an island unto himself. Every choice we make influences others, but as a missionary this has even greater weight. How you choose to live out and maintain your friendships in Africa will greatly determine the future of your ministry.

Understanding Interpersonal Relationships in Africa, Part 2 of 3

It is seen here that Western friendship is based on the concept of emotional and social compatibility. The goal of friendship and social interaction is never physical gain. I think we can go so far as to say that, to the Westerner friendship that is based in gain is disdained or at best, disliked. When people seek either monetary or positional gain from friendship it is considered to be a sign of an individual that is morally corrupt. Since this form of behavior is so frowned upon in the West, a missionary cannot even imagine this as a basis of a relationship. Therefore, a missionary, is very hesitant to assume an acquaintance would seek to build a relationship based on these reasons.


The problem arises from the fact that the Westerner has a completely different definition of friendship than the African. To the general African, material goods, monetary help, and other benefits must be present for a relationship to exist and have any value. Here is a quote to help you understand how Africans view friendship:

Robert LeVine, anthropologist, 1970: 288-289 “ There is (a) dimension of (interpersonal behavior) that Africans emphasize when describing relationships of equality to inequality, namely, obligations to give material goods- food, gifts, financial help, property, and babies. Relationships are frequently characterized by African primarily in terms of the type of material transaction involved: who gives what to whom and under what conditions… “
“In Contrast with the Western attitude (genuine or hypocritical) that the emotional component in interpersonal relations is more important than any transfer of material goods involved (the latter being thought of as something incidental), Africans are frankly and directly concerned with the material transfer itself as indicative of the quality of the relationship…”
“In considering the part… material goods play in African social life, several points should be emphasized. (1) A certain amount of material giving is obligatory in a relationship, particularly in a kin relationship, and is not dependent on how the individual feels about, or even how well he knows, the other person. (2) Persons are evaluated partly in terms of how much and how freely they give to others; those who give more than the obligatory minimum may be better liked as generous persons or may become special friends or leaders of others. (3) Failure to meet the material obligations of role relationships cannot be compensated by a friendly attitude or compensated by emotional warmth and support; since relationships are conceptualized in terms of material transactions, attitudes and feelings are concomitants, but not substitutes. (4) Relationships that have goals of obtaining valued resources generate competition, particularly when the resources are limited, the scope of obligations wide…”



In a culture with this concept of friendship, it starts to become very clear how the average person looks at his interpersonal life. Life in Africa is hard (at best), money is always difficult to gain, and society is not built to ensure every person has an equal opportunity to succeed, Therefore he, the African, is always on the look out for new friends, especially those that he deems able to help him gain a position or help him financially. To him he needs real friends.

David Maranz, African Friends and Money Matters, (pg 65) “A network of friends is a network of resources. Friendship and mutual aid go together. A Kenyan told me, ”More friends means more security.” A friendship devoid of financial or other material considerations is a friendship devoid of a fundamental ingredient: mutual dependence… It is normal to expect material benefit from friendship… the formation of true, meaningful, and satisfying friendships (is) difficult to achieve between Westerner and African.”



This is where the missionary comes in. In Africa all relationships are started by determining who is of the higher status and who is of the lower. All other actions will flow from this understanding.

David Maranz, African Friends and Money Matters, (pg. 127) “A singular approach to social organization is found in many African societies. In these, people are classified as either givers or receivers…”

David Maranz, African Friends and Money Matters, pg. 67 “…the Westerner and the African live on very different socioeconomic levels, with the African considering the Westerner to be rich and himself to be poor, with much cultural behavior flowing from these differences… many Africans are ready to use casual meetings or acquaintanceships as a means to gain personal profit.”


African friendship do have balance and harmony, but they only achieve this when the two people in the relationship are on the same financial level.

David Maranz, African Friends and Money Matters,(pg. 70) “…when foreigners are implicated in a reciprocal system.. there is an inherent mismatch. 1. relationships are supposed to be mutually dependent, but if the Westerner us always the giver, a basic requirement of the system cannot be met. There really will never be reciprocity. The Westerner will never be in a position to be on the receiving end, as his or her material needs will never be greater than those of the borrower. 2. Part of the dynamics of the system is that the donor receives prestige and “big man” status, but for the Westerner this can never be the case. They do not feel an enhancement of their prestige through this type of giving… Besides, they could not fill the role of an African big man if they wanted to.”

