Human Trafficking - Hotline 1.888.3737.888.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

It's not just about women and sex!

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims can be very young children, teenagers, women or men!

After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today.

• Sex Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act , in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act.
  
• Labor Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, debt bondage or slavery.

Trafficking Victims
Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of State. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak or understand English and are therefore isolated, unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them.

How Victims Are Trafficked
Victims can be exploited for purposes of commercial sex, including prostitution, stripping, pornography and live-sex shows. However, trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop factories, or migrant agricultural work. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel women, men and children to engage in these activities.

Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control.

Fraud often involves false offers that induce people into trafficking situations. For example, women and children will reply to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and are then trafficked for purposes of prostitution once they arrive at their destinations.

Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, any person; any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.

Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury or death, or the safety of the victims’ family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the victims’ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.

In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Not meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior also increases their debt. Many victims do not realize that it is illegal and blame themselves. Even if the victims sense that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, fear, shame and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining help.

Help for Victims of Trafficking

If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call 1.888.3737.888. Victims of human trafficking who are not U.S. citizens are eligible for a special visa and can receive benefits and services through the TVPA to the same extent as refugees.

TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT OF 2000

MEN, an "UNREACHED" people group?

This is one of my favorite books! A GREAT read for men or women, especially if you're in a church leadership position.

Short preview from website: It's Sunday morning! Where are all the men? Golfing? Watching the tube? Mowing the lawn? Sleeping? One place you won't find them is in church. Less than 40 percent of adults in most churches are men, and 20 to 25 percent of married churchgoing women attend without their husbands. And why are the men who do go to church so bored? David Murrow's groundbreaking new book reveals why men are the world's largest unreached people group. With eye-opening research and a persuasive grasp on the facts, Murrow explains the problem and offers hope and encouragement to women, pastors, and men. Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to the church-it calls the church back to men.

Why Men Hate Going to Church
By David Murrow
Edition: illustrated
Published by Thomas Nelson Inc, 2005
ISBN 0785260382, 9780785260387
248 pages

I found my copy of this book a few years ago on amazon.com for about $10.00 . That reminds me.... I loaned this book out, and haven't seen it since. Maybe I need to buy another couple of copies!

Prefer LISTENING instead of READING books?
Check out the link audible.com
http://www.audible.com/adbl/entry/offers/productPromo2.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&productID=BK_HOVE_000179

REAL MEN need Jesus!

How is the local church doing when it comes to building relationships with the MEN in the community? Lets be honest...
in general, men aren't very good at communicating verbally about what's going on inside of them. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way their wired!

Men have emotions, stresses and a need for meaningful relationships just like their counterparts. The problem is that most males will not be very comfortable sitting around in a cozy circle at your Sunday School class, chatting about their week. That's not how guys usually connect with each other!

I once heard it said, if you put two men in a six foot boat in the middle of a lake for eight hours, they may not say more than a few sentences to each other ALL day.....but a week later you'll over hear them proclaiming to their buddies what a GREAT TIME they had TOGETHER! What if you tried the same scenario with two women.... would you expect the same results? Not likely!

Women and men develop friendships very differently. It's not rocket science and yet so often we fail to transfer that simple information into the way we do church. Men need to be men, they're hungry for a challenge, something significant as well as spiritual to sink their teeth into! When this doesn't happen, it becomes increasingly easier for them to isolate or disconnected from the Christian community. How do we make the Sunday morning experience "Guy Friendly" and not just kid friendly?

Continually seeking creative ways to connect with the men in our culture is a huge responsibility. If we aren't intentional, they'll simply seek fulfilment with their comrades somewhere else.


"Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return." Hebrews 10:24-25

Team Dynamics

TOO many pieces!

Our vacuum is a frightening sight. Must there be so many pieces and parts, just to accomplish ONE task? Will it still work if I use only three of the pieces instead of all twelve? Some of the parts are broken and have to be taped together and other pieces are seemingly worthless! All I know is, it won't work unless ALL THE PIECES ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER CORRECTLY.

