Fourth Impressions

Sep/24/2009 12:49

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

Not in missions.

We in the West are conditioned to the idea that first impressions are everything. First impressions twitterpate our love lives, where we work, where we go to church, what car we buy and what we wear. Unfortunately, relying on first impressions when starting out in missions jeopardizes our ministry and turns culture shock from a temporary irritation into a debilitating condition. That's why I have a new rule: "You never get a second chance to make a fourth impression." Fourth impressions will make or break your ministry.

The reason why I'm such a big proponent of fourth impressions is because it gives us time to open our eyes to both the good and the bad of the place we've chosen to serve. "But, the Holy Spirit will guide me through the tough times and people are people, right?" Wrong. Did you know that in Portugal people don't normally spend a lot of time in each others homes? That relationship is reserved for families and very close friends. So why would anyone invision a house church ministry bringing together relative strangers? Unfortunately, they are and they're failing. Did you know that many Portuguese people look down on Brazilian Portuguese speakers? Bias? Yes. Important to know, absolutely. So don't bother investing in Brazilian Portuguese language courses if you're going to work in Portugal.

Most missionaries slide from overly optimistic to drearily pessimistic; the challenge is to land and remain somewhere in the middle. While not starry-eyed dreamers (most of us...) we're pretty unrealistic at first, especially those right out of bible school/seminary. We overlook the cultural quicksand because in our minds we're going to change it through the gospel anyway! Fourth impressions through mission prep trips, culture study, reading history, talking to locals about their frustrations, and multiple visits before committing opens our eyes to the underbelly of the culture and gives us a more realistic impression of a place. That's why we've been slow to commit to Portugal and why despite multiple visits to the country, we decided to take one more.
tape