To understand this fully you must understand that the foreigner in Africa will never be viewed as poor or even middle class. The mindset in all African societies is that the foreigner is rich. Not only is he rich, but his economic status is believed and always assumed to be higher than Africans that have notably more money and wealth then the foreigner (i.e. presidents, government officials, businessmen).

Understanding Interpersonal Relationships in Africa, Part 1 of 3

There is a dimension of interpersonal relationships the missionary must understand when coming to the field. When the missionary comes to the field he is first filled with euphoria. Everything is perfect. He has finally reached his people. He is convinced that the people of his country are sinners, but somehow they are endowed with a special openness and hunger for truth- more than the people of his home country. This is not a bad feeling and is even helpful at times for him, especially when first leaving his country and facing the shock of living in a whole new world. But the problem for the missionary in Africa is accentuated by common daily occurrences that seem to add weight to his slanted thinking.


The new missionary is amazed by the friendliness of the people. Every where he goes people greet him, children point at him. People rush to meet him at times, asking his name, seeking for personal information, and even requesting to start friendships. The missionary is thrilled. His people love him! How open they are to the things of God. When many people find out that he is a missionary/pastor they request to know the church’s name and location, assuring him they will attend in the future. During his first time of visitation he is amazed how people request for tracts, cross streets to see what is being handed out. He is amazed at the request for Bibles, and the willingness of people to allow him to take their time and listen to him stumble through the national or local language. Overall, the new missionary is overwhelmed with his new home. It is a paradise filled with the radiant light of spiritual zeal.

If the new missionary joins a veteran missionary, this feeling can even be enhanced. If the missionary has a school, hospital, or social help program, he sees the people daily flooding in. He sees the people that line up and wait for hours for help. This condition may be further heightened if the veteran missionary always seems to have followers around. It is common in some mission compounds, churches, and homes of missionary to always see people around. They seem to wait on the leaders, following in their wake to help with the smallest need. The veteran missionary is beset by questions for advice from every corner, from the slightest difficulties, to seemingly insurmountable troubles.

After seeing all of this, the new missionary is now convinced that he has indeed arrived in a patch of heaven, where the grass is truly greener on the other side of the fence…

Then he is hit by the first wave of culture shock. One of his new acquaintances, or maybe someone that he does not know at all, comes to the house. The person comes early in the morning or late at night when the new missionary is not expecting a social call. He goes through the social norms, greets, and offers some refreshment. Then the wave comes the person is seeking for some help and proceeds to tell the missionary of his need. Maybe it is a hospital bill that needs to be paid for a sick family member, or a refugee that has been living in the U.N. refugee camps that needs just a little money to get by, or a person seeking to start a new business and needs the capital to start it. The young missionary is shocked. Why him? Why now? The inner-conflict begins as he remembers all the poverty around him, and he fights with his emotions, as his mind tries to swim through these new cloudly cultural waters. He might give the money. He might not. He might give some. But now the missionary has entered a new world, the world of African friendships, and if he hopes to serve God and build something spiritual, he needs to learn about it quickly.


One might ask why the missionary’s friendships have anything to do with ministry in Africa. The question is very legitimate and important to answer. The missionary has come to do the work of God, seeking souls and wanting to change lives. To him, the spiritual, social, and financial relationships are three distinct groups. Yes, he knows that to be a good missionary and mentor he needs to befriend his people, but to the Western mind the spiritual and social have little to do with the business world. The point is basically this: the Western view of friendship is very different from that of the African.


