Last week's update (Days 21-26)

I have had several people tell me that my Hep B shot should not have hurt as bad as it did, and they wondered if I had gotten my shot in a nerve. How likely is that scenario? Is that possible? Nurses?

Anyway, this week should be okay for Doug and I, but not so good for the kids. Since Doug and I have already been to Africa, we only need a second rabies shot and a TB skin test. I didn't even bother finding out what all they kids had to have. I'd rather not have to think about it that long. I'll let you know after Friday...

I didn't update a lot last week (and I shouldn't be doing it now), but my homework will still be there when I'm done typing.

Right now, Doug and I are working on a "plan" for our Washington D.C. trip we have to take as an assignment. We have a checklist of things we have to do and observe while we are there, and before we go, we have to send in a report about where we are going, what and where we will eat (has to be something culturally ethnic we've never had before), and how we will accomplish our goals.

In case you didn't know, it takes a long time to research a city you hardly know anything about except the historical highlights. And I've never thought about searching for a people group in a city, have you? Quite interesting.















Another interesting praise that was new to me was how cross-cultural God made His Word. For example, King Saul was described as a “head and shoulder” above other men. For a Pygmy, this may be 5 feet; for a Massai, it may be 6’ 6”. It relates to both cultures perfectly, just like God. Another example was a woman in the Bible being described as “beautiful of face and form.” This could mean thin, heavy, tattooed, plain, etc. depending on which people group is reading His Word. Isn't He good?!

Another session we had last week was just with the Sub-Saharan Africa peoples, and we discussed culture shock. For two hours (and we needed more), we talked about all the things that can and will put us in culture shock, and how we WILL slide down into a depressed state. The not so funny part is that we filled the white board with all the things that will be “shocks” to us, and our leaders said we would have pits in EVERY category. Doesn’t that sound fun? They cautioned us to never make decisions while we are in the “pit” and ready to go home, and I think we all decided to have our company’s counseling number on speed dial.


Just for grins! Although you would have to click on it to really appreciate it.














As a side note, if you are ever traveling overseas, you can register with the State Dept on-line at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/, and they will be able to contact you while you are overseas if they feel there is something you need to know about for safety.