I remember coming home from my first trip to Russia. What a life-changing experience it had been! I had been in an unbelievable country: beautiful, poor, and confused. I was confused too. I had strange stories to tell. I had met amazing people and immense needs. I had gained new perspectives. There, one dollar could pay for one month's rent. Ten dollars could pay an engineer's monthly wages. Now I felt guilty to indulge in an ice cream cone for a dollar. As I observed the seemingly careless way in which we spend our dollars I also felt angry.

This experience is common for those who return from mission service. The longer you lived abroad and the better you have adjusted to your host culture the more acute you may feel the symptoms of reverse culture shock when you return home. Once home you will have opportunities to share your unique story. How to do that best is part of our topic in this section. Finally, in this chapter we help you think about life after your term of service.

• Have you thought about what will happen when you return home from your mission assignment?

• Have you heard other missionaries talk about their experience of coming home?

• What are some of the things you remember?

Re-Entry

So you are on your way home. Soon you will see your loved ones and your friends. You are looking forward to going out to your favorite restaurant. And there are so many experiences to share with them. Just thinking about being home soon fills you with excitement.

Then you are home. Everybody is there to admire you and to listen to your amazing stories at first. But soon the spell is over. People are busy going about their lives. And home is not quite what it was a year or two ago. Life has gone on while you were away and now it is your turn to fit in again. You discover something you did not expect. Something else has changed. It is you!

Reverse Culture Shock
Now that you have experienced a different way of life you suddenly see the contrast with your way of life: the endless rush, the schedules, the materialism, the superficiality and many other things. Things you had taken for granted now seem wrong. What do you do? We all experience a range of emotions during the period of readjustment. What is crucial is not to get stuck in the negative ways of reverse culture shock.

Turtle—A common response is to get frustrated and critical of people who don't seem to care about the world out there or mission. Their "stupid" questions ("Do people in ... really use no toilet paper?") may irritate you. So you may be tempted to just withdraw into your protective shell.

What to do: Remember that there is no way they will be able to share your level of intensity in feeling and experience. You now have an "active understanding" of another way of life that can't be accessed without the experience of actually living in another culture.

Crusader—You may even try to force your experience on people and to convert them to your viewpoint. You become a crusader for change in your home, your church, your community, your country or your culture.

What to do: Remember that just as you are entitled to live your life the way you chose, you must allow people to make their own choices. We may go through both "stages." Eventually we adjust.

Adjusting to Being Home
One thing that helps is to view your home culture as another "foreign community" that you must approach as you approached your host culture. Your mission experience has pushed the boundaries of your awareness and given you perspectives that you can't get through books or talking to international students at home. To reap the benefits from your mission experience you can do several things.

• Evaluate your experience. It is important that you take time to reflect on your experience. What did you learn? How have you changed? What will you do now?

• Share your story. One of the greatest benefits of a mission experience is how you can infect your friends and family with a new commitment to missions. Mission multiplies as those who went out tell their stories. What is important is to tell it well.

• Stay involved in mission. Your short term mission experience may only be a first step for God to reveal you what he has planned in your life. Be attentive to his leading.

A good resource for dealing with re-entry issues is Storti, C. (2001). The Art of Coming Home. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. For many missionaries the cultural adjustment pains in re-entry are as unsettling as the culture shock first experienced when going out. So don't despair.

Tips to Improve Your Story

Record stories—Keep a journal to help you remember concrete details. The sounds, smells, sights, and conversations will quickly be forgotten without it.

Be ready—People who remember that you went "somewhere" will politely ask, "How was your trip?" Use the occasion to share a one-minute summary of your experience. Use a short story.

Take initiative—Arrange for settings where you can share your experience. Sabbath School, youth meetings, and prayer meetings are good settings to focus on the mission situation you have known.

Speak up—A story told well in a clearly audible voice will be appreciated. Practice diction. Speak as clearly as possible. Don't be guilty of not communicating your excitement just because your voice could not be heard.

Start strong—In your opening, aim at arousing faith with curiosity. Never start with an apology. Try to create anticipation.

Paint verbal pictures—From your opening statement move into the story with vivid details so your audience can visualize the scene (the squeaky chair, the smell of incense, children splashing in a puddle, your own feelings at the time). Select important things. Answer the basic five questions: who, what, where, when, and why. But don't overdo it. Be careful with jargon you picked up while on your trip that your listeners are not familiar with.

llustrate your story—Dramatize. Act out a conversation, include facial expressions and verbal inflections. Use your slides to illustrate. But be sure to select only quality pictures and to keep them moving fairly quickly and in the sequence of your story. Don't just flash slides on the screen with a running commentary. Using an object may be appropriate when making a point.