The Western definition of friendship is very concrete. Its meaning has congealed in a mortar of morals and ethics established long ago. To his mind it cannot and should not be altered. Here is a definition to help…

Webster’s Definition (1828 Dictionary)
An attachment to a person, proceeding from intimate acquaintance, and a reciprocation of kind offices, or from a favorable opinion of the amiable and respectable qualities of his mind. Friendship differs from benevolence, which is good will to mankind in general, and from that love which springs from animal appetite. True friendship is a noble and virtuous attachment, springing from a pure source, a respect for worth or amiable qualities. False friendship may subsist between bad men, as between thieves and pirates. This is a temporary attachment springing from interest, and may change in a moment to enmity and rancor.

The First Flag...

Yesterday, I was buying some food for my family and waiting for our food to get finished (we do not have fast food here, so this took about an hour) while I was waiting I saw part of a movie that they had on at the resturant. The movie was about Iwo Jima, and the man that raised the flags on the island. If you do not know the story you will know the picture. Though most might know the basic history, like I did, they might not know the twist in the story that makes it so interesting.

Second Flag over Iwo Jima

The picture that became so famous, is not the first flag that was raised on the mountain over the island, it was the second. The first flag had been placed a few hours before and was being replaced by a larger flag that was easier to see when this second famous photo was taken.

The truth is that all the men in these two picture are heros. Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley of the famous picture, and Charles W. Lindberg, Ernest I. Thomas Jr., Henry O. "Hank" Hansen, and James Michels, of the frist unknown picture, where all great men that fought for our country. By the end of the battle all but three from the second pictured died in Iwo Jima for our freedom.


First Flag over Iwo Jima

Now you might be wondering what this has to do with missions, I am coming to that part. According to history the three surving men where flown back to the states for the 7th Bond Drive. President Roosevelt, thought because the picture was so popular it would help raise the needed funds for the war effort. So they set these three men all around America to dinners, meetings, towns, and where able to raise 26.3 billion dollars in War Bonds.

As James Bradley, historian and writing of Flags of our Fathers puts it, these three men never really felt comfortable about the whole thing. They knew that they had fought for their country, but they where not the first flag raisers, they felt like they had been honored for a sacrifice that should have pinned on another. They felt that the men that should have been honored, never got the spot light. No pictures, no names, no dinners, they just did there jobs, and never asked anything in return.

I have to abmit as I watch this movie, and they told how these three marines felt about the honors given to them, I could relate. As a missionary you are flown back from the fight, and taken on a tour. The missionary is treated to dinner, meetings, he has his picture taken, and is praised. But, I know I feel like these guys. Here I am being praised, but I am just a part of the 2nd battalion doing my job. I did not raise the flag of Christ the first time, on this enemy shore, I was just sent up to put in a replacement.

Modern African missionaries are fighting for the Lord, and many have made great sacrifices, just as these three men made, but today I want to remember the 'others'. The men and women that went before. The missionaries that did not have the hope of long live, but packed their belongings in caskets, because they knew that they would most likely be dead in three years. The missionaries that many times died with only a few converts, and never had the chance to see what their sacrifice would mean.

Today we honor them, the missionaries of the first flag! We of the second generation could not be on this ground without their sacrifice. So we say, thank you!

Witnessing to a Person Influenced by Traditional Religions, Part 2 of 2

#3 Pray for Conviction and do not move ahead without it
The majority of Africans would love to add something to their beliefs to gain entrance into Heaven (note the quote at the beginning of the article). Most people without a Biblical worldview are very open to praying for what is seen as a gift from God, but they might have no knowledge of their lost state.

The term save gives great weight to this, as it is impossible for a person to be saved until he is in danger or lost! As the veteran missionary Darryl Champlin told me, never speak to an African about Heaven until he first will admit he deserves Hell. We need to pray for conviction for those we are witnessing to on a regular basis!

#4 Deal with the Basis of Forgiveness
Most people that do not have a Christian worldview have still been influenced by a mixed view of Christianity. They have heard about the loving God of Heaven and have been told that He always forgives. The average African would have written our Declaration of Independence this way, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created (not equal), that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Forgiveness, and the gift of Happiness…”

The African today believes that forgiveness is a right. When it is asked for, it must be given, and many times must be given even without anyone asking. The mindset is that as long as a person asks forgiveness and states that he will change his behavior (even if this is a promise unfulfilled), then the person they are seeking forgiveness from must grant it! This is not biblical forgiveness. The Bible does not teach that we just “say sorry” and then God saves us. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission, the Bible says. The person without the proper worldview must be taught that forgiveness is given only when the price of the debt has been paid. Without Christ’s blood, there can be no forgiveness. I normally use the Traditional religions at this point. Most Africans know that if a person sins against the ‘gods’ and goes to the priest for forgiveness without a sacrifice, then forgiveness will not be obtained. A price must be paid first. Use this to bring the person’s understanding to Christ.

