When I first arrived in Costa Rica, I loved everything about the country. The beans and rice accompanied with fresh squeezed mango juice was a joy to wake up to every morning. I found public transportation and pedestrian life a freeing alternative to car maintenance. I even thought the unanticipated monsoon (I arrived during the rainy season) to be refreshing and even humorous. After awhile though, I discovered a frequent ration of beans and rice to be unimaginative and I also grew tired of being caught without an umbrella on my way to Spanish class during a downpour.
Missionaries may have experiences similar to these during the stages of culture shock. At first, we love everything about the culture; but after awhile we start finding the methods of our new culture inferior to our own back home. When we start rejecting the culture, we have a few options. We can avoid the culture and become ineffective, we can go home, or we can adapt. In order to adapt to the new surroundings, missionaries need to see the good and the bad in the culture.
Every culture, our home and our host, has godly and ungodly characteristics. For example, I found that Costa Ricans are very warm and hospitable, while in America we tend to be very informal with our guests. Try to look for the good parts of the new culture and appreciate them for what they are. After we have decided to adapt to the new culture, we will learn to accept it with both its strengths and flaws.
Many missionaries also find that having another person that experiences the first few months with them is invaluable. This should be a person that you may ask questions of and confide in. Of course, not all missionaries have the luxury of having someone from their own culture to experience the new life with, but if you can that can really help. Even if you find someone from your home embassy or another missions organization to spend time with, that can do the job.
Also, try to remember that even though your surroundings may be radically changing, God is still the same. Sometimes, for me, that has been something that I have held on to to help me not feel so unsettled.
Photos by Life in pictures and suvajack
We all go on missions for different reasons. Sometimes the draw to the mission field is the desire for adventure or the need for a deeper walk with God. Before we step on the field we need to understand our motives and then compare it to the ideal inspirations that should be compelling us to share the Gospel cross-culturally.
Population: 18,060,000 as of July 2007 estimates. Though much better off than its other African counterparts due to thriving agriculture, forestry, petroleum industry, and trade, Cameroon is cursed by corruption and inefficient bureaucracy. According to 2006 estimates, GDP was $42.48, and is predicted to grow by 5.8% in 2008. Ethnic Make-up: Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, North-western Bantu 8%, Nigritic 7%, Others 14%. Religions: Indigenous faith 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%. The constitution of this secular state guarantees freedom of religion. About 60 agencies from 27 countries do missionary work in Cameroon. Language: French, English, 24 African languages. 
Travel Issues: Travel to Cameroon requires a valid passport, visa, and proof of current immunizations including yellow fever vaccination. Your visa application should be send in duplicate to the Cameroon embassy in your country along with two passport sized photos, visa fees, a letter of invitation to visit, a copy of your return ticket, a copy of your current bank statement, and a pre-paid, self-addressed, special delivery envelope without which they may not return your passport to you. You may need to track the progress of your application, as they may not contact you if there is a problem. 
The Religion: Roughly 40% of the people follow traditional beliefs if any at all, while another 40% come under various Christian denominations. About 20% are Muslims and they belong to the Fulani tribe. Witchcraft is practised by some as part of traditional beliefs though it is deemed a criminal offense to do so. 
Courtesy: Do not cross your legs while seated. Always wait for the elder to initiate conversation. Do not take photos of people unless you first ask.
Visiting a home: Cameroonians are known for their hospitality. They are always ready to welcome visitors; even the ones that drop in unexpectedly. Remember to carry a small gift, especially if there are children in the home. You should not decline the food and drink offered as this may hurt their sentiments. 
Christian mission organizations have prioritized the sector of the world between 10 and 40 degrees above the equator which includes Northern Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. It is important for us to focus on these countries because its inhabitants are largely unreached, meaning that they have not yet heard the Gospel. Other world religions such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are indigenous to these nations and the window also hosts the most poverty-stricken populations.
If you have ever dreamed of taking your whole family to an exotic location for a trip, then the idea of a mission trip might have crossed your mind. You must remember, however, that taking a mission trip is certainly more than traveling around the world. It is a lot of hard work, and it can be emotionally taxing as well. In addition, if you want to bring the whole family on a mission trip, you need to take careful consideration and plan carefully.
Another idea you will have to prepare your children for is the idea of hard work. Your children will be a very important part of your mission and each family member can help in one way or another. Prepare your children for the task that lies ahead, so they know what is expected of them. Remind your children that there will be times when you need them to be flexible, as plans often change on missions trips and focuses and goals may change as well.
Life as a missionary tends to come with a heightened level of stress. This is because missionaries are in unfamiliar territory that gives them a feeling of instability. We can also experience emotional stress as a result of loneliness. This is because we are often isolated from others who can identify with our struggles and the experience of culture shock.
Ethnic make-up: Pashtun 40%, Tajiks 25%, Hazaras 18%, Uzbecks 6%, Turkmen 3%, Qizilbash 1%, and 7% others.
