Practical or Principles

 We’ve been taking a course on leading multicultural teams and learning many things.  One thing it highlights is just how hard it is to bring different cultures together, but it also highlights how much we really need each other in our multicultural glory if we truly want to grow. 

Enjoying Memorial Day parade

One of the ways cultures differ is in their way of making decisions.  Some cultures like to think through the principles behind the issue.  Others like to make sure the decision will be practical.  Principle cultures/people tend to take their time with decisions, thinking through the moral foundations and researching the background of an issue before making a decision.  Others concentrate on the practical aspects of a decision—what works?  What is going to work?  What won’t work?  What can we actually accomplish?  Can you guess which side of the spectrum America falls on?

If you are like many Americans, you probably thought: practical.  Americans tend to be practical and pragmatic and there is a lot of good that comes of it.  It’s an entrepreneurial spirit.  It keeps us moving and changing.  It gets things done. 

No mini golf on the islands

But it has its downside too.  We get frustrated when things don’t get done.  We want to move on a decision and we get frustrated with the process.  Sometimes we worry more about the outcome, ignoring the journey on the way.  Sometimes we push to the goal not caring about the people or bridges we burn on the way.  Sometimes, we forget about the principles as we drive for the objective.

As we were listening to different voices on this subject, it was striking us just how much we need both kinds of people on our team.  If we had only pragmatic people on our team, we may well “get things done”  but at an awful cost.  Our work is slow.  It matters how we go about it.  It involves people, changed hearts, changed lives, transformation, growth, and community.  These things take time to form and the foundations they are formed on are crucial.  A house without a foundation is destined to fall.  A community without principles is destined to fail.  If we did not have people slowing us down to look at the principles of what we are doing, we could easily build a flimsy house, a flash in the pan.  We could get the job done and yet leave nothing that lasts.  I am thankful for my principle-minded teammates.  They have strengthened our team, and changed me.

As we hope you are aware, we are back in America for the summer.  We love America, but it’s clear that something is wrong.  We’ve been back less than 3 weeks and there have been two horrendous mass shootings since we’ve arrived.  But it’s not just that.   As we look around at the moral, political, spiritual polarization that is hurting our country so greatly, we find ourselves wondering if the same principles vs practical tension isn’t part of the equation.  Have we lost sight of our principles in pushing for our objectives?  Have we forgotten how to slow down and think about the foundations we are building on?  Have we gotten so pragmatic we have lost sight of our own souls?  What are we achieving?

No guinea pigs on the islands

Our teams on the islands have always had lots of Americans and we realize that can be a handicap.  We could be more and we have seen how new cultural perspectives and backgrounds have made us more. Maybe here too, we need that challenge of more outside voices among us.  Maybe we need some people from a principles-first culture to help us see ourselves better.  Maybe we need to look a little closer at our foundations and see what it is we are building on.  But that means admitting that some things are wrong, owning up to our faults and humbling ourselves—that we need other perspectives to balance us out.  It would mean being willing to listen, learn and change.  This is not something that comes naturally. It’s hard to let go and allow ourselves to be changed. Are we willing?

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The medical team got a letter of authorization to work! This has been a long time coming.  Unfortunately the next level down of leadership says it still isn’t enough and have insisted that our medical colleagues go through a few more hoops and get a few more signatures. Please pray with us that these additional hoops will be simple and easy to accomplish! Megan made it safely back to the Boston area— the memorial service was a beautiful tribute to her uncle and she had a good time connecting with extended family.  It’s been such a blessing to spend time with our family and friends in Boston Metro West.  We continue to be thankful for all the thoughtful questions, invitations, meet ups, and re-connections we’ve been able to make these past few weeks.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please pray for our island sister who was forced from her family home this past week because of her faith. The pressure from family has been building for a while. We are thankful that another family member has provided a temporary place for her to live. Pray that she and her daughter would have peace, that all the brothers and sisters would continue to pray for and encourage her. That she would find a permanent place to live and that she could continue to be a light to her family and continue to love them. The islands are feeling the economic pinch— the fixed price of gas has been raised by the government which means the price of taxis/buses is rising too. Islanders are upset and many poor are struggling. Pray for relief.  Pray for us as we come to the end of this class on multicultural team leading, that we would continue to be challenged by it and be better prepared to learn from and benefit from partnering across cultures. Pray for our organization as we pray and strive to be more multicultural. On Friday we begin traveling (first by car, then by air), pray for us as we pack (it’s complicated packing for both a road trip and a plane trip at the same time) and as we travel. Pray for Megan’s back to be strong and for kids to stay in good spirits. Pray for protection from illness too.