Saturday.
There's nothing we need to do today.
It's just past noon and I've not even left the apartment yet :)
It's been sooo hot here in Waxhaw. But the flowery tree outside my apartment has been showing evidence of a breeze. If it's a cool breeze, I doubt it. I'll try to make it out there some time today. But honestly, it's been nice just sitting in the quiet (have I mentioned there's no TV in this apartment?!) and resting for the morning.
I realized that I never explained what ICC is or why I have to go through this course.
Intercultural Communications Course (ICC) is required training for any Wycliffe USA folks who are going to be working overseas. The learning objectives for ICC include developing attitudes, skills, knowledge for...
- building quality, lasting cross-cultural relationships be establishing a biblically based and culturally sensitive framework for cross-cultural interaction.
- becoming an effective language learner through practicing basic language learning principles and designing a personalized language learning plan.
- working effectively on a multi-national team through valuing the diversity of giftedness, personalities and life-experiences and by addressing conflicts generated by such diversity.
- maintaining a growing spiritual walk with God in situations that are unfamiliar and demanding, including considerations for spiritual warfare issues.
(yes... I got that all from the HUGE binder we'll be going through this month!)
I have a feeling there will be some stretching moments during this course. There will be uncomfortable times. But I'm grateful for this opportunity. We will be going through training on Interpersonal skills -- dealing with conflict, understanding and relating to differing personalities and cultures, learning skills; working on multi-cultural teams; spiritual vitality -- maintaining purity, mainintaining spiritual vitality, spiritual warfare; worldview -- attitudes, assumptions, biblical absolutes; language and culture acquisition -- visiting an ethnic church, learning styles.
There is so much that we'll have the opportunity to interact with -- it should be good. In addition to the required training, there are electives too. I'll be taking an elective on Health Issues -- how to care for sprains, diarrhea, malaria... fun stuff like that. I'll also take a Land Transportation class -- including an off-road driving course!!
Pray that I make the most of my time here. You only get as much as you put in, right? Pray that I'd really take time to do readings and other assignments and that I'd put down walls I tend to put up to allow myself to be vulnerable and transparent with the others here. That through the relationships, interaction and training I'd really learn and apply things to my life.
I tend to be a pretty deep processor ... pray too that I'd receive grace too when I'm faced with areas in my life that I need to change / grow in as they're revealed to me in these upcoming weeks.
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