God speaks to me in the most unusual and crazy ways sometimes! (That's what I enjoy most about God, He understands me, loves me and knows how to get my attention) Last week I was trying to assemble this lovely vacuum cleaner when I was reminded of the Kingdom of God. (I told you it was a little crazy) But think about it, when it comes to a MINISTRY TEAM all the parts are important! Not only do all the pieces have value, but ministry doesn't work well if the pieces aren't connected together correctly!

We serve a big God and He has created us all so beautifully unique! I believe there are people in the harvest fields RIGHT NOW who have been prayerfully seeking God for a team member/worker/partner who looks just like me! The task God has called them to will be more effective when their "extension hose" or " connector bracket" arrives. "Connecting up" with others who are equally full of hope excites me. The opportunity to extend the blessing of salvation to all the Nations is not a duty or frustrating chore, but an awesome privilege.

None of us are perfect, certainly not me! We need one another to be successful. I can't wait to see who the Holy Spirit connects me to. Isn't it amzing to know that God is able to uses the ordinary, broken, or "taped together" pieces of our lives to accomplish the extraordinary!

The offence of Legalism

Legalism is the distortion of Grace

Legalism : A religious system which emphasises rules, codes and laws we must succeed at, or a standard we must attain in order to earn acceptance, favor, merit ot love!

Grace: The unmerited, unearned, special favor of God's love and mercy lavished upon us through Christ!

God is so rich in mercy and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when Christ raised from the dead. Salvation is not a reward for good things you have done, but a gift of grace (undeserved, special favor without merit) Ephesians 2:4-10

"Here is a simple test to check whether you are prone to a legalistic thinking: ask yourself, "How does God feel about me today?" If the answer is anything other than, He is passionately in love with me, then you are falling into the trap of thinking that God's attitude towards us is determined by our performance rather than by his essential loving character. In other words, you're thinking as though God's favour is earned rather than freely given. " Quote from Mike Taylor , From Legalism to Grace, 2001.

Love the Unlovely

Daring to be Honest before God...

It was mid February, that I entered into a season of prayer and fasting. During those cloudy and cold months that followed, God’s piercing truth convicted me concerning a specific group of people. "Are you willing to love the unlovely?" My answer blurted out much too quickly. "Of course!" My subconscious began to tally an invisible list of street people, criminals and addicts with whom I had worked. Certainly, He must be aware of these? The Spirit continued the questioning, "Really? I have noticed one culture, one group of people that you have consistently been unwilling to love". This came as an unexpected revelation to say the least! As the Spirit continued to slice through my jumbled thoughts, I scrambled again to defend myself, but it was too late! God’s words were cutting to my core. All at once, I knew this loving rebuke was absolutely true.

There was a “culture” of sorts that I was unwilling to love; in fact I had considered them for the most part, un-redeemable! In the past, I only tolerated the members of this well established group. Although their adherents had been responsible for much frustration and discouragement through the generations, they seem perfectly content with their community norms, "status-quo" structures and unique or better yet, "exclusive" language.

What is this so-called culture? Well, lets just say you won't find them on the Joshua Project list of unreached people. The culture of which I speak, are loyal to practice of Religious Institutionalism. Shamefully, I was completely unwilling to love those with their allegiances firmly planted in the rich soil of apathy, complacency, legalism and self-righteousness.

An internal storm swelled within me as the Spirit of God brought these images to the surface for a closer viewing. (Daring to be honest before God can get ugly!) My ego, my pride, was stirred up and worked dutifully to redeem itself from such pointed accusations...but there was no escaping God. Knowing God is Truth, unfortunately did not keep me from protesting. My unvoiced, yet determined confrontations continued. "Please God, I will gladly serve in any other culture in any other land, but don’t ask me to work among the religious, who cloister themselves in a cushion of institutional comfort!"

Then, just as quickly as I had erupted, now a deep quietness was settling in. Stillness. Silence. The gentle uprooting my own dreadful self-righteousness and lack of compassion continued quietly. Holy God was holding the mirror of His truth just close enough for me to see dimly my own unlovely reflection. Yep, there it was. With no more desire to struggle or to escape, no more arguments were necessary. God’s words to me were accurate.

