I like making lists. I like asking questions. I like making lists of questions. And that’s what I’ve done here on the topic of expectations for working cross-culturally.
We all set out on the journey abroad with high expectations. Of course we do. Without those expectations we wouldn’t begin. But based on the realities we encounter, or on the competing requirements of others, are our expectations too high? It’s not that we should lower them all, or jettison them altogether. Instead we should aim to recognize and understand them, have conversations about them, and modify them when necessary. There’s much to suss out along the way.
When contemplating the questions below, understand that the purpose is to identify what you expect—as in what you think, believe, or assume will happen, not what you hope, want, wish, would like, need, demand, pray for, desire, fear, or know (though they may overlap with your expectations). So if you read a question and want to respond with “I can’t know that,” then remember that that’s not what’s being asked for.
Inspired by the research and writing of Sue Eenigenburg, Robynn Bliss, and Andrea Sears (which I discussed last month), I can think of a number of ways for utilizing this list. The most obvious is for new candidates readying for cross-cultural work, to ask themselves these questions to consider aspects of their move that they’ve never considered before. Comparing answers with teammates, family members, agencies, and church representatives would be helpful as well—and could help head off later disappointments, misunderstandings, and conflicts before they occur.
Future workers could also share their expectations with veterans in the field, or with those who have returned from overseas. This could allow them to hear from those with experience in dealing with too high—or too low—expectations.
I could see using these in a team-building (or team-understanding) exercise, or as discussion starters for future cross-cultural workers to get to know each other. Each person could choose a few questions, or draw some from a hat, and use them as conversation starters.
For those already on the field, there is always a future ahead with many unknowns, even after many of these questions are already behind them, and thinking about the expectations they still hold could be insightful.
They could also look at these questions to think back on their past assumptions, comparing them to what actually has come to pass—or comparing them to how their expectations have changed.
They can ask themselves how disappointments have affected their well-being and their relationships with others and with God. And they can consider the effects of having not expected enough. Those could then produce lessons they could share with new workers coming after them.
And the cycle continues.
So here’s my list. Use it however you see fit. I don’t expect every question to apply to you, but I do expect that some will . . . and I hope and pray they’ll be helpful.
What are my expectations?
- When will I depart?
- What training or orientation will I go through?
- What kind of visa will I need?
- What will I need to do to get and keep a visa?
- What will my official role be in the country?
- What will the minimum financial support necessary be for me?
- What will my financial support level be?
- How long will it take to raise support?
- How consistent will my financial support be?
- What kind of response will I get from supporters for one-time or special financial requests?
- What financial responsibility will I have to my sending agency?
- How will I handle previously acquired debt?
- What salary (or personal-discretion funds) will I have?
- How much control will I have over ministry funds?
- What will the cost of living be?
- How favorable (or unfavorable) will the exchange rate be?
- In what kind of setting will I live (rural, urban, etc.)?
- What specific country, area, or city will I live in?
- What will be the location of my work?
- Will the location of my work change?
- What kind of housing will I have?
- How close will I live to my teammates?
- How often will I move?
- Will I have a housekeeper or other domestic helper?
- Will team members provide babysitting or other childcare?
- How will my home be used for ministry?
- What will I use for transportation?
- What will my standard of living be?
- How much will my education, preparation, training, and past experiences prepare me?
- How easily will I embrace the culture?
- How much will I fit in to the culture?
- How will the local people receive me?
- How much will culture shock/stress affect me?
- How long will culture shock/stress last?
- How easy will it be to get items I’m used to in my home culture?
- How will I celebrate holidays?
- How will I acclimate to the weather?
- How will I adjust to the food?
- What will my diet look like?
- What kind of food will I eat at home?
- How often will I eat out?
- How long will it take to develop relationships with local people?
- How close will my friendships be with nationals?
- Will I have a best friend, and if so, who will it be?
- What will my work responsibilities be?
- What people group will I work with?
- How will I partner with other teams, agencies, or workers from other denominations?
- How will I partner with local churches/believers?
- What will a new church plant look like?
- What role will I and my family play in a church plant?
- What methods will I use for outreach?
- What kind of work will I do?
- What physical needs will I work to alleviate?
- What will be my balance between meeting physical and spiritual needs?
- How will I integrate aspects of the host culture in presenting the gospel and in developing church practices?
- What will my typical day look like?
- What will my typical week look like?
- How long will it take to complete the projects I have planned?