Focus on people—Mission is people sending people to reach people. Stories that touch the hearts of listeners are stories of people. Programs, plans, and policies are important, but they are here to serve people. In your stories and slides, focus on people, their faces, thoughts, and emotions.

Convey important lessons—Stories can hold the attention of an audience. But remember you are not there to merely entertain. Every experience of life can serve to illustrate some biblical principle. A brief statement ("You can't outgive God!") or a quotation from scripture ("And the greatest of these is love!") is helpful. But don't belabor the point.

Accentuate the positive—It is important to relate the challenges you have faced in a hopeful spirit. Rather than condemning people for their materialism, challenge them to see the tremendous opportunities to invest in the Lord's work around the world. Don't bemoan your trials. A little humor can help. Your isolated conditions were not the end of the world, but you could see it from there.

Encourage interaction—Give opportunity for questions. Good communication is a two-way street. Listen to the questions. Answer specifically. Don't feel threatened. You have an answer for every question. It may be, "I don't know." Supportive comments, such as "That's a good question," or "Did you catch the significance of Jack's comment?" set a good tone.

Stop on time—Remember that you are back in a culture where time is of supreme importance. Often you will be asked to give a "short report." Don't despair. Just give a Reader's Digest condensed version of your story. Don't go beyond the time limit.

To sum it all up: Don't miss the opportunities to tell your story. God used people with a story like Hudson Taylor or the Adventist pioneer missionary John N. Andrews to spark modern missionary movements.

Based on Ron Blue, "Tell the Story: How to Communicate with Others When You Return." In Stepping Out: A Guide to Short Term Missions. Seattle, WA: YWAM Publishing 1992.

Now What!?

Here are a few ways to keep your missionary experience alive:

Share your mission experience with others. Don't try to give everybody who asks you about your mission experience a long detailed report. But be prepared to go beyond the stereotype "I had a great time!" and try to share some brief concrete personal stories that illustrate what you learned.

Ask your pastor for time to briefly share your short-term experience with your church. Sabbath School is an ideal time to share some of your slides, videos and stories with your church. If you have taken time to think through your mission experience you will be able to select those aspects that help your fellow members understand why mission is still important and how we can get involved.

Contribute to the world mission report in your church. Even the weekly mission report can become a way to stay involved. A mission story related by someone who had a first hand taste can be an effective contribution to keep mission alive on the local church level.

Get involved in a GO conference. GO conferences are organized by the Institute of World Mission and the Department of World Mission every two years on the campus of Andrews University. They bring together hundreds of young adults and dozens of Adventist mission agencies, and feature reports, workshops and exciting plenary sessions to focus on the challenges and opportunities of mission.

Support other short-termers preparing to go on a mission assignment. Your experience can be a valuable resource to other missionaries.

Increase your mission offering. This a tangible way you can support the mission of the Adventist church and of worthwhile mission projects. Remember that the general mission offering often provides the funds to keep those projects running that got started by special one time offerings.

Learn foreign languages. One short termer returned from Russia and decided to learn the language in order to communicate more effectively the next time he went to Russia.

Continue to study the people and their situation of your host culture or other cultures that you might serve in the future. Many universities provide studies in international issues. A cross-cultural experience enables to study more empathetically and respond to important issues more appropriately.

Get involved in local community ministries. Our eyes are often more open to mercy ministries when we have lived in poor areas of the world. Christ's mission included the healing of the whole person. The North American urban scene provides many opportunities for Christian social service.

Consider to get involved in longer-term missionary service. Many long-term missionaries started their mission career as a short-term volunteer. Some mission agencies such as ADRA consider short-term experience the doorway to more extensive mission involvement. You may want to take a look at some of the advice in the next section.

Based on Eaton, Chris and Kim Hurst, Vacation with a Purpose. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress, 1991.

1. We are assuming that you have returned from your mission experience. The following seven questions can assist you in evaluating your experience. You may want to do this with a friend who has shared your experience or for yourself.

• What did you like best about your mission experience?
• What was the worst thing that happened to you?
• What is the most significant lesson God taught you during your mission service?
• In which area of your life did you see the greatest changes?
• What one experience sums up what God did through you?
• What is the biggest challenge you face in returning home?
• What thing are you most thankful for to God?

2. As you think about sharing your story, review the tips for better communication in this chapter. Outline a short report you could give with the principles you learned in this chapter in mind.

3. As you think about the future, what are some of the things you plan to do to stay in touch with your experience and continue your involvement in mission?