Third Culture Milestones

TCK - Third Culture Kids. It's a term for children who grow up on the mission field, and who aren't really a part of their first culture, or even their second, and therefore sort of have a unique (third) culture all their own. We heard and read about this a lot before we moved, but are only now starting to really realize what it truly means. Case in point:

When a girl in Guatemalan culture turns 15, it's a BIG deal! Here, it's considered a milestone that marks the difference between childhood and womanhood. The family often throws an elaborate party (much like a wedding) where everyone dresses up, there are ceremonial elements to denote the girl's new status, and the celebrant usually starts dating after her quincienera.

When our oldest daughter turned 15 last year we had to drive three hours to Mexico (a whole other country) so she could see the movie she'd been wanting to see for over a year in English. She wore jeans and ate popcorn. While she might have thought about how cute the superhero was in the film, she was most definitely NOT going to begin dating any time soon. 

When a girl in American culture turns 16, it's a BIG deal! There, it's considered a milestone that marks the difference between childhood and early adulthood. The family often throws a party (usually involving lots of fingernail polish and giggling) where the girl's friends spend the night or hang out together, and the much-longed-for driver's license finally becomes a reality after a sweet sixteen party.

Our oldest daughter turns 16 this week. We have elected to skip church (which we rarely do) and go out to eat at a small, local restaurant that she really likes. And, while she'd love to get her driver's license, since we aren't ever in the States long enough for her to take driver's education classes, that's probably not going to be an option for her until she turns 18. 

That's a third culture kid.

Here's the thing, though - sometimes I feel sad that my girls are missing out on both American and Guatemalan cultural milestones, but I think what they're getting may ultimately be better in the end. Both of these big birthdays are ostensibly about growing up, but their respective celebrations are also pretty self-focused. This past year my baby girl may not have had much of the latter, but she certainly has experienced the former. Allow me to explain.

It's been a tough year for Rachel. I won't elaborate, but things at school didn't go well, to the point that we chose to pull her near the end of last semester. The day-to-day challenges were really rough, and she could easily have fallen into bitterness, blame, and a loss of faith. Instead (as she so often does), she decided to grow in maturity spiritually, emotionally, and academically. This past semester she has been home schooling (i.e. being entirely responsible for educating herself) and embracing the chance to gain true fluency in Spanish.

More than that, though, she's been pressed into service the last few weeks because of an emergency staffing shortage at the Bible school where her dad works. Overnight she become student, secretary, and staff. She's there helping (in a second language, no less) every weekday, Friday nights from 5:30 to 8:30, and Saturdays from 8:00 to 1:30. All while preparing to take three AP exams. All while doing the rest of her school work. All while being responsible for keeping the house clean and doing laundry for our family. All with a smile on her face.

My daughter didn't get a big quience anos party. She's won't get her license for her sweet sixteen. We didn't do anything official to shout from the mountaintops that she's now well on her way to becoming a grownup, but she's more than confirmed that in the quiet way she has daily grown and walked in maturity with the Lord. I guess you could say she chose a third option, and one which seems so very right and appropriate for this awesome third culture kid.

Just so we're clear - she's still not allowed to date, though! :)

Science, the Bible, and Truth

I would like to first start out and say that I am a complete Bible believer.  I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, and is perfect.

I also would like to say I am a full believer in science.  It was my major in college, even though I didn't graduate.  In my last career I had to use a lot of chemistry and biology to do my job.  I also try to stay on top of science news by reading articles. The ones that interest me most are about evolution.

 
 I believe the Bible.  Many people, friends mostly, will argue and say the Bible has been proven to be wrong or science now explains everything.  And that is the problem.  Science has not explained everything.

Science is not all knowing.  There are many things being discovered today that go against or change even recent scientific ideas. 

My example of this would be the reef that was just discovered in Brazil.  It is 600 miles long.  600 MILES!  And it was only discovered this year.  Europeans came to Brazil in the 1500's, and there were indigenous people before that, and no one had found it. 

If scientist are only discovering a 600 mile long reef now, why would I trust them to know exactly how the world was made, or how long we have left on this earth?

This is what I would say to science - prove things completely.  Don't do one experiment and say, "See, this shows God doesn't exist," and then the experiment is not re-testable or refutable by other scientists.

It is often brought up that people like me don't believe in some science because of the Bible.  But here's the thing, no one believes the world is flat anymore. Everyone knows that sickness is caused by germs, and the sun does not revolve around the sun. Even Christians believe in scientific things that have been absolutely proven.

So before you call me stupid, ignorant, or dumb for believing the Bible over science, maybe you should make sure you have at least turly discovered everything about this world before telling me there is no world after this one.

Read the Bible Straight Through

Most Christians I know want to read the Bible straight through. Most I have talked to usually only make it to Deuteronomy.  I have now read through the Bible twice, so I believe I can give a little advice.

Now there are many apps, websites, and even Bibles that you can buy that will give you a disciplined way to read through the Bible.  If you are one of those people that can do this, like my wife, this blog is not for you.  This blog is for people like me - people who love the Bible, want to read the whole thing, but are not disciplined enough to do reading programs.

So, here is my list of reading tips:

Pick out a reader's Bible. For most of us we have a favorite Bible. Mine is a Zondervan study bible.  It is bulky, hard to carry around, and the notes get me off topic quite often. So, I bought a small reader's Bible and used only that one for reading.  It fits in my pocket and I don't have to worry about losing my place.

Read a translation you want to read. My favorite translation is the New American Standard, so the first time I read through I used that one.  The next time I did the New Living Translation. This time I am reading the New King James.  I trust the NAS the most, but reading other translations is fun and will let you see the scriptures differently.
 
Recognize that reading straight through is hard. The first time I read the bible straight through I did it the classic way - start in Genesis and end in Revelation.  This is very hard, as the Old Testament can weigh you down. Also, for me, Psalms seemed to last forever when I read the Bible straight through.  This last time was much better.  I started in Genesis, then read four Psalms, then Matthew, and back to the Old Testament.  I found this way didn't keep me mired down in the Old Testament, and I had the hope of Jesus to keep me going.

Don't get condemned and don't stop reading. The first time reading the Bible straight through took me seven years.  If you get stopped for a while, don't get condemned, just pick up where you left off.  This is where having a separate bible is nice because if you lay it down and don't use it, the marker will be in the same place as you left off.

Enjoy. This is not the last time you will read the Bible. It is complex and beautiful, but this isn't the only time you will read it.  Most people take reading the Bible straight through as a very serious thing.  If you were reading a normal book, you would not worry if you missed a small part.  I have read certain sections of the Bible a hundred times or more and I still find new things in those passages.  Plus, the next time you  read it straight through you'll catch whatever you might have missed then.

Hopefully these hints will help.  Remember, it doesn't matter what other people think - it is your relationship with Christ, not theirs, so happy reading.