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culture shock

Comfort and Joy: A Sense of Belonging

Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, missioner Tom Little shares how he’s found joy through integrating more into the community where he lives and serves in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia. When I first arrived to Bolivia in January I was lost in a cloud of culture shock. Everywhere I turned I saw something that…

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Throwback Thursday: “A New Definition of Rural”

Editor’s Note: In celebration of our 25th year of preparing and supporting lay missioners, we look back to our archives at a World Care newsletter from 2005 with an article from returned missioner Cecilia Marcy from Class 19, serving in Bolivia with her husband, Tim, from 2004-2006.   What does it mean to be rural? Living in…

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The Reality of Culture Shock

Culture shock is definitely a real thing. I have been feeling culture shock everywhere I look since coming to Bolivia. Everything is different here—from the way that things look, the concept of time, family structure and even the way that people go to the bathroom. During my first week I felt like I was walking…

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Mission Monday: Why We Do Re-Entry

Rhonda Miska, who co-facilitated two re-entry retreats at Franciscan Mission Service this January, talks about the importance of the re-entry process on returning missioners. Co-facilitator Rhonda Miska singing during morning prayer with returned missioners Catherine Giller and Nora Pfeiffer, both of whom served for three years in Bolivia. When I explained to my friends and…

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