It is truly easier to love the broken, the filthy or addicted. To befriend the criminals, prostitutes and thieves is no problem. At least they are forthright about their condition, their spiritual depravity or lost-ness. That however was not the question. The question at hand was, had I been willing to love the unlovely? Was I willing to love the “Religious” or the modern day “Pharisees”, those who rest their souls upon their own man-made institutions and traditions and not on God? In silence again, I sat, this time for a long while. Humbled by God’s ability to know my heart, I was without any excuses.

"Yes Lord... you are right...I am guilty. Please, please forgive me. Unlike Jesus, I have not been willing to love the unlovely."

"For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are." Hebrews 4:12

Night Life in Chiang Mai

When you want to visit the prostitutes, you have to be ready to expect a long night! I was invited to join my Thai friend for a "night out" while in Chiang Mai. My friend works with a ministry team who targets the "women of the night". I considered it a great privilage to join her on one of those nights.

This "night rider" was my ticket into the brothels and pubs downtown. An earlier conversation with her lead to an invitation for me to join her that night. She lost her ministry partner a few months ago and hadn't been able to head into the district by herself. She was thrilled to have someone eager to accompany her. We met for prayer and then zoomed off in the dark on her motercycle! What a great opportunity. I learned a lot as I observed her in action. She is one brave young lady!

Soooooo.....what do you do once you get to the pubs? Well, you order an orange soda and play whatever board games they have available.

I was there to learn so I took my directions from my friend. She has been working for months to gain the girls trust. We went in easy, relaxed and low key. We engage in conversations and spent alot of time listening and laughing with the girls. This seemd to please the bar owner. (It's very important to keep the bar owner happy!) Her girls were enjoying themselves with us, which caused additional people passing by to be curious and stop in to see what was happening.

My Thai friend has an amazing way about her, she simply pours out compassion and tenderness to these women. Most of the bar girls are happy to have someone to talk to, someone who will listen to their story. The young lady (on the right) left her village two months ago to try and earn money. Her younger sister just arrived three weeks ago for the same reason. They have only been at this work a short time and yet their eyes tell you it has been an eternity.

The goal is to reach these girls with the Good News before they are swollowed up in the darkness of prostitution and drugs. Many young girls like this are out on the streets all night by themselves which makes them easy prey. This girl can't be much more than 11 or 12 years old.

These darling little faces are just a few of the hundreds who run the streets all night long. Many children of the young girls and women who work in the brothels or pubs have no were to go while their mothers are "working". My Thai friend and I had fun visiting with some of the street children that night. They seemed to enjoy the extra attention!


Of course the little ones are always begging for money, but my friend wisely takes them around the corner market instead. They can pick out two treats, something to eat and drink. Then we give them a little money to pay the cashier. This makes them feel very important, it also helps keep peace with the store owners who these children usually steal from.

Survey Trips and Practical Tips

The best thing about going on a survey trip is that you get to see and experience a country and it's people first hand! You get the opportunity to observe another culture and interact with them. Another good thing is it allows you to figure out (hopefully ahead of time) what does and doesn't work in another country! Getting a grip on some of these practical things ahead of time can save you a lot of headache and heartache.

A few practical things I figured out:

Internet? I really missed this convenience when it wasn't available. That surprised me, because I am not someone who spends a great deal of time on the internet. Because I was jumping around to a variety of locations (rural, urban slums and city) the availability of wireless services was also varied. Most of the time I was unable to use my own computer, which made it very difficult to keep my supporters and family updated or to make Blog entries that documented my activities. Although people were very generous to offer use of their lines (when ever possible) it usually meant using their computers, time frames, passwords or configuration codes. Time, if any, was very limited and when and if I could get logged in, it was considerably slower. Because it was slower, everything took longer. I didn't feel comfortable interrupting my host's personal routines just to wait for information to load up. It also felt like I was being disrespectful to my hosts if I spend time trying to do any updates instead of engaging in social interaction with family members.

Cell phone service: I called ahead to find out if it were possible to receive or make calls from my Razor with my Verizon account. I was told that there would be a roaming fee, but that most of Thailand has coverage. That was not the case. Also my Razor style phone could not be adapted with a SIM card. Next trip I will consider renting or buying a cheap phone in country. Apparently they are easy to come by and then you purchase your "airtime" as you go with a SIM card. In the future I will try using the free SKYPE download for internet phone calls and communication. That seemed like a nice way to stay connected, plus you can use a camera/microphone to see as well as hear your caller.

