When Jesus told His disciples to 'look on the fields' that were ready for harvest they were surrounded by people of another ethnic group--Samaritans--with whom they did not normally get along well (John 4:35).

Jesus tells us in Acts 1:8 to be his witnesses in

To bond properly with a people and their culture requires forming the kind of loving relationships that Ruth did with Naomi and Boaz, which enabled her to embrace the culture of Israel. Our deepest social needs are met by the people--not by expatriate coworkers--with the exception of our immediate family. Missionaries who fail to bond appear at first to be adjusting well, because they avoid the stress of adapting to the culture. But later they often burn out or develop an irrelevant ministry. We must bond with the responsive segment of a society--normally the poorer working class.

__________________

For helps to adapt to another culture see Church Multiplication Guide, Patterson and Scoggins, chapter 13.

See the fields, as Jesus said:

• Where can you get statistics on the ethnic composition of the new area? (Census bureau, local schools, urban planning office)
• Who among the believers comes from the new group or area?
• What are the group's languages, history, customs, and religions?
• What books on ethnography (that look at the people, their culture and trends) can you find at the booksellers?
• What other ministries are reaching in to the new group?
• With which ones can you cooperate in unity for the salvation of the group?