(Note: For those not in a setting where the people understand animals sacrifices, use a culturally understood point to give the truth meaning. (i.e. In the intercity where there are many gangs, an example could be given using the gang culture. When a person wants to leave a gang, he must be “beat out” or have someone else “beat out” for him. Just because someone wants out of the gang does not mean he can get out. Someone must pay the price).

#5 Always try to teach Deductively
Most missionaries and senior soul-winners understand all their religious teachings and terms. They think from the teaching to the practical. They think with an educated mindset. When dealing with people in an area with great illiteracy or lack of emphasis on learning, the people will need to be taught deductively. The teacher will need to start with the physical reality (example) first, develop the picture in the mind, and then move to the truth. If you look at Jesus Christ’s teaching style to the common people, this was always His habit. He would give an earthly story and then give the heavenly meaning.

#6 Teach on God’s Righteousness and Law
Most people do not see the greatness of their sin and the importance of their need of salvation, because they do not see God’s righteousness. They will never turn to God any other way. Romans 10:3 says, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” The Bibles also says that without the law man might not know sin. Galatians 3:24 says, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The most helpful thing that I have used to show God’s righteousness and our sinfulness is teaching through the Ten Commandments.

#7 Stay away form seeking for decisions in groups or leading in prayer for people
Many soul-winners will address a group and when finished will ask each person (if a small group) if they will accept Christ, or (if a large group) lead in a general prayer. The person seeking to reach people in societies that are highly motivated by peer pressure (as in Africa) need to know that this is a very unwise approach. Most of the time while witnessing in Africa, if you seek to lead a group to Christ and the first person says yes, then everyone will say yes so they are not left out. If the first person says no, then they will all say no. Though leading families, friends, and groups to Christ will strengthen and help the growth of the group, each person must make a personal decision based on faith, not public opinion.

Because Africa is not a land of conflict, and the Africans generally will do anything not to offend a person seen as bringing God’s Word, they will most likely say what is needed to preserve harmony! I have seen and have had good veteran missionaries from Africa tell me that one should always let the person pray for salvation on their own. This allows two things to happen. First, a person that does not really believe, though he wants to keep social harmony, will not want to pray or will ask for noticeably wrong things. Secondly, this will give the missionary a chance to see if the person has proper understanding. I have found that people under conviction, with a basic knowledge of truth, will pray some of the most amazing sinners’ prayers. I still remember the prayer Rosemond prayed for salvation – it was so moving I still cry when I think about it.

#8 Use stories to convey the basic truths of salvation
Every time we see Christ communicating the gospel to individuals in the Gospel Records (i.e. Nicodemus in John 3; the two disciples on the Emmaus Road), He was dealing with religious people. Their minds were clouded by misunderstanding of the Bible in regard to His mission to save sinners. These are the same kind of people the missionary will normally meet in Africa. Africans are very religious and have zeal, but for many of them, it is without knowledge. Together, this zeal and partial knowledge clouds their minds to the truth. For this reason, we try to follow Christ’s example and go back to Old Testament picture stories (First Sin and Sacrifice, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac’s Sacrifice, the Passover, Brazen Serpent) and try to use these Scriptures to teach basic building blocks for gospel truths. We try to teach ideas such as sacrifice, replacement, blood atonement, faith, etc. When you live in a culture based on oral tradition (which most of Africa is) you will find this a great tool. Story telling is the mode of learning.