Get Powered up!

Hey, it's almost Christmas, and I'll bet some of you are hoping Santa will bring you some really cool power tools! I know my brother is one of those who loves tools, the bigger the better. I'm just like him...

...Okay, that's a lie.

The truth is I consider myself somewhat "gadget challenged". If fact, it's embarrassing how terrible I am with electrical gadgetie-things. I am not good with power tools or anything with too many buttoms. To this day I still can't figured out why people use two or three of those hand held TV remotes (30 buttons per remote) just to watch a DVD? Knowing that, you might laugh when I tell you that one time I signed up to become an Electrician on Career Day at the local College! What was I thinking? Later I figured it was the adventure of working outside, climbing up and down on giant poles, and dangling from straps or harnesses that appealed to me!

Ooooo! Now this looks really fun. What is it?

Recently God has been showing me there are other types of power tools that all of us (even me) can become experts with. These "power tools" are called Words of Encouragement! We are daily given the opportunity to build up, reinforce and strengthen one another through the words we speak. Just like with any power tools, our words must be handled with care, so as not to cause injury. So maybe I am not very skilled with a DeWalt and I should never handle anything with high voltage! God and I (along with my brother) have finally come to an agreement over such things. Words of encouragement, hope and love are the only "power tools" I'm allowed to handle!

Ridiculous Myth or Cumbersome Old Philosophy?

It’s finally raining in Northern California! As I was driving home from a meeting this morning, I noticed a young boy walking by himself in the rain. There he was, his hair plastered to his head, backpack strapped over his shoulders, short sleeved shirt drenched and stuck to his bony little ten year old frame. He had no hat, no jacket and not a care in the world by the way he was shuffling along! What caught my eye was the item he carried in his hand. Although not in use, you could see he had an umbrella!


This umbrella was a sight to behold, an old gaudy looking thing covered with giant pink and violet flowers. Certainly no self respecting 10 year old boy would be caught using such a ridiculous looking umbrella! Good intentions of a loving mom no doubt. ‘It’s raining! You need this- use it so you don’t get wet,” she may have said, stuffing it in his arms as he headed out the door.

How often do we, with our good intentions, hand out things that will never be used? We think it was good for me, it should be good for them too! Sometimes I think we do this by the manner in which we present the Gospel of Jesus. People certainly have need of it, in fact the bible tells us that we ALL have need. There are none of us that are good enough, no not one. The bible goes on to tell us how ALL can find love, forgiveness and acceptance. This is the Gospel; it is good news!

The truths of the bible are not ridiculous myths or cumbersome old philosophies to dutifully drag around with us, but never use! If they have become such a thing, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Perhaps hurting people, who have been drenched by the storms of life, would be more willing to accept the bible's message of compassion if we didn't present it like an old flower covered umbrella! The good news of salvation through Jesus must remain current, relevant and dynamic if it is to be seen as valuable by this present generation!

Communication Skills

We are all wired differently! We send out , receive and process information in a wide variety of ways. When we do this well we call it, GOOD COMMUNICATIONS. When we do this poorly, we call it A BIG FAT MESS.

Sometimes our wires get crossed or communications become jumbled like the electrical lines in this photo (taken last year while in Myanmar). Because we are human, because we are not perfect, because we interact with people wired differently, the potential for miscommunication, misunderstandings are inevitably. Hey, there are even times when I am perfectly capable of tangling things up all by myself, I don't even need outside assistance!

Are you like me? Is there any "rewiring" that needs to take place in your life? Maybe it's improving your communication skills, maybe it's working on not being critical of those who are wired differently than you! The willingness or desire to make improvements is always a good place to start. When we follow that desire through with an intentional plan, that's when we begin to see some exciting results! Changes take time and energy. It is for these reasons that I am very grateful to have a patient, slow to anger, compassionate God who love me even during those times when I fail.

