stopover.ca

This has to be one of the most interesting sites out there … brilliant and simple idea!

Kiva.org – Loans that change lives

This is some footage I took in South Africa while visiting the Hands @ Work campus there … incredible stuff they have going on …

 Pardon the Interruption: Download

I have begun putting some of my communication online … this is from August 06 … click on the link above, or check out the file at this link here

I just taught a session in Saskatoon where an old friend, Rob Shepherd graciously hosted me. At one of his sessions, Rob talked about the Five Stages of Cross cultural stress (the U- Curve Hypothesis). The point i liked was the 4 possible responses to regression and hostility … namely fight, flight, filter and flex … i have definitely seen a variety of these responses in international travellors …

Stage 1. Expectation and Optimism

Stage 2. Acceptance and Fascination

Stage 3. Frustration and Rejection

Stage 4. Regression and Hostility

Four possible responses:

1. Fight – for change
2. Flight – escape, go home
3. Filter – see only the bad of the present culture
4. Flex – work thought it.

Stage 5. Adjustments, Acculturation and Assimilation.

i am doing a day of training with the STM network … helping churches prepare to take teams around the world effectively.

An old friend Rob Shepherd was just talking about how our normal reactions to culture shock tends to follow a few normal patterns … i cant remember them all, but i will get them from him soon …

i am heading to Red Deer tonight to teach a session for Perspectives … a faith based cross-cultural course.  in prepping for the day, i have to use material from the course, some of which i found i did not totally agree.  i hope this is why they call it perspectives, as i will share my own perspective tonight … we shall see