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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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What is Ethical Storytelling?
I believe my calling, or a big part of it anyway, is to tell ethical missions stories, or ethical stories about cross-cultural work. But what does that mean? The truth is I’m still learning. But here’s what I know right now. Ethical stories preserve the dignity of their subjects. These stories aim to help readers and viewers better understand complex issues, rather than oversimplifying problems. Ethical stories help people see the humanity in others. They allow subjects to speak for themselves. They don’t further stereotypes, but dismantle them instead. They are diverse. Ethical stories don’t show people as utterly helpless, needing rescue from those in a “wealthy” country. Rather, they…
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How I Became a Cross-Cultural Storyteller
Hi, I’m Jenifer, and I’m really passionate about telling good missions stories. That is, I feel called to tell the stories of the work that God is doing in the world, through cross-cultural workers and their friends. And I feel called to tell these stories in an engaging and ethical way. I want to share with you how I realized this calling. I’ve been a storyteller for nearly my whole life. I have stacks of notebooks and journals to prove it. For much of my life, I’ve also been interested in global missions. As a kid, I loved when missionaries visited my church. I would hang on to every word…