As I look AGAIN at the posted picture above, I am seeing something I didn't notice before. In the center of all the crazy wires, the pole somewhat resembles a cross. Kind of a cool way to remember that when I'm feel completely overloaded and the "wiring" looks confused, I must look to Jesus (the cross at the center) He alone is God. He is the only one who can lovingly untangle and rewire my life!

Maintaining Healthy Margins

I Don't See Any White Space!

At some point in time you may have noticed how difficult it is to read a paper that has no margins. Hopefully you are not actually trying to read this crazy paper, as I only wrote it to demonstrate a point. Margins are very important. Some people write all over their whole paper and leave absolutely no available space. If you haven't stopped reading this yet, now is the time! Jump down to the large print below and continue reading. Their many words spill over to consume every conceivable inch. They stretch to very edge of the sheet of paper leaving no margins at all. Seeing such a letter may cause you to panic. If you haven't stopped reading this yet, now is the time! Jump down to the large print below and continue reading. You may even become fatigued by the very thought of having to read such a thing. No matter how interesting the topic may be, when there are no places to rest your eyes it becomes an exhausting chore. At some point in time you may have noticed how difficult it is to read a paper that has no margins. Hopefully you are not actually trying to read this crazy paper, as I only wrote it to demonstrate a point. Margins are very important. Some people write all over their whole paper and leave absolutely no available space. Their many words spill over to consume every conceivable inch. They stretch to very edge of the sheet of paper leaving no margins at all. Seeing such a letter may cause you to panic. You may even become fatigued by the very thought of having to read such a thing!

White space is the area of a document or letter that is purposely left available, uncluttered with text. Some of us live our lives in the same way that this paper was written without any "margins" or "white spaces". Our busy lives spill over to the edges or margins of our day. For many, this happen EVERY DAY. This type of chronic over extension of our personal or business life is harmful and although we may be aware of the serious consequences of living beyond our margins (emotional, spiritual and physical) are we doing anything to address it?

As a Christians I am not exempt from the stresses of this world. I live in a society that places great value on those who accomplish much. We esteem those who are able to withstand great pressures over prolonged periods of time. We rewarded them with important titles, positions of responsibility and sometimes we even give them a BONUS.

I am learning the importance of living with margins. I need them! They need to be intentional built into my life, or I’ll have none! The lack of establishing healthy margins (or boundaries) will eventually result in burnout or other serious ailments.

Here is my problem, there is a disconnect between what I know and what I do. I think my actions, not my words, reveal my true core beliefs most of the time. In the privacy of my own heart, perhaps I still foolishly believed these following statements to be true:

1. That I am indispensable
2. That I am the only one able to complete the task
3. That I am only as important as my last success
4. That my value is directly related to "how" or "what" I am able to produce
   
   For Me To Maintain Healthy Margins

1. Remember it's not about ME
2. Remember sometimes the right answer is NO
3. Remember it's okay to ask for help
4. Remember to depend on God's strengths and abilities, not mine!
5. Remember times of solitude are necessary and valuable
6. Remember REST IS NOT A SIN
7. Remember my value is not ultimately determined by others, but by a loving God
8. Remember Jesus!

Functional vs Dysfunctional

Who is the Father Carving You To Be?

Understanding who I am in Christ, out trumps who I was and how it is that I became numbered among the vast sea of dysfunctionals. No family or person is perfect, but that did not seem to slow me down from trying. That’s what dysfunctional people do, we try and try to make sense of a world that has none. The harder we try to sort through what seems to be an unending cycle of chaos or insecurities the deeper we fall into despair and denial. In an escape to flee the inevitable branding of being “damaged goods”, many of us ran smack into the undeniable, unconditional, inescapable love of a Heavenly Father.

How great is the Father’s love that we should be called children of God! Today I am a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away. My value does not come from who I am, but who’s I am. I belong to Jesus. He calls me; Beloved, Chosen and Redeemed. These new titles may have been stamped on me at the time of my conversion, but they become engraved in me through the struggles and trials of life.

God is not the one who subjects us to terrors; dysfunction begets dysfunction, sin brings forth more sin. During my younger years I observed unhealthy patterns for marriage, conflict resolution and life in general. I filed these pieces of information away in my mind as “normal”. As an adult, these same dysfunctional patterns manifest themselves through 15 years of marriage. I played a part in repeating the cycle.

