BLENDING IN LOCAL LIFESTYLE
AND MANAGING LOCAL LANGUAGE
A FOREWORD
If the co-workers want to be useful in the Lord’s hand, they must adapt to their environment and not expect the environment to adapt to them. Some brothers said that there are many capable saints in the church in Los Angeles and that the serving ones there are also capable. When I serve, I do my best to bring the saints into function. The church in Los Angeles is the fourth or fifth church that I have served. When I was in northern China, there were many capable ones there. There were many capable ones in Shanghai, and there were even more capable ones in Taiwan. However, initially the serving ones are not necessarily capable. The truth is that the saints who are brought into function become capable, but those who are not brought into function remain limited. When we perfect the saints, we do not necessarily need to take the lead. Even without our taking the lead, the saints can still be perfected.
Therefore, the co-workers must not depend on others’ being accommodating. The co-workers must be like rainwater, which can seep through any crack. In the past we have said that the co-workers should be accommodating of others to the point that they are like glue. Glue can be applied to a horizontal surface as well as to a vertical surface; it can be applied to an area under a table as well as to a surface that is slanted. Moreover, glue can be applied to objects of any shape, whether they are pointed, round, or rectangular. The co-workers have no alternative but to be like glue, which can be applied to any surface, in any condition, even if the surface looks messy. They can be accommodating in their function when they are in a locality where the church affairs are in order, and they can also be accommodating in their function when they go to a locality where the church affairs are not in order. Wherever they go, they need to function as glue, no matter what the situation is in the locality. The function of the co-workers is to be accommodating like glue. They should be accommodating whether or not the elders restrict them.
From this time onward, we should be more direct in our dealings with one another. Whoever is not willing to go to a certain place to serve should be compelled to go, and whoever is not doing an acceptable work should continue serving until his work is acceptable. It is not right for a co-worker to do poorly in his service or to do an average job. He must serve in a satisfactory way. A co-worker who is afraid of being restricted by the elders should be asked to serve with the strongest elders so that he can learn the lesson. The elders in some local churches are very restrictive, but they have been sovereignly prepared by the Lord. When the co-workers serve, they must adapt to their environment and not expect the environment to adapt to them. (Shepherding the Church and Perfecting the Young People, ch. 10)
I. Blending in local lifestyle:
A. Clothing:
1. Wear, dress, grooming
In Muslim countries, domestic women go out to mask their body with crapes, foreign women wear long clothing to cover their buttocks.
2. Preparing the clothing
In West Asia and North Africa countries, the large temperature difference between day and night, pay attention to sunscreen and antifreeze; in African countries, rainy, prepare water-resistant clothing.
B. Food:
1. Staple food and food practices:
The staple food in Tropical countries are rice, and maize; the staple food in most of the Islamic countries are Arab pie and mutton; India’s staple food is India cakes and curries; some African countries will consider banana as one of the staple food.
The dishes in West Asia tastes light and ripe, some African countries who like the food half baked.
2. Tableware, dining time, dining etiquette, and taboos:
People in Europe and the Americas eat with a knife and fork, while people in Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia and India are using their hands to grab and disable the left hand.
The Islamic State fast pork and its offal and kind of food, avoid alcohol
3. Fruits and vegetables:
Most Tropical countries have the habit of eating fruit after a meal.
4. Drinking water:
The running water in most tropical countries can not directly drink, most of tea and drinks with ice;
Islamic countries are mostly drinking the dairy products;
African countries entertain guests with coffee.
5. Eating out:
when eating out, Western Asia Islamic countries should leave a little food that do not touch or eat.
C. Accommodation:
1. The living environment, living habits, and matters needing attention:
Countries in the desert region is often arranged their bed on the roof at night because of the hot climate and little rain. Some countries in tropical moist mostly do not live on the first floor, pay attention to the prevention of animals and insects. Schedule in different parts of the countries is distinct due to the time-difference.
2. Renting a house, and some related processes and procedures
3. Moving
4. Water and electricity bills
5. Enter into the local home
6. Understand how to apply for the visa and the residence permit institutions and some related expenses
D. Transportation:
1. Traffic conditions (hardware facilities and peak period), traffic rules and related regulations, traffic tools
India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, South Africa, Malta, Malaysia and other countries is “the right rudder left line”.
Cuba, Brazil, Greece, Morocco and other countries “the left rudder right line”.
2. Travel expenses
3. Handling of traffic accidents.
E. Social etiquette:
Part of the region of Nepal, the host extended his tongue to welcome. Many occasions are shaking their heads in favor of a nod to show disapproval (India is also the same); some of the India Muslims in the meal forbid people even mention the “pig” word;
In the middle of a part of the black people do not shake hands, but their own hands to each other, in the face before shaking, said the greeting;
People in Arabia national do not give gifts or ask their home situation in their first meeting.
In Latin America, gifts, such as handkerchief or the cutlery could not be sent
F. Finance:
Distribution of the position of bank finance, account for retroactive financial and circulation (exchange)
G. Medical:
1. Distribution of medical institutions, medical conditions, medical expenses, medical policy (for foreign policy)
2. Medical procedures
3. Disease prevention and emergency measures in daily life:
Tropical diseases: malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever
H. Shopping:
1. Hardware stores, food markets, pharmacies, clothing stores and other locations
2. Online shopping (shopping site, logistics)
I. Network:
1. Network status, network freedom
2. Major communications and social networking tools
J. Holiday and vacations:
The date, the length, the custom and the taboo of the holiday; the local custom, the scenic spot
India’s new year is from October 31st every year, a total of 5 days, the fourth days is the new year’s day.
Ramadan in Arabia national
K. Women’s freedom:
Women’s activities and speech:
In some Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to go to the street, shopping, restaurants, museums and so on. They must be accompanied by her husband, sister, or two. There are shops, banks and other only for women to enter in. Women are not allowed to drive. In public places, without permission, I could not take pictures of Saudi women
L. Education
1. The distribution of universities, the status of the students, the overall level of Education
2. The educational institutions, education fees
M. The religious environment (national policies and regulations, religious background of local residents, the accepting of foreigners)
95% residents in Thailand believe in Buddhism, Buddhism for the country to teach.
Among the inhabitants of India, 84% are Hindu, 11% are Muslim.
Most of the Egyptians and Arabs believe in Islam, do not eat pork or pig products.
N. Natural environment (weather, natural disasters)
O. Political environment (the policies for foreigners, the stability of the whole situation)
P. Emergency (stolen, robbed, important things being lost, wars)
Q. Human culture (language, nationality, history)
R. Spiritual life:
1. Familiar with the general situation of the local church (the number and distribution of the church, the number of the saints and the spiritual situation), the current burden and implementation of the church, the meeting of the church
2. Blending with the saints (life, Spiritual)
3. Set goals of the developing, cooperate and act together with the saints.
