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Staying Hopeful When the World Feels Like a Dumpster Fire: Tips I’ve Learned From the “Pros”
September first was my one-year anniversary working with TMS Global. My job is to interview cross-cultural witnesses (CCWs, or missionaries) and write their stories. You’d think this job has the potential to be depressing. After all, the world kind of feels like a dumpster fire so much of the time. But I’ve found that the opposite has happened. These people I talk with who live and work in very hard places are often filled with optimism and hope, rather than the despair I expect. Here are a few things I’ve learned about how to stay hopeful when the world feels like a dumpster fire. 1. Recognize that the world is…
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Questions to Ask Before Posting/ Sharing a Missions Story
Looking to share a story from your short-term mission trip, or long-term mission work? Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself before posting or speaking. Whom do I help by telling this story? (Is the purpose of this story or photo to make me look good, or does it benefit others?) Whose perspective is highlighted? (Am I the center of the story, or is someone else’s perspective highlighted?) Am I correcting stereotypes and myths or contributing to them? Should I be telling this story or should someone else? (Can the person featured in the story tell their own story?) Am I reducing people to their problems,…
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Challenging Perceptions
Today I want to share some humorous videos that have helped me think more deeply about cross-cultural communication. These videos are part of a campaign called “Radi-Aid,” created by the Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ Assistance fund (SAIH). The goal “is to challenge the perceptions around issues of poverty and development, to change the way fundraising campaigns communicate, and to break down dominating stereotypical representations.” The Radi-Aid website has lots of great resources and tips for how we can do a better job communicating in a more ethical way. This first video turns the “celebrity charity single” on its head. This time, instead of Europe (or America) asking for money to…