The scars of domestic violence never really fade away. They are like deep gouges that disfigure a fine piece of wood. So how do people move forward? Where and how does healing take place? I can only share with you how it has been happening in my life.

Among other things, my earthly father was a craftsman, a carver who painstakingly transformed ordinary blocks of wood into beautiful master pieces. In a similar way I see my Heavenly Father, as a master craftsman, lovingly transforming my damaged life through the years. Seeing the deep gouges of fear and distrust in my life, He carefully, painstakingly chiseled over the top of them with His grace and love. What others might have discarded as damaged or scrap lumber, unfit for any good thing, God has firmly set hold of for His Kingdom purposes. He engraved deep into my soul that which was initially only stamped on to the surface. I am a daughter of the King, I am His workmanship created for His glory!

Living with Integrity

The Men in My Life!

Today is my oldest son's birthday, and five days ago was my youngest son's birthday. I have two amazing sons! The men in my life also include a great son-inlaw and one awesome younger brother. They are all bright, personable, fun loving and gifted. I am so proud of them for so many reasons. In a world where it is acceptable to do your own thing, to live life on your own terms or to think that "as long as it doesn't hurt anybody, it's okay", they have chosen to live as men of integrity.


The qualities of integrity are rare these days! For many in our culture the idea of remaining faithful to a spouse or sexually pure is almost considered a joke. For those who have rationalized that there is no real danger in the virtual world of cyber sex, think again! The increased use of Internet pornography is staggering, and this is not just an issue for the men, hundreds of thousands of women have become caught in it's snare as well. Sometimes we fail to see that the real problem lays much deeper than that of lust or lack of self control.

Soon I will be heading for Thailand, a country that has a thriving pornography industry. Many men, women, young teens and even little children fall prey to this activity. Please pray for me as I may be working in very close proximity to all of these things. I am keenly aware that anyone at anytime can fall into this pit and climbing out of it can be very difficult. If you or someone you know is struggling to break free from these snares, fortunately there is plenty of help available for those who desire it.

Need a battle plan?

Go to the GOT QUESTIONS link, scroll to EVERY MAN'S BATTLE (view the video)

• False Intimacy: Understanding the Struggle of Sexual Addiction (Paperback book) by Harry W. Schaumburg (Autho
  
• http://www.everymansbattle.com/Amazon.com: Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series): Books: Stephen Arterburn, www.amazon.com/Every-Mans-Battle-Winning-Temptati on
  
• Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and ...
  This an accompanying workbook to Every Woman's Battle. Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Purity www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/

For those surfing the net for information, travel or anything else about Thailand, please be careful! TAKE GREAT CAUTION as there are many visual links and advertisements that could easily trip you up!

Define "Ethnocentristic"

It's Only an Umbrella!

I am only 10 days into my intercultural training at CIT and we are being challenged to investigate or evaluate every cultural standard I have ever grown up with.

As westerns we tend to be ethnocentistic, sifting and processing information through our own cultural experiences. The notion that we are in some way superior, more sophisticated or correct is the essence of ethnocentristic thinking. We demonstrate this idea by making conscience and subconscienc comparisions all day long. We believe "our ways" are the ultimate standard by which to measure (compute or process) daily life around us. If it doesn' measure up to our standard, we consider it as inferior. Example; How often have you been in an unfamiliar cultural setting and thought, "that seems weird" or "Well, we don't do things that way!" We are all a product of our cultures or our life experiences. The tempation is to make judgement of others based on what we think is good or bad, according to our individual experiences. The goal in cross-cultural training is to begin seeing things through the eyes of others. Their cultures, for the most part are not necessarily "good" or "bad", but instead, "just different" from ours. For those humble few who believe they are not a victim of their cultural processing style, let me share a short story with you.

