Question/Answer - Numero 3

8. What do mission organizations do for these people?
“We risk our lives to get to them first because we believe we are more sympathetic agents of change than profit-hungry commercialists”.

Missionaries who venture out into the wilderness have some kind of motivation that connects with the message of Christ. Their attempts to reach those who have been “untouched” such as the primitives and native tribes are led with the purpose displayed in the quote above: to deliver the message of God before the commercialists make contact with the undeveloped tribes first.

Some might ask that wouldn’t the missionaries be destroying the cultures themselves in order for the conversion in religion. However, as Don Richardson states, “It’s true that we destroy certain things in cultures, just as doctors sometimes must destroy certain things in a human body if a patient is to live.” Missionaries do not have the intention to tear down the culture – they just feel the need to save the people by spreading the word of God. In another way, however, it sounds as if we are pushing Christianity into the arms of people who do not require it. It seems as if the unique culture and religion of that specific group of people is being muddled.

Don Richardson however, points out that missionaries do more than introduce a new religion and try to persuade them to believe it. In the article, he pointed out the question of “Should anyone go in?” (in tribes where people are not aware of the message of God) is obsolete, since someone will eventually. Missionaries strive to teach the tribes not only spiritual truth, but physical survival as well. The missionaries try to teach the people about money, language, medication, trading, and other skills to survive before they make contact with outsiders.


By reading Don Richardson’s article, I felt that sympathy is the key to all doors of missionary missions. Don Richardson says, “…part of my task was to give the Sawi a rational basis for voluntarily renouncing cannibalism before the guns of the police decided the issue”. This quote reveals that since the Sawi are part of the people under a government – a government that does not allow cannibalism, the Sawi need to stop killing and eating people. Essentially, Don Richardson is persuading the Sawi to stop their belief in cannibalism before they are forced to do so while being concerned with their future encounter with commercialists.

As messengers of God’s word, I believe the motivation that missionaries have that gives them the courage to confront the wilderness is sympathy. Underneath sympathy, there would be teaching them about their own language, culture, and medication while naturally teaching the word of Christ. It is also par to their safety because the missionaries are, in a sense, preparing for their encounter with commercialists.

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Question/Answer - Numero 2

3. What should we do when we are confronted with other cultures?

Most students that attend TCIS have lived in more than one country, or have encountered another culture by making friends from different ethnic backgrounds. I myself had the fortunate opportunity to travel to different countries and experience other cultures beside Korean. Personally, I feel that having the opportunity to go to different countries and going to schools in various parts of the world, as well as coming to TCIS has been a blessing given by God. Without God’s meticulous planning for me as an individual, I would never have been able to be confronted by cultures other than Korean.

Going to schools in the States, Canada, and Korea has been somewhat intimidating at first, but as I gained experience, I learned to always have an open mind. Almost three years ago, I was in Canada, about to experience my first day of school in an unfamiliar country. The youngest daughter of a friend of my dad’s was also going to the same middle school I was to go, so on the first day, the two of us walked and entered through the front gates of the school together. The two of us talked about every subject that one could possibly talk about except about what our first day was going to be like. Although I had attended American school, I felt that this time, it would be different because this was middle school. Once my friend and I separated and went to our own classrooms, I was beginning to feel a bit more nervous. However, I was not the only new student to the school, and I was quickly able to make friends with a new girl from India. Later, I discovered there were students from India, USA, Japan, China, and Russia. Evidently, they came from different countries and different cultural backgrounds that I was unfamiliar with. However, the girl from India and I, we became tight friends as we learned about each other. Besides her, I found that having an open mindset helps accepting the circumstances as they are and be able to avoid discrimination.

As time went on, I realized again and again how vital having the ability to have an open mind-set. Without broadening one’s viewpoint on cultures, he or she will not be able to comprehend another person coming from another cultural background. For example, one of my friends celebrated Hanukkah. Although as a Christian, I had felt strange that my friend celebrated Hanukkah, it was still genuinely fascinating to hear about a holiday celebrated in a different culture. Therefore, I feel that an open-mind is essential for interaction between people who come from different cultural backgrounds.


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Question/Answer - Numero 1

What factors of your native culture have informed your religious world view? Explain the impact of these factors.

I grew up accepting God as someone who has a purpose with my existence and has His plans for me to follow. I believe that because of God, I was able to have the experience of living in different parts of the world and encounter various types of cultures. I believe that because of God, I am able to be who I am right now.

I was born in the States and was there until pre-school and came to Korea in kindergarten. For most of my elementary years, I went to a Korean school, and later lived in Canada for about a year and a half during middle school. In elementary, my friends and I would go to the catholic-church nearby every Saturday. It was the stage where I learned about God, who He was, and what He did for us. When I was in sixth grade, which was the first time I came to TCIS, I had the chance to learn more about God through school activities such as Chapel, Bible classes, and Spiritual Emphasis Week.

However, after completing sixth grade, I went to Canada. This time in life was when I stepped further away from God. Although most of my Korean friends around me went to church, some of them seemed to just go out of habit. I occasionally found some of them smoking, drinking, and taking actions that were supposed to be contrary to followers of Christ. .What was ironic was that I found that some friends who did not go to church every Sunday also believed in God and seemed to have more sincere and honest mind-set. Seeing hypocrisy in them, I decided not to join in such a dishonest act. Moreover, I did not experience major hardships while adjusting to a new life. Always feeling that an open-mind is necessary, I had decided to accept the situation as they were and therefore, found the new culture not difficult to follow. Feeling that I could do well without relying on someone else, I didn’t feel the urgent need to lean on God. God became a hazy and distant figure.

Coming back to Korea and to TCIS brought me back a step closer to God. Although I am still learning more about God, I can now rely on Him when I feel stressed or when I feel that I cannot confide my secrets to others. I also realize that the experience I have had: traveling and living in different countries is what makes me and students in TCIS, unique and privileged compared to others. As a Korean who has experienced three different cultures, and a mix of them as well, I thank God for the opportunities that He has given me. I am aware of the fact that I might not be as strong in my faith in God than other Christians, but I am in the process of learning, and I intend to steadily discover more about Him throughout my life.


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