Squares and Circles

Last week, I held a training session in my home for some of our Haitian staff and we talked about getting into the minds of the short-term missionaries that come here.  How do we help them transition from their culture to ours?  How do we help them process what they are seeing and learning while they are here?  How do we help them transition back from our culture to theirs?  I shared with them a diagram from one of the many books I have acquired on this process.

I explained to them that cultures can be represented by shapes.  For example, United States culture can be a square and Haiti culture can be a circle.  When an individual leaves the square culture and enters the circle culture, everything will seem strange and different.  The individual may feel overwhelmed or afraid or out of place.  As time goes on, the individual will start to make sense of the circle culture and appreciate different values within it.

Since our teams only come for a week, it is our job--as leaders--to help them through this process quickly.  To help them see the benefits and value in our circle culture.  We have to ask the right questions at the right times throughout the week to help them see the value in the circle while--at the same time--be preparing them for the transition back into the square.  This is a challenge.  The balance of preparing to come, coming and serving and growing, and then leaving changed.

I tried to help our staff see the responsibility each of them has to help our teams through this process so they can go back into "normal" life changed.  If they have been changed, they will go back into the square culture looking like a rounded square.  They may see things differently.  They may be shocked by the square culture.  They may be wondering how they can continue to live as a rounded square in this square culture.  The transition isn't easy--from personal experience, I know this well--but, I know that it is possible to remain changed.

Something that teams don't necessarily realize is that while they are leaving Haiti as a rounded square, those they have had an impact on--our Haitian staff in particular--are staying in Haiti as a squarish circle and have the same questions to deal with.  How do I continue to live as a squarish circle in this circle culture?  It's another tough transition and reality our staff have to recognize.

As I talked through this with our staff, they reminded me of something very important.  The transitions are important, but you can't do them without prayer.  This is so true.  I am glad they recognize this.  Whether we are in the square culture or the circle culture, whether we end up as rounded squares or squarish circles--we must remember the one thing we can always cling to is Christ.  The One who brings us together.  The One we have in common, no matter where we are from.  Beautiful.