My epiphany took place at a Wal-Mart of all places! An unexpected down pour of rain caught me unprepared and soaking wet. Wishing to be more prepared for the next storm, I zoom off to Walmart between classe to buy an umbrella. Being the task oriented person that I am, I engaged in a brief interaction with a Wal-Mart employee for the purpose of locating the umbrellas. With that goal locked in mind, I quickly moved towards the correct isle, waving in a friendly manor to a classmate whom caught my eye a long the way. "Hey, there they are! " (not referring to my classmates… but to the umbrellas!) ....Awesome, they are exactly where the Walmart lady said they would be." Now I needed to choose one that isn’t too expensive or too big, it needs to fit into my suitcase for the trip home. Next, determined to see if the umbrella works, without the slightest hesitation I pop it open. I'm careful to smile at the sales lady near by and not poke her with the umbrella. It certainly seemed sturdy enough and not too big. Okay, mission accomplished and I might add it was purchased in record time! I am now the happy owner of a new umbrella and in the process I have managed to violate almost every cultural standard of the people group I hope to work with!

Beliefs determine what a person values and their values are acted out through their behavior. If I were to re-play the same shopping scenario, using non-american cultural values, my trip to the store may have been quite different.

First, not all cultures value the idea of being prepared ahead of time. Most Americans like being prepared. Maybe it's due to all the Boy Scout/Girl Scout training we had in our younger years! Surprizingly, a large number of people in the “two thirds world” do not display a crisis oriention. The idea of planning ahead for a rain storm or any other future problems are usually avoided. They tend to live on a day to day continuum, placing a higher value on what is currently happening, not on future possibilites. This might seem odd to us, but then again I am being challenged to consider that cultures are neither superior nor inferior-just different!

My western culture places a very high value on "future". We spend much time pondering our future. We want to know the future weather forcasts, the future of the stock markets, the future housing industry. We want to know what is on sale next Tuesday and worry about the future of our children!



Unlike other cultures, we westerns also tend to be more information driven, independent and production (or task) oriented. Although an extremely simplistic; my short trip to Wal-Mart was very good example of my western cultural values. It was very a task! There was a goal in mind! I independently prepared a head of time for the next unexpected rain storm by purchasing MY OWN umbrella. Typically westerners consider their individual agendas to be more important than the collective group's need. Other cultures tend to be more interdependent. Barrowing an umbrella from a family member, friend or neighbor is expected. Some cultures are also more group oriented. Purchasing the larger umbrella instead of the smallest one means more can use it at the same time! Needing to find an umbrella to fit in my suitcase , because they would NEVER consider taking it home, the umbrella is not "yours" it belongs to everyone! Also in other culture around the world, arriving to an event SOAKING WET is not a big issue. Many people are not as preoccupied with their physical appearance as we are here in the states?

This next thought is also hard one to swallow, however it is true! Not all cultures value “time” the same way we do! We love our buzzers and beepers, timers and clocks. We scribble in appointment books and enter data on our PDA. We like to keep track of time and are frustrated when we loose it! We reward those who “arrive on time” and those who are able to “pack a lot into” their time.

In many parts of the world people favor the “process of an event” and the “building of a relationship” over the keeping of a schedule! For them, it's all about relationships. In some parts of the world a "Hello" greeting can easily take 30 to 40 minutes. This is because greetings should include a pleasant conversation in which all members of the other family are enquired about! In my culture sometimes we avoid people we recognize when in public places because we don't have time to visit, we have a "task" to accomplish! For example; Have you ever found yourself at the grocery store and after spotting someone you knew, you pretend you don't see them or avoid that isle completely? Why?

I have been guilty at times of valuing "my time" or "the task" over the relationship. This is shameful for me to admit, but it is true. My thoughts at times were, "Hey, there is -------. Oh no, if I get talking to them, I'll never get back to work on time". In other parts of the world, not taking the time to stop and engage in a lengthy conversation would be considered very offensive! In my culture smiling or waving from a distance (as I did in the Wal-Mart store) is a friendly, three seconds long, form of acknowledgment.

THIS ALL SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF FUSS FOR AN UMBRELLA! You're right, and that's my point! Even the simplest scenarios, when processed through different cultural filters, can become complex, wth potential for significant misunderstandings or judgments! All of us are products of our cultures. Agian -this does not mean one is inferior or superior, it's just a difference! If I intend to work within multiple cultures successfully, I will need to practice “un-learning” some of my american ways.

There is so much I am learning during my training at CIT. For now, my only prayer is to remain humble, teachable and sensitive to others.

Kathy