August 27th, 2017 by jenniferolmstead

As I look back at my blogs I can see many changes. Though many of the staff spoke English we still had a lot of miscommunication the first week of my stay. I learned a lot about communication and how the same words can mean something totally different when culture is added to it. It was also interesting that some would just give an answer when they did not understand the question, rather than say they did not understand. One of the most interesting conversations was between 1 American, 1 English, 2 Irish, and 1 Swedish we each took turns trying to explain and translate for each other as we attempted to plan a dinner.

One of the most significant things I noticed about some of the staff is that they do not see what they do as valuable. They were surprised when I asked them how they do certain things with real interest. Many feel that God has called them to serve there, but fail to see the importance of their work. I asked one if they see many of the patients come to faith in Christ. The answer I got was quite interesting. They said that belief here is cultural. To change ones belief is to reject ones family and means of survival. Thus though they believe some have come to believe in Christ, they will not know until they reach heaven if their work was effective in that area. They do not find this frustrating, as many would. Rather they look forward to the surprise. The differing views and opinions of the staff was interesting; how some questioned their value here while others look forward to what will be revealed in the future.