Learning brings challenges
Learning a new culture and language is an immense task and sometimes new missionaries become a little overwhelmed.
“I was always taught that the honeymoon period of cross-cultural experiences lasts a month or two,” wrote missionary Maggie Hostetter. “It does not. It lasts exactly seven days. Today I entered the ‘contemplating divorce’ period.”
“I felt very overwhelmed and really wished that I could run to Walmart because I couldn’t find vinegar in the store, or cocoa powder or chocolate chips. And I bought cooking bananas at the market instead of sweet ones even though I did my best to ask if they were cooking bananas or not before I bought them. I hate cooking bananas.”
Maggie and her husband Chris are taking every opportunity to learn the Melanesian Pidgin language. Last week they gathered up their four children and went into the village to return a book left at their house. Using English and some Pidgin while the others spoke in Pidgin and some English, they managed to communicate.
One of the men told Chris, "lookim em bildim house bilong em" – watch him build his house. – and he would teach him Pidgin while he worked. So the next morning Chris set out with pen and paper to learn the language.
“It’s funny how I feel like I'm learning so much so fast yet I'm only just beginning this long process of learning a second language.” Chris wrote.
Maggie has all the usual “missionary wife chores” such as cutting, peeling and soaking the prepared fruits and vegetables in bleach to make sure they are safe to eat. She faces additional challenges in culture and language learning because she has to do all the extras necessary for surviving in a tropical area and prepare to home-school her children.
Pray that Chris and Maggie will learn the culture and language quickly, and more importantly, pray that they will build relationships with people and be able to share Christ.