Check out the new GMSA photo directory of our co-workers in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.Please pray for our family and the rest of the missionary families serving in the southern cone of South America.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
GMSA Photo Directory
Check out the new GMSA photo directory of our co-workers in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.Please pray for our family and the rest of the missionary families serving in the southern cone of South America.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Please Forgive Me In Advance!
Before moving to the mission field, I considered myself pretty knowledgeable in all things American (more specifically North American). Its history. Its culture. Its personalities in politics, sports, and entertainment (although I would add that I'm not too proud of that fact in the latter category).
When I arrived in Chile I was 100% North American, but over time, I have gone through (and still am going through) many cultural changes. Some of those changes have been quick, and some of those changes have been very slow. Some of those changes could include (but not limited to) the following:
- New language
- New culture
- New friends
- New living conditions
- New protocol for certain contexts (greetings, hospitality, and conversations)
- New mentality
While gaining these new things, I feel that I am also losing some things from my former North American culture. For example:
- Losing a bit of English proficiency. I tell my wife all the time that I pretty much stink in two languages now. ;)
- Losing touch with North American culture. While the internet "helps" stay somewhat connected with news and trends, there is (and should be) a slow decline of all things USA in my life.
- Lack of interaction with family (especially extended family) and old friends. Again, technology helps, but it's not the same anymore. Emails, skype calls, a Facebook picture, and e-cards are nice, but they are not the same as occasional personal interaction.
- Forgetting some of the North American living standards. Ok, maybe the word "forgetting" isn't the right word...it's more like learning to deal with the lack of our former living standards (ie central A/C or central heat).
- Losing a bit of the mentality of North Americans.
A missionary tends to move from being 100% of his/her former culture to being 150% (75% new culture and 75% of former culture). Bottom line is that the missionary doesn't quite fully fit in in either culture. I will never become 100% Chilean, but I will never again be 100% North American again.
This coming January will be the two year mark that our family has been living and serving in Chile. It's way too early to be thinking of a furlough, but throughout the past six months, I have been compiling some thoughts about what it may be like once our family returns to the States after living in Chile for several years.
So, to help me think through these things and to help you be more aware of how exciting, yet awkward, it will be for us to re-enter the U.S., I wanted to list out some situations that I foresee happening while on furlough.
All we can say is, "Please forgive us in advance!", because we know that we will not be the same Flinck family you knew when we left for Chile back in Jan. of 2009.
*Please forgive me in advance, because I might kiss your mother, wife, or daughter on the cheek when greeting her. I will try hard to break that greeting habit, since that's just how Chileans greet each other. It's normal to me, but in the States, I could get slapped.
*Please forgive us if, when asked where we would like to eat, we pull out a list of restaurants that we've compiled to eat while on furlough. Fast food restaurants are not a common sight in Chile. If we happen to be riding in your car and our children (or Kristi and I for that matter) keep pointing and saying "Oh, look! There's Wendy's...Subway...Olive Garden...Taco Bell... Culver's... Chipotle...etc., you'll know why. FYI - Hardee's will never be on that list.
*Please forgive me if I have trouble searching for an English word when talking with you. It's just sometimes, the Spanish word is SO much better, and there is no good equivalent in the English language.
*Please forgive us if we are not wearing the latest fashion. It's just that we probably don't care and more likely, probably are very ignorant of the latest trends. Remember that it's tough to carry one's entire wardrobe in a suitcase.
*Please forgive me if I haven't been following your local sports teams. While I still love any team from Minnesota, for the life of me, I couldn't give you the starting lineups for any team. Don't expect me to intelligently converse with you about the NFL, NBA, NHL, WNBA, MLS, NASCAR, or MLB. The PGA Tour?...probably. But nothing else. I promise not to quiz you on the World Cup or our local soccer teams.
*Please forgive me if I sing a verse or two in Spanish during the church service. While I will extremely enjoy hearing and singing English hymns corporately, some Spanish lyrics have become favorites as well.
*Please forgive me if I can't intelligently converse with you about local, state, or national politics. While I know Obama is president, I just can't keep up with all the things he's proposed. I promise not to get upset if you don't have a clue about what Chilean President Piñera has done (or hasn't done) in his first couple years of office. It's understandable. ;)
*Please forgive us if we think shopping at Target or Wal-Mart is ALWAYS a good idea. It's just that, in Chile, we don't have stores where you can "one-stop-shop". There are stores in Chile where you can buy cheddar cheese, a car part, a card, and a coat in one store.
*Please forgive my children if they happen to mention that all they want for supper is bread with either Nutella or manjar. We promise to remind them NOT to say anything and eat what you serve them, but they will probably miss fresh Chilean bread.
We look forward to seeing you will on furlough, but just be forewarned...we will be a bit different. Please forgive us!
When I arrived in Chile I was 100% North American, but over time, I have gone through (and still am going through) many cultural changes. Some of those changes have been quick, and some of those changes have been very slow. Some of those changes could include (but not limited to) the following:
- New language- New culture
- New friends
- New living conditions
- New protocol for certain contexts (greetings, hospitality, and conversations)
- New mentality
While gaining these new things, I feel that I am also losing some things from my former North American culture. For example:
- Losing a bit of English proficiency. I tell my wife all the time that I pretty much stink in two languages now. ;)
- Losing touch with North American culture. While the internet "helps" stay somewhat connected with news and trends, there is (and should be) a slow decline of all things USA in my life.