Health & safety: Anti-malarial shots required for travel to areas below 6,561 feet for travel between April and December. Also recommended for all travelers are shots for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Hepatitis B. Adult travelers who have not had polio vaccine as an adult are recommended to take a one-time booster doze. If you’re traveling from, or through, yellow-fever infected areas in Africa or the Americas, you’re required to take Yellow fever shots. If you may come in direct contact with animals in remote areas without medical access, you need to consider rabies shots. If you’re born after 1956 and not had a measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) shot, it is recommended that you get them. It is also recommended that you’ve had a Tetanus-diphtheria shot within the last ten years.
Gift giving: When you’re visiting for the first time, it is customary to bring along a simple gift that is discreetly offered or left behind in an unobtrusive manner. This is normally something edible in the form of sweets or fruits. Gifts are not opened in front of guests.
Visiting a home: Always take footwear off before entering living areas. Never enter a room without first announcing your presence with a knock or a cough. If in a group, the elders enter first. You should wait to be seated as this will be in accordance to your perceived status within the group. The host will never ask you the reason for your visit and it is up to the visitor to bring it up. It is important to remember that during the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Though foreigners are not required to do so, it would be insensitive to eat, drink, smoke, or even chew gum in their presence.
Dos and Don’ts: It is considered decidedly bad taste to talk or laugh out loud in public, especially if you’re a woman. Keep your voice levels down and adopt a non-invasive body language. Keep the soles of your feet out of sight when seated. Muslims pray about five times a day and it is only right that non-Muslims do nothing to cause disruptions. Avoid smoking, joking, or any other trivial activities at these times, especially in front of elders. Though foreigners may not be chastised for such faux-pas, they will certainly be considered dishonorable.
So, you’ve made the decision to participate in a missions trip for the first time, but admittedly, getting everything in order can be a daunting task - even more so if there are larger dollar signs attached to it. But fear not - raising the support you need is easier than you think.
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I am often asked if missions destroys culture. My answer depends on the kind of missionary that we are talking about. For example, the early settlers to America decided to share Christ to the Native American tribes, but before they learned the Gospel, they experienced short hair cuts, collared shirts, and English lessons. They were also forbidden to dance or play drums. Today, one percent of Native Americans consider themselves Christians. The tribal dancing and singing were rituals of their old religion, which is why the English settlers desired to eliminate them. However, God can redeem culture and when Christians worship God through their cultural expressions it is very meaningful.*
If we identify with our host culture, learn the language and eat their food, we will find a wealth of material for pointing people to Christ. Paul was a missionary who sought to identify with the people he went to. When he spoke to the Greek philosophers, he first spent the day walking through their statuaries and looking at their monuments. He discovered an altar to the Unknown God and used it as a bridge to reach the people. He stated that the God they worshipped unknowingly, could be known through Jesus Christ (Acts 17: 23). Even the statement, “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28) is a line from a Stoic poem that Paul used to communicate Christ to the philosophers. 
No matter how healthy your lifestyle at home, traveling can be your #1 bane. Your routine immediately becomes non-existent, your menu consists of new and unusual foods, and your stress level has a tendency to blow through the roof. As impossible as it may seem, there are a few really simple ways to keep your body - and your mind - together in one, healthy piece.
On the flight there, the airports are teeming with bright signs for McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell - you name it - but you shouldn’t feel as if your only option is to consume your daily calorie allotment in one meal. It may require some thinking ahead, but pack a meal or two - like sandwich, an apple and some crackers - in your carry-on or in the car with you. Not only is this healthier for your body, but you will feel better than if you had scarfed down a burger, fries, and a 32 oz. soft drink between flights.
It’s a great idea to keep a water bottle with you while you are traveling. Dehydration causes your blood to thicken, again increasing the risk of blood clots, and can also intensify the effects of jet lag. Don’t feel like you have to chug a bottle at a time, but rather continually sip throughout the day. Do yourself a favor and avoid caffeine and alcohol also, as they speed up dehydration. In the new country, it is imperative to keep your body hydrated with water. In order to keep up your electrolytes, and enhance the taste of the water, it is a great idea to buy flavor packets to add to the bottles. On a recent trip to Africa, many of the team members got very ill, and those electrolyte packets really came in handy.
Besides the extreme stress of travel and how that affects your body, the changing time zones and jet lag can really push you over the edge and lower your immune system. Your best bet is to try to get as much sleep as you can, whenever you can. Some people I have talked to actually start adjusting to the new time zone a week before the trip. For me, I am too busy packing and getting ready to be that prepared. However, once on the plane, I try to sleep on a schedule that coordinates with the time zone I am heading to. I also just try to sleep anytime I can fit it in, because once there, sleep is sometimes hard to have time for with all the early wake-ups and in-country travel. 