What I Wish I Would Have Known: Sarah’s Perspective

December 18, 20192 Comments

When you leave YOUR HOME COUNTRY, always pack chocolate chips, Secret deodorant, books you can’t live without, and tampons.

(some things you don’t want to mess around with.)

When you’re scrambling to imagine life without something? When it’s important to you? Pack it.

Sure, there are many things you will learn to live without (see my next point) and there are some things you don’t want to have to live without.

It’s okay to have certain things that are your “items” that you bring with you. Your list of essentials might be different from mine. The point is everyone has certain things they don’t want to have to live without and that’s okay. read more

10 Realities a Missionary Probably Won’t Tell You

December 4, 20196 Comments

missionary realities overseas global work hard truth

Go. Serve. Love is psyched about featuring this post from Joe Holman, which originally posted on his blog.

Fun fact about Joe: He and his wife totally pull off the missionary thing amidst a family of 13. They’ve served in Bolivia since 2007.

First, the Disclaimers.

I’m going out on a limb here, so I’ll put some disclaimers up in advance. read more

Why to Learn Their Heart-Language, Even if They Speak Yours: Part II

August 16, 2019August 14, 2019Leave a comment

photo credit IMB.org photo library

Missed Part I? Grab it here.

My husband and I sat with a friend who’d spent years in Japan as a businessman. (He helped me with Go. Serve. Love’s post, Unreached People Group Focus: Japanese.)

We spoke of the culture of conformity of the Japanese. And my friend related a proverb–loosely translated, “The nail that sticks up gets pounded down.” read more

My Story: Will I Bend or Break Overseas?

August 12, 2019Leave a comment

flexibility bend break

During the month of August, Go. Serve. Love is stoked to share stories from All Nations, a global training and sending agency.

All Nation’s vision is to see Jesus worshiped by all the peoples of the earth. Their mission? To make disciples and train leaders to ignite church planting movements among the neglected peoples of the earth. read more

Just Different? Right, Wrong, and Flexibility in Crossing Cultures

June 26, 2019August 16, 2019Leave a comment

photo credit: IMB.org

I don’t even remember who said it to me.

But I remember, as we sat in my African living room, their sentiment as we discussed culture questions floating on the top of our minds. read more

Why to Learn Their Heart-Language, Even if They Speak Yours

June 12, 2019January 8, 2020Leave a comment

photo credit IMB.org photo library

When we came back to our passport country on home assignment, people were curious.

“If Ugandans speak English, why do you spend so much effort on learning Luganda?” read more

McDonald’s Introduction to the 4 Phases of Culture Shock

March 29, 2019March 30, 2019Leave a comment

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. read more

Red Pill? Blue Pill? 4 Irreversible Side Effects of Going Overseas

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019Leave a comment

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, read more

9 Reasons You Won’t Make It to (or Stay on) the Mission Field

February 15, 2019February 14, 2019Leave a comment

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.” read more

Crossing Cultures: Adding More Pieces to Your God-Puzzle

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018Leave a comment

One of the fun parts of going overseas? Seeing new layers of your family show up.

When we first moved, my then-two-year-old–just a toddler–showed himself as one of our primary cultural ambassadors. read more

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Tag: culture