- Lack of interaction with family (especially extended family) and old friends. Again, technology helps, but it's not the same anymore. Emails, skype calls, a Facebook picture, and e-cards are nice, but they are not the same as occasional personal interaction.
- Forgetting some of the North American living standards. Ok, maybe the word "forgetting" isn't the right word...it's more like learning to deal with the lack of our former living standards (ie central A/C or central heat).
- Losing a bit of the mentality of North Americans.
A missionary tends to move from being 100% of his/her former culture to being 150% (75% new culture and 75% of former culture). Bottom line is that the missionary doesn't quite fully fit in in either culture. I will never become 100% Chilean, but I will never again be 100% North American again.This coming January will be the two year mark that our family has been living and serving in Chile. It's way too early to be thinking of a furlough, but throughout the past six months, I have been compiling some thoughts about what it may be like once our family returns to the States after living in Chile for several years.
So, to help me think through these things and to help you be more aware of how exciting, yet awkward, it will be for us to re-enter the U.S., I wanted to list out some situations that I foresee happening while on furlough.
All we can say is, "Please forgive us in advance!", because we know that we will not be the same Flinck family you knew when we left for Chile back in Jan. of 2009.
*Please forgive me in advance, because I might kiss your mother, wife, or daughter on the cheek when greeting her. I will try hard to break that greeting habit, since that's just how Chileans greet each other. It's normal to me, but in the States, I could get slapped.
*Please forgive us if, when asked where we would like to eat, we pull out a list of restaurants that we've compiled to eat while on furlough. Fast food restaurants are not a common sight in Chile. If we happen to be riding in your car and our children (or Kristi and I for that matter) keep pointing and saying "Oh, look! There's Wendy's...Subway...Olive Garden...Taco Bell... Culver's... Chipotle...etc., you'll know why. FYI - Hardee's will never be on that list.
*Please forgive me if I have trouble searching for an English word when talking with you. It's just sometimes, the Spanish word is SO much better, and there is no good equivalent in the English language.
*Please forgive us if we are not wearing the latest fashion. It's just that we probably don't care and more likely, probably are very ignorant of the latest trends. Remember that it's tough to carry one's entire wardrobe in a suitcase.
*Please forgive me if I haven't been following your local sports teams. While I still love any team from Minnesota, for the life of me, I couldn't give you the starting lineups for any team. Don't expect me to intelligently converse with you about the NFL, NBA, NHL, WNBA, MLS, NASCAR, or MLB. The PGA Tour?...probably. But nothing else. I promise not to quiz you on the World Cup or our local soccer teams.
*Please forgive me if I sing a verse or two in Spanish during the church service. While I will extremely enjoy hearing and singing English hymns corporately, some Spanish lyrics have become favorites as well.
*Please forgive me if I can't intelligently converse with you about local, state, or national politics. While I know Obama is president, I just can't keep up with all the things he's proposed. I promise not to get upset if you don't have a clue about what Chilean President Piñera has done (or hasn't done) in his first couple years of office. It's understandable. ;)
*Please forgive us if we think shopping at Target or Wal-Mart is ALWAYS a good idea. It's just that, in Chile, we don't have stores where you can "one-stop-shop". There are stores in Chile where you can buy cheddar cheese, a car part, a card, and a coat in one store.
*Please forgive my children if they happen to mention that all they want for supper is bread with either Nutella or manjar. We promise to remind them NOT to say anything and eat what you serve them, but they will probably miss fresh Chilean bread.
We look forward to seeing you will on furlough, but just be forewarned...we will be a bit different. Please forgive us!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Recent Visitors
We recently had several visitors in our home. Visitors are a "shot in the arm" to missionaries.
Sharon Bisbee (right) and Julie Method (left) traveled from Santiago to visit our family and others here in the Temuco area. Sharon is a GMSA missionary co-worker, who serves in Santiago. Julie is a Christian school teacher from Florida, who came to Chile during her summer break.
Julie with Kristi and Lukas at our church
I was very thankful for Julie's willingness to bring down a few books from the States, especially the Spanish study Bible that I bought for Pastor Marcelo. Resources (esp. books) are so expensive here in Chile, so whenever visitors are flying to Chile, I politely ask if they can pack a few for me and the ministry here in Chile. The new Spanish study Bible was a huge blessing to Pastor Marcelo.
Christina Steward, a GMSA MK from Santiago, also recently spent a few days with us. She was on her winter break from university classes.
Sharon Bisbee (right) and Julie Method (left) traveled from Santiago to visit our family and others here in the Temuco area. Sharon is a GMSA missionary co-worker, who serves in Santiago. Julie is a Christian school teacher from Florida, who came to Chile during her summer break.
Julie with Kristi and Lukas at our church
I was very thankful for Julie's willingness to bring down a few books from the States, especially the Spanish study Bible that I bought for Pastor Marcelo. Resources (esp. books) are so expensive here in Chile, so whenever visitors are flying to Chile, I politely ask if they can pack a few for me and the ministry here in Chile. The new Spanish study Bible was a huge blessing to Pastor Marcelo.
Christina Steward, a GMSA MK from Santiago, also recently spent a few days with us. She was on her winter break from university classes.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
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