#9 Do not use a translator for witnessing unless the translator has been tried and tested
I have heard many translator horror stories. Sometimes in Africa, because of the multitude of local languages, a missionary may find himself in a situation where he needs to use a translator. For example, he is visiting in a city and comes to a small community where the people do not speak the local language that he knows. As he begins to give the gospel, a person that understands the needed language offers to help translate. This is strongly discouraged! If you are not sure of the person’s spiritual condition or church background, you might be creating greater problems for the person you are trying to reach. Many people that translate do not say what you say, but translate to others what they think you are saying. This is a great problem if the person translating is steeped in false teaching (which most Africans are!). It is best for the one giving the gospel to muddle through the national or local language he knows and have some true basic understanding, than to have complete understanding of a false teaching!

#10 Keep learning
Never stop learning. Try to understand everything you can about the people you are trying to reach. Ask God to give you a burden. Try to grasp their thinking and meet them where they are so you can lead them to Christ! You can never learn everything, and Christ must supply the power and strength, but we must do our best.

Witnessing to a Person Influenced by Traditional Religions, Part 1 of 2

I would like to provide a few helpful tips for those seeking to witness to people with Traditional influences. I wish that I had all the answers, but I do not. All that I can give is some helpful pointers, and try to give a starting place. The most important thing a person must learn (who is seeking to bring people to Christ) is that no system has all the answers. Only a dependence on God’s power and guidance is what really makes the difference.

Before I start with the practical, here are a few more quotes to let you understand the importance and seriousness of making sure the African has a true heart conversion.

Glenn J. Schwartz, When Charity Destroys Dignity; pg. 4- “In 1984, I traveled through Africa, going first to West Africa, then across to East Africa and down through Central Africa, ending up on the Southern Coast of South Africa. Everywhere I went I heard pastors lamenting the fact that their church members have a divided loyalty. It is what missiologists call dualism. They hold two worldviews at the same time. They hold the Christian worldview which represents the church they attend and certain aspects of their schooling. However, in times of crisis they often turn to their original paradigm, the traditional worldview… Those pastors and church leaders were saying to me then- and many have done so since- that their people turn to the local traditional practitioner of religion, sometimes called the witchdoctor, in times of real crisis.”

Dr. Aylward Shorter explains dualism: “During the past hundred years African Traditional Religion has been visibly sinking beneath the surface of modern social life in Africa, but what remains above the surface is, in fact, the tip of the iceberg. At Baptism, the African Christian repudiates remarkably little of his former non-Christian outlook. He may be obliged to turn his back upon certain traditional practices which the Church, rightly or wrongly, has condemned in his area, he is not asked to recant a religious philosophy… Consequently, he returns to the forbidden practices as occasion arises with remarkable ease. Conversion to Christianity is for him sheer gain, an ‘extra’ for which he has opted. Apart from the superficial condemnations, Christianity has really had little to say about African Traditional Religion in the way of serious judgments of value. Consequently, the African Christian operates with two thoughts systems at once, and both of them are closed to each other.”

Glen J. Schwartz, When Charity Destroy Dignity; pg. 187-188: “After serving the church for many years, a church leader in Central Africa became terminally ill and was told by the medical doctors that nothing could be done for him. Though he served the church for thirty-five years as an ordained minister, upon learning of his terminal illness he decided to go to the village of a local practitioner of religion. It turned out that his treatment was not from only an herbalist, but from one who practiced “manipulation of the spirits”, to quote others in the church. There he lived out the last few months of his life. Some time later I came across that church leader’s testimony. About ten years before his death he attended a seminar in which an anthropologist was conducting a session on, among other things the nature of Christian conversion. The anthropologist described what authentic Christian conversion should be. In the process this ordained minister, who had served the church for so many years made the following statement: What you say about genuine Christian conversion deeply moves me, because I must confess that I have not been converted that way. My deeper African values have not been changed. I have not learned to listen to the Holy Spirit, but I have been trained to listen very carefully to what the missionary wants.”

The reason that God has called us is to preach the Gospel, and as the Bible says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” I hope these points are practical and helpful as we seek to give the gospel to people influenced by Traditional religions.

