Comments (0)

By pwdiane, December 1, 2011

As you may know, our two sons grew up, for more than half their childhood years, outside their home country. That makes them Third Culture Kids, or TCKs. Recently I have been thinking about how our sons react to their world. I wondered how much their experience as Third Culture Kids actually affects them today, now that they are adults. I was especially interested in how TCKs make friends, and how their experience differs from others in that area.

For a refresher, I looked at David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken’s  textbook called, Third Culture Kids. The chapter on Relational Patterns  discusses  how Third Culture Kids (TCKs) make friendships and how that affects them later in life.

Continue reading 'TCK Friendships'»

Comments (0)

By pwdiane, October 15, 2009

Every year we hear news of another failed PW marriage. How many do you know?

Today we hear of more PW marriages failing than a generation ago. In the past, most PWs came from stable homes, even if their parents weren’t believers. Today a much higher percentage of PWs come from broken home backgrounds. Furthermore, many young people have no model of a strong, healthy marriage. Add to this the stresses of cross-cultural work. A marriage that is shaky at home may stay together because of extended family or available counseling; while the same marriage overseas may break up because of isolation and different social mores.

Let’s consider what is important in a marriage– the non-negotiable needs for a successful marriage, whether at home or living cross culturally.

Continue reading 'Strong Marriage'»

Comments (0)

By pwdiane, October 2, 2007

Today’s newsletter is not about speaking a language like Russian or Swahili or Tamil. It is about the language of love. My husband wrote this article for married couples, but the principles apply to conversations in our family, among our staff, and even with nationals. Our words are powerful.

How old were you when you learned to talk? Very verbal children might say their first words at 10 months. By age two you probably had a vocabulary of 100 to 200 words, and the ability to form simple sentences. So you might say that you’ve been saying words all your life. But the real question is, “What have those words done?” Sure, millions of them, even most of them, are gone and forgotten, having served their momentary purpose. Others, though, had profound and lasting consequences.

Continue reading 'Healing Encouraging Words'»

Comments (0)

By pwdiane, July 4, 2007

Single, yet called! It is a dilemma for many women working cross culturally. It would be nice to say, “God has a husband for each one so they can be safer and less lonely.” But that fits our romantic ideas more than it does reality. Over the centuries many single women have been among the pioneers in many hard places. We know that God sets the solitary in families, but it isn’t always with a husband, but rather a family of His choosing. Single women serving God model commitment, obedience, hard work, and contentment. They encourage all of us.

Shanna, one single-minded servant of God, wrote her story to share this month.

Before making the decision to become a single cross cultural worker, I first gave up my belief that I had to get married. I even went so far as to say that I’d never marry a national, and the Lord must want me to remain single, as He was sending me to a far-away country with no husband. I decided to let the Lord be enough for me. And He is.

Continue reading 'Icing on the Cake'»

Comments (1)

By pwdiane, April 28, 2006

Have you ever felt like a tea kettle building steam, about to blow its whistle? Pressure adds up gradually, then blows suddenly. The expectations of others and our own expectations from within begin the process. People who depend on us and promises we’ve made add stress. Then just when we think things are under control, the unexpected happens. Add to this any illness or sleepless nights and we become brittle.

Living cross culturally adds to normal tension. Trying to make ourselves understood and understanding others is stressful. Climate, traffic, and a different work load take their toll. Social norms that are vastly different from where we grew up means a lot of re-evaluation for every decision. And there are a million decisions! With a lack of support systems, it is a wonder any of us function normally.

Continue reading 'Stress and a Friend'»