I was reading in GO (ONE 2010) how some missionaries in an Asian nation asked their neighbours why they thought they had left their own country and family to live with them. They were shocked by the response:
“Well, that is quite obvious. You couldn’t find a job in your own country, so you came here, and now you earn more than you could ever have earned at home.”
In reality, both the husband and his wife had given up jobs that paid well and were now living on a rather low allowance. But they soon came to appreciate their neighbour’s perspective. There was a high level of unemployment in this Asian nation, with many going overseas to find work and then send money home. Their neighbour interpreted the decision of the missionaries to ‘work’ in his country as another example of the same thing. Further, to his way of thinking, no one would leave behind his extended family unless pushed to do so by unemployment and pulled by the prospect of earning a much higher salary than would be possible at home.
It cannot be assumed that our motivation for cross-cultural outreach either overseas or domestically will be understood by those we seek to reach. Indeed, our motives will often be misconstrued.
Posted June 6, 2010
www.facetofaceintercultural.com.au
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