Coopers in the Congo: Cross cultural lessons, some profound and others less so

NOVEMBER 11, 2018

Our goat Elsa had two beautiful babies this past week

THE HAMBURGER: A LESSON IN CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Just when I thought I was being clear..

Cross cultural communication is always interesting. There are misunderstandings, some annoyances, but in the end it is mostly funny. Let me share with you my experience ordering a hamburger in Bunia last week. Warren was like, “Of course the waitress did that!

First we ordered 2 fish and chips and one hamburger and fries. There waitress seemed to clarify the order and asked, “You want three orders of fish and chips?” I repeated myself, asked about adding cheese, and she went to the kitchen to place the order. This seemed normal. Then she came back to show me to the cheese cooler so I could a cheese and how much I wanted with my burger.

Next she brought out a plate of fish and chips. No hamburger. I said that I didn’t order fish and showed her a picture of what I wanted on the menu. She said, I will be back.

She returned with a huge bun with a piece of sausage on the inside, other veggies on the “burger” and a plate of cheese, no fries. We pointed out that it was sausage and not what we desired. It felt a bit rude but I didn't want to eat that. At this point we cancelled the order and I started eating Warren’s food.

She came back again and said that they would order the beef! I said “That’s ok,” knowing that this also would probably be different than expected, and lunchtime was over.

What did I learn? Things are oftentimes different than our think. Burgers are hard to come by in Congo. Rather than say, “we don’t have that,” the cultural thing to do is to serve something else for your customer. Warren was right, I should have understood what she was saying without saying it directly.

Hmm. Always a learning experience. Always humbling. I still left a tip.

GRACELAND & REFLECTIONS ON CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY

One of my favorite albums of all time is “Graceland” by Paul Simon. Even as a child I loved this album. There has always been a depth, a certain poetry, varied instrumentation, voice and otherwise. In the story about the making of the song Graceland, Simon shares some profound lessons about collaboration from making music in South Africa. Some say that it is one of his best albums. Why is that? I think this is because of the collaboration, a mixing of styles and language. This is a lesson that I learn over and over again here in Africa. As a Westerner I find myself taking pride in my own independence and accomplishments and humbled by my African neighbors interdependence and assistance of one another. Out here independence is a weakness, truly a WEAKNESS. It is more about who you are and how you work together with others that really matters. We accomplish much more together…watch the movie credits from a favorite movie and see how many people participated. Everyone had a part. The Graceland album reminds me too that there is great richness and discovery of uncharted waters when we work together. Allow me to share a few of Paul Simon’s ideas from the making of Graceland.

He starts out with a certain drum traveling rhythm and a South African (who always plays major chords) adopts a minor chord on the guitar….trying to imitate Simon’s style. The pedal steel guitar is a country instrument but also a West African instrument and thus music thereupon, a blend of styles. “The Mississippi delta shining like a national guitar.”

It became a traveling song, not about one culture or another. Not South African, not American either. Rather the song is a new creation, a collaboration. It is about listening to each other, and making associations. Then, and only then, one can play music that fits into another culture. There are some beautiful lessons here in life. Check it out if you don't remember the song "Graceland."

Living life cross culturally is a merging of cultures, an adaptation. Ministering to others, through learning and communicating effectively in another language requires incredible adaptation and understanding. It is what the apostle Paul did when he said in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23:

"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law(though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Like music, the church of Jesus Christ deepens in as time goes on with people of all languages and cultures. The Church is like a piece of music that has the same underlying theme, but more and more complex parts and instruments. I love this analogy.

CHAPEL UPDATE

Over a week ago the hospital officially broke ground on the chapel rehabilitation. There is a

lot of excitement and interest as it is in a very public place. We have heard people say things like, "It's finally time!" and "We have been so sad to walk by this building in ruins for so long." It has been inspiring to see the Congolese making bricks and doing some fundraising of their own. The hospital is grateful for a very generous gift from Redeemer Church in California that has allowed this first phase to move forward. Phase 1 consists of completing the walls, roofing, and flooring. This should be done in the next 3-4weeks. We are awaiting funds to complete Phase 2 which consists of the finishing work: plumbing, electrical, windows, doors, furniture, etc. If you are interested in giving to this project, please contact our mission at:https://www.healthservicecorps.org/campaigns/nyankunde-hospital-fund/ or contact us privately at warrenandlindsey@gmail.com

PRAYER REQUESTS

-Pray for the chapel rehabilitation as it moves forward. Pray that the project will bring spiritual encouragement of our staff. Pray that God would be glorified in this.

-Pray for the continued fight against Ebola in Eastern Congo. Pray for an end to the fears and insecurity that fuel this outbreak. It remains a critical situation.
-Pray for us as we prepare for home leave in about 2 weeks.

Many blessings,

Lindsey