- How will government restrictions affect my work?
- What will my supporters, my church, and my sending agency want me to accomplish?
- What will be the results of my work?
- How fruitful will my work be?
- When and to whom will I hand off my work?
- How will I define success?
- Where will I do language learning?
- What method will I use for language learning?
- How long will it take to learn the language?
- How many languages will I need to learn?
- What level of fluency will I achieve?
- How difficult will it be for me to learn the language?
- What language will I use for my work?
- What language will my personal worship be in?
- If single, will I date and pursue marriage?
- If I have children, how will living overseas affect them?
- How will my children’s faith develop?
- What involvement will my children have in the ministry?
- What kinds of relationships will my children develop?
- How will my children be educated?
- What relationship/interaction will my children have with my home culture?
- What will my children do after graduating from high school?
- How will I help my children make the transition to college if they attend?
- How large will my family be?
- How big will our team be?
- How will we go about adding new team members?
- What individual roles will different teammates have?
- How dependent will team members be on each other?
- Will the roles of married and single team members differ, and if so, how?
- Will male/female roles differ on my team, and if so, how?
- Will husband and wife roles differ on my team, and if so, how?
- How will team decisions be made?
- How will we handle team conflict?
- Who will oversee my work?
- What input will I have in agency decisions?
- What kind of personal boundaries/privacy will I be able to maintain?
- How much personal autonomy will I have?
- How, and how often, will I communicate with supporters?
- How openly will I be able to communicate with my supporters?
- How many will read my newsletters, prayer emails, etc.?
- What kind of prayer support will I have?
- How much communication will I get from supporters?
- How involved will my home church be?
- How often will representatives from my church and agency visit?
- What will happen during church/agency visits?
- How often will I host short-term teams?
- What will short-term-team trips look like (housing, projects, logistics, etc.)?
- What steps will I follow to make personal/family decisions?
- Will I be able to express any political views?
- How will I balance ministry/family/personal time?
- How many vacation days will I have?
- What will I do when I need to take a break, to rest, or to get away?
- What hobbies and personal interests will I engage in?
- What opportunities will I have for continuing education?
- Will I be able to pursue professional development?
- Will there be opportunities for professional advancement?
- How will I determine God’s will?
- How will God communicate with me?
- How often will I experience miracles?
- How will I practice my personal spiritual disciplines?
- What will my prayer life be like?
- How, and with whom, will I have weekly worship?
- How will my faith change?
- What will spiritual warfare look like?
- What risks will I face?
- How safe will I be?
- What will I, my family, and my team do if threatened with physical persecution or violence?
- What sacrifices will I need to make?
- What will be my capacity to handle change?
- What will be my biggest challenge?
- How resilient will I be?
- How will my and my family’s health be?
- What will local medical care be like?
- Will I travel outside the country for health needs?
- What member care will I receive?
- What self care will I practice?
- What will I do if I experience symptoms of depression or other mental illness?
- How would my team, agency, or church respond to finding out about my experiencing mental illness?
- Who will I be able to share with with complete openness and honesty?
- How will I deal with disappointment and failure?
- What will I do if I feel overwhelmed?
- How will any previous trauma affect my life abroad?
- How would I address moral failings in my life?
- How would my team, agency, or church respond to finding out about any moral failings in my life?
- What temptations will I face?
- How will I handle temptations?
- What kind of personal accountability will I have?
- What rules/practices will I have concerning alcohol and tobacco?
- What rules/practices will I have concerning the internet?
- How will my family at home respond to my being away overseas?
- How will my relationships with family back home be affected?
- How often will family from home visit?
- What events will happen with my family members back home while I’m away?
- Will I be able to travel back home for family events there, such as births, illnesses, funerals, emergencies?
- When and for how long will I have home service?
- How will reverse culture shock affect me (and my family)?
- What kind of send-offs and greetings will I get when traveling?
- What opportunities will I have to speak at supporting churches?
- How long will I stay abroad?
- What would cause me to leave the field?
- How will the decision be made for me to leave the field?
- What kind of work will I do if I leave the field?
- How will I fit in with my home church when I return?
- How long will my teammates stay?
- How will I prepare for retirement?
- How will I change while living overseas?
- How will things back home change while I’m away?
- What legacy will I leave behind?
[photo: “Mr. W. MacDougall chief Air Observer & Miss J. Grahame spotting,” from State Library of Victoria, used under a Creative Commons license]
