At Go. Serve. Love, we’re all about
a) getting real. Very real. We aim to be the kind of friend that would tell you if you stepped in goat poop.
b) connecting you with resources and communities that help you thrive overseas rather than take a dive.
Tag: culture
Red Pill? Blue Pill? 4 Irreversible Side Effects of Going Overseas
We talk a lot over here about what you wish you knew before you went overseas. We’ve called it a rabbit hole. So maybe it’s a little like The Matrix: Red pill? Blue Pill?
So I’ll tell you today what you might want to know: Going overseas will mark you indelibly.
Back when my husband and I were considering adoption in our host country, I wrote,
9 Reasons You Won’t Make It to (or Stay on) the Mission Field
Editor’s note: GoServeLove.net is geared up to welcome Shane Bennett. He’s speaker and writer for Frontiers, a super-cool organization who describes their aim this way: With love and respect, inviting all Muslim peoples to follow Jesus.
(If you’re interested, consider signing up for Shane’s Muslim Connect, a 300-word weekly email –with 2100 subscribers–helping Christians think about Muslims the way God does and love them like Jesus does.)
Shane explains, “I live to help people who love Jesus connect with people who’ve never heard of him.”
Crossing Cultures: Adding More Pieces to Your God-Puzzle
Unreached People Group Focus: Japanese
Color me surprised: Until this year, I had no idea Japan was the second-largest (only to Bangladesh) unreached people group in the world. It’s the largest unreached nation open to missionaries.
What keeps Japan from being reached?
Our God is indescribably capable of surmounting any obstacles. But what could be the presenting barriers?
“How Rich Should I Live?” Navigating Dilemmas of Wealth Overseas
A friend of mine lives with her husband, helping migrants in Asia. She amazes me, you know. There are 40-50 malnourished kids who gather in their compound for a healthy meal and vitamins before school (my friend’s home is half home, half community center). They run businesses out of their home, training and empowering community members. They shuttle people to the hospital at all hours. They run a summer program, where kids are tutored by their teenage neighbors so they can excel in school.
Start Here: Expanding your Heart for the Nations Where You’re At (Ideas #1-10)
Imagine we’re sitting down at that great little nook of a coffee shop downtown: matcha latte for me, triple espresso for you (feel free to improvise. You just looked kind of tired). I’m like, Hey. Great news. Finally decided what I want to do with my life.
You: Sweet. What’s the verdict?
Me: Concert pianist, baby. Booked the concert hall for Friday.
8 Ways to Help your Family Flourish Overseas!
We’re excited to welcome back global veteran David Armstrong. He’s set foot in 15 countries, and confesses that Crepes and Waffles in Bogota, Colombia is one of his favorite restaurants.
My kids spotted me as I rounded the corner two blocks from home–and started laughing and pointing. I was sporting the shortest haircut I had had since basic training. I tried to look confident.. I meant for it to be this short. I’m cool. Truth: I didn’t know how to tell the barber “too short”.
But it made me the winner of the “Most Mortifying Moment” prize that month–and paved the way for my kids to succeed. My too-much-off-the-sides demonstration: You can roll with this.
Before Our Eyes: Where God is on the Move
Go. Serve. Love is geared up to be hosting John Needham of Sweaty Pilgrims today. John is originally from the UK but lives in Islamabad, Pakistan, with his wife and children. He’s passionate about Jesus, writing, and peacemaking between people of different faiths.
The mega-church was huge. A semicircle of comfortable seats faced a large stage backed with three large TV screens. Cameras were positioned in the centre and on either side, relaying live images to the screens. The worship was led by a Malaysian man with several backing singers, both male and female. There were well over a thousand people in attendance, almost entirely young Malaysians.
I have an instinctive dislike for mega-churches. The kind of slick, prosperous message which they often pump out often seems to be at odds with the humility and simplicity of Christ: rather too much money lavished on TV screens and sound systems, perhaps it would be better spent on serving the poor. Yet this one didn’t seem especially prosperous, just large and energetic.
My Story: The Language of Shoe-Scuffing
Go. Serve. Love is stoked to welcome David Armstrong today. A handful of unexpected facts about Dave:
- He has taken off in an airplane one more time than he has landed in an airplane.
- His current favorite character in the Bible: Balaam’s donkey.
- He could eat black beans and rice with hot corn tortillas every meal of his life.
- He’s set foot in 15 countries.
- He already has his ticket for 4 days straight of playing table games at “Geekway to the West” coming to St. Charles, MO on May 17th.
- He can shoot a rubber band 50% further than anyone else.
It was after church in Bogota one Sunday, all of us standing around and talking in the way so many Latino cultures love. Outside, one of the young college aged guys–with a big ol’ grin, no less–scuffed my new pair of kicks. On purpose. Like he was doing me an awesome favor.