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What to Do at a Funeral

A discussion about death, fear, and the afterlife

In the face of death, many of us find ourselves at a loss for words – fearful of piling on additional pain or saying the wrong thing to those in sorrow. But for those living in another culture, this can be especially challenging. How do you respond to grief and...

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Some of the Struggles We Have in Going

We all face numerous struggles in going to and living in another culture. But our struggles are all so normal. What is interesting is to discover that we aren’t alone in this. Even the Apostles faced similar struggles in their lives. This post we want to look at one Apostle...

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A Different Kind of Power

Many of us have been deceived. Our cultures teach us that real power is instantly demonstrable. Our notion of power is shaped by quick military victories, bombs exploding, sports teams winning in two hours, and business people getting things done – no matter how many people they use up as...

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The Curse and Blessing of Language Study

Embedding ourselves among the people we seek to serve is a core value of Interserve. This is because Jesus’ incarnation shapes our lives. Jesus became one of us. He entered our world, joined himself to a specific group of people, spoke their language, and thought their thoughts. He invites us...

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Being Inclusive is Not Easy

In our passport countries our churches have a particular way of interpreting Scripture, a certain style of worship, and a particular organizational model. The characteristics that make our church or our denomination distinct are important to us. One of the outcomes of this distinctiveness is that we are given the...

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When We Are Weak

Whether we realize it or not, when we go overseas, we go with a significant level of social power. We are not used to thinking about ourselves in this way. We try to maintain a position of humility and think that we are nothing. However, we unconsciously operate out of...

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Crossing Cultures: Who Are We Becoming?

Living and working interculturally can take its toll on our emotions. There are so many things that are different in a new culture. Simply walking into a store requires emotional energy. Stores in our host countries don’t operate the same like stores in our passport countries. The stores don’t have...

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