Practical Pointers

#1 Learn the Language
By this I mean the heart language of the people. Most missionaries learn this fact in candidate school. The problem in Africa, though, is that most of them think that this means the national language of their African nation. I know that some missionaries go through great pains to learn French, Portuguese, or Dutch so that they can speak their national language. The truth is that in most African countries this is the language of the elite, the government, and the outsider. It is not the real heart language of the people. Find out what the majority of the people in your area speak, and learn it!

What does this have to do with the gospel? It has a great deal to do with it! You will never understand the way your people think until you understand their language. In African local languages we find the language of religion. This will help to give great insight into the definitions behind the spiritual terms people use. Remember, just because you think a term means something does not mean your people think that term means the same thing. If you really want to understand this concept, try to look up some conservative writing on contextualization.

(Note- For those in a country where the people have no Christian worldview but still speak the same language, spend as much time learning the concepts, definitions, and ideas behind words and religious truths. The problem many people face is that they think the person understands their presentation, “jargon”, or expressions, when in reality the person has at best a fuzzy idea of the meaning. Or, that person may have a totally different definition all together. Words are your tools, but words cannot work if they are not understood or misunderstood!)


#2 Use Questions as the main vehicle for teaching
When most of us present the gospel, we do just that….we present it! We do most of the talking, with the occasional question thrown in, normally seeking a yes or no answer. This is very dangerous in a society that values social harmony and seeks to avoid public conflict. Most Africans will do anything to make sure they do not offend. When a missionary seeks to present the truth with little or no questions, the African will just follow along (most times) even if they totally disagree or do not understand.

Let me give you a personal example. When I first started learning Twi, I would try to speak to people using the language. Many times this would be about spiritual matters. During the whole conversation the African would be nodding and giving physical cues that indicated he was following and understanding. He was even able to answer some basic questions that made me think he understood. After the conversation, the national would turn to the local man with me at the time and start a rapid conversation beyond my ability, and they would both end smiling. After the person would leave, I would ask the national what the person said. After enough pushing, the person would tell me that the person that I was addressing did not understand anything that I was saying, but did not want to be impolite.

In-depth questions are normally the only way that you will find out the real thinking going on inside the African’s head. Africans believe too much in social harmony (this is the norm, but there are exceptions to the rule) to cause major disagreements or conflicts.

Culture Shock!!! part 3 of 3

After brokeness, some move into a time of depression. Patty passed through this valley, and its shadows seemed to stretch much longer than in mine. But, I did have it. I was at time defeated, depressed. How could I be a missionary? I was such a sinner. I had so many faults. How could I ever be used to do anything?

But through it all God was there! His great hand was protecting, guiding, working.
He is trying to make a dependant tool. He is trying to bring you to a place of acceptance. You must accept what you really are ~ a sinner saved by GRACE ~ and accept Him as He is ~ your only hope for SALVATION and LIFE! After four full years on the field, I can say that God is so merciful! We need Him for everything. Every time I fail it is because I have lost sight that He must be the one to do it! When we see this and start to believe it, we move into the next part: acceptance! This is the greatest hurdle, but when passed, brings the greatest reward.

When a missionary sees himself, He must run to Christ! As Paul said, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Christ allows us to go through all this, so that we see the wonder of His grace and mercy! He knows our frame, He knows we are dust, and still He calls us! He will not put on us more than we can bare!

Throughout these valleys, these verses were true and will always be true: Psalms 23:1-6 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The amazing thing is that this is just how I feel ~ God has been so good to me! His mercy is so real! God gives the greatest gift to a missionary. He puts you in the school of grief! Though it sounds funny, this can be one of the greatest lessons you ever learn if you look to God and listen through it!

I want to end with these thoughts. First, I thank God for everything that I have passed through in my life so far, and I would not change anything that He has done. Secondly, for a future missionary, culture shock is real. It is like grieving, but God will be with you! Remember that the view at the end of the valley is always worth the trip through it! Thirdly, for all of those that read this that are not missionaries, I hope that this helps you know how to pray. Continue to pray for old missionaries. They have passed through it, but pray that they stay close to Christ and that the flesh that they have come to know so well stays crucified! Also pray for the new missionaries, that this process, that is given to them from God, will draw them to God and make them stronger!