We have been asked several times about the culture shock we have been experiencing. We did not even know there was such a term until we attended a Mission Perspective course in preparation for coming to the Philippines. However the term is apparently more common than I realized.

Culture shock has many manifestations and sources. When you go to a foreign culture everything becomes different. Some things are only slightly different and other things are drastically different. In your own culture you know how to function efficiently and effectively or at least you know what to expect in a given situation. This creates a comfort zone in your mind which allows you to feel comfortable and at ease.

I was raised in the Sierra and Nevada Mountains of Northern California, near Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. As a country boy I new about chickens, ducks, cows, hunting hounds, wild animals, the lumber industry, apple and pear orchards, and the wild woods and forest that surrounded me. When we made our two or three treks a year, into the nearest big city, Sacramento. I was always in a state of culture shock. I expected to be a victim of violent crime, I was always lost because every street and set of buildings looked the same to me. During these trips I experienced a small sample of culture shock, which always made me glad to get back to the country, where I belonged.

Culture shock in the Philippines consist of a million times more adjustments. Filipino culture is not intrinsically evil or bad but it is irreconcilably different than American culture. We Americans tend to judge the whole world by our standards and anything that does not measure up to our standard is intrinsically evil, ignorant, or bad. This is somewhat normal for all humans, but it is not biblically correct. Our God and creator loves variation and difference.

All of creation bears witness to his joy and glory, being played out in the variation of species, and the variation in species. For example our God for his own pleasure and glory made giraffes, elephants, buffalo (Asian, American and African), field mice, and whales as big as ships, tiny humming birds and great condors with massive wing spans. The bible tells us that God sets the boundaries of the nations. Why does he set up different nations, even rival nations? For his glory, for his pleasure, and to accomplish His will in the earth. Colossians one, tells us "that all things were made by Him (Jesus) and for Him."

We tend to think of America as a Christian nation and therefore anything different from America is automatically ungodly. Although America was founded by Christians, for Christians, on Christian and covenantal, principals and premises. However, we as a nation, and for that matter much of the visible church, does not measure up except in a few rare exceptions. While doing evangelism with Muslims, I always end up explaining away their belief that decadent, immodest, vulgar, promiscuous, pro-homosexual, drunken, and drug using Americans are not Christians.

The moral of this story is that America is not the standard by which we should measure any culture. The only standard must be the revealed will and word of God, in the Bible. This has to be our one true plumbline and everything else is measured by how close or far it is from this standard. All cultures and mankind have the seed of God’s handiwork, His image, and a remnant knowledge of God written in their hearts. After all, His law is written in our hearts and on our consciences. But both of these have been marred by the presence and the practice of sin. God loves variation but he does not love variation from His standards and requirements. Where ever people, nations, or people vary from His standard they allow the curse of sin, death and judgement to reign, whether in America or the Philippines. '

Thus the task of an American preacher or evangelist is to call our nation back to a biblical world view and the task of a missionary (a sent one) or local preacher and evangelist in the Philippines is to call the Filipino culture back to God’s standards and back to a biblical worldview. In light of this, many of the differences in Filipino culture are merely differences and variations in mankind and are neither intrinsically good or bad. However, every society suffers the curses or blessings based on its compliance or resistance to God’s will. We have experienced many of these differences lately and several of its curses.

Missionary families here have been recently subjected to an infestation of head lice, which were probably picked-up doing evangelism, neighborhood outreaches, or in the markets where we interact with locals and share our faith. There is nothing more humiliating and embarrassing for a woman, whose "pride is her hair", and who works so hard to practice good hygiene in this difficult environment, to be infested by these symbols of filth. Yet that is exactly what has happened to some of our families.

Another of our members (Brandon) has endured tremendous pain, weakness, discomfort, loss of sleep, dehydration, massive energy loss and internal bleeding, in his struggle with a microscopic amoeba. He now endures elaborate and equally painful treatments to bring his agony to an end. We are also fighting a running battle with a large number of huge rats, who have moved into our kitchen and living quarters. The score at present is one down and about four more to go. However, this may be an optimistic estimate since Joshua and I observed three of these water rats at one time playing in a draining ditch and canal near our base.

In these situations, the missionaries here in the Philippines are bearing and suffering from the same curses as the people around them. Although there is no comparison to what Christ suffered, on the cross, the principal remains the same. As Christ was a sin bearer and bore the burden and curse of sin on the cross for all mankind. So these missionaries in a small way bear the burden and curse of sin in this community by subjecting themselves to its curses. If we "follow the lamb wherever He goes, we always end up at the cross" sacrificially giving ourselves for others. We bear their burdens, and their curses, as Christ bore ours.

It is only by dying to self and bearing others peoples sins, burdens and curses that we become Christ like. David Livingstone, the great pioneer missionary said "God had only one son, and he made Him a missionary." So God’s people all over the world are called to be incarnational missionaries. As Christ incarnated (put on) human flesh, so we put on Filipino culture and tradition. We bear a few of the curses which are unique to this culture in order that we might by "any means save some."

Please pray for our missionaries, suffering from these illnesses, rodents, and for those suffering from the irritation and humiliation of head lice. Pray that we will be bold and that we will have the courage to suffer for this nation, and to bear the inconvenience of being out of our comfort zone.

In Christ Service, Carl and family

PS. The veteran missionaries tell us there is no shame in having head lice. The shame is in not getting rid of them. So most of our missionaries are well on their way to acomplishing this.