Untitled - St.Francis Magazine

St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 2 | April 2012 language and when their children have local friends, there is a higher propensity to stay long term. We have observed that those who invest into relationships and not just spend time running programs set the stage for “staying.” Workers who overly identify with their home embassies, especially during times of crises, send a “we” versus “you” message to locals (believers and non-­‐believers). Those who leave at the first rumor of danger lose their credibility and find it difficult to rebuild trust. In one Muslim country the vast majority of the expatriate (expat) workers left during a scare associated with the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In the end the threat did not materialize. About six months later the workers all returned and attempted to resume relationships where they left off. But the local believers they had worked with were deeply scarred by a sense of abandonment. The hasty departure of so many workers had irreparably harmed the expat-­‐local partnership in that country. Sometimes the decisions to stay may be over issues of convenience or preference. Often western workers have a health care choice to make. Will they get their medical care at the local clinics? Will they deliver their first child at the local hospital or with local midwives? One long-­‐term worker mobilized to the field during the wife's first pregnancy which endeared them to their local community. Most workers have thought through the possible scenarios and have had to make small and big choices along the way-­‐-­‐decisions with a propensity to stay rather than to leave. One family in Palestine has said that they may not know what the future holds, but they are determined to stay. Many resilient workers identify with their new “home.” This proclivity to stay may be demonstrated in “planting vineyards” in their “Samaria” (Jeremiah 31:5) and praying for the “peace of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7). Even when forced to leave, they look for the first opportunity to return. Sometimes, other believers may 117