WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

192 WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
TYPES OF BI-VOCATIONAL
LABOURERS
There are many types of bi-vocational labourers who are working in other
cultures and countries other than their own.
When I wrote the first edition of this book twenty years ago, the demand
for English language teachers was enormous. On my visits to many Asian cities,
whether in Vietnam or East Asia, there would be long queues of students wanting
to learn English. These students knew that the learning of English was a key to
their future. Teaching English as a second language became popular too for
teachers. That need still exists. Students, who intend to go overseas for further
studies, will take a course in English in order to qualify for their main courses.
Teaching as an occupation remains one of the major opportunities for
bi-vocational work. But there are a host of other occupations. Some are in
medical work including sports medicine. Some are in holistic mission, especially
in projects that help the poor and marginalised. For example, micro-credit
agencies have been started to help locals start businesses.
Among my many bi-vocational friends, most are business and
professional workers. Their occupations range from being chief executive officers
of companies to engineers, professors, and entrepreneurs of macro as well as
micro enterprises. Macro-enterprises require gifted entrepreneurs and provide
employment for hundreds of workers. Such enterprises ought to contribute to
the prosperity of countries.
With my background in Economics, I have had the opportunity of
occasionally conducting business seminars. During one of these, I encouraged
some company directors to contribute a percentage of their profits to meet the
needs of the nation – social, educational or medical. On my next visit, I was
shown a newspaper article that a few company directors had indeed responded
to this challenge.
A favourite passage of Scripture which highly motivates me is Jeremiah
29 when God tells His people in exile to “seek the peace and prosperity (Hebrew,
shalom) of the city…because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” They were to
settle in these cities and bless it, as it were, by seeking its “shalom”. This is the
challenge of bi-vocational mission – to be among the people in order to advance