In First Corinthians 8-9, Paul urges us to be all things to all people. He modeled surrendering his rights and preferences to further the Gospel. Arriving in Madagascar, we realized immediately the significant differences between the lifestyle we left as Americans and the lifestyle of our people. Our people group are among the poorest in a poor region of a poor country. Our people suffer--many of their villages lack water; their yearly food is dependent on unpredictable and inadequate rains; they have limited access to even the most basic medical care.

 

We daily face the question of how we should live among our people. Especially for families with small children, what we would consider bare minimum basics (regular access to water, for example) put our  standard of living significantly above that of our villages. Try as we might to simplify and self-deny, we struggle to balance health concerns (especially for children). Also, village life takes significant time and energy--energy that we then can’t devote to direct ministry. At the same time, though, living side-by-side channels that time and energy into deep relationships, not gained any other way.

 

We know that no matter how hard we try, we’ll always be “foreigners” to some degree. In some ways, our “foreign” status allows us to uniquely catalyze. In other ways, the fact that we can’t fully identify with our people remains a barrier to our witness. We’ve watched near-culture national believers suffer along with their people, and are humbled and challenged by their example. We can see how much more effective near-culture and same-culture believers are in evangelism and discipleship, as well, and want to honor and empower their efforts.

 

Many of our families have chosen to live in one town, with more reliable internet access, running water, electricity, and to take regular trips out to visit our people. What do we gain in terms of longevity, health, and empowering local believers? What do we lose in terms of relationship and opportunities for life-on-life discipleship? These are questions we continue to wrestle with daily. Our peace comes not from knowing for certain that we’re making all the right decisions, but rather from keeping our hearts open to God’s leading, and trusting Him to guide each family in each season of life. Not everyone on our team lives the same way; not every family is the same. How God calls us to live in one season may look different from how He calls us to live in the next. We can trust Him to use us to reach our people as we follow Him, in spite of and through our unique weaknesses, our humanity, our culture, and our personality.