Dear Future Goer,
As you begin this journey of cross-cultural work, my advice to you is to be gentle with yourself. While entering any new career or job is not easy, cross-cultural work has a whole new layer of difficulties and complexities. And at times (who I am kidding, more often than you think), you will feel like a failure and like you should be adjusting faster. But, there really is no set way in which you "should" adjust. Culture shock can set in at the 6 month mark, the 12 month mark, the 18 month mark, or all of the above honestly. It can feel like you come upon bumps in the road each step of the way. But remember that God is your strength and He WILL hold you with His righteous right hand even when you begin to question why you ever stepped foot into an unfamiliar context and wonder if God called the wrong person. Let me be the first to tell you, "He has not made a mistake in calling you. YOU are the one He chose to be a vessel of His love, beauty and grace.
For me in preparing to live in the U.S but working in a cross-cultural setting, I really thought I would be okay and not experience culture shock though my leaders and others said to expect it. Well, let me tell you "you can still experience culture shock even while living and working in the U.S in a cross-cultural setting." Just because you don't leave U.S soil, does not make you immune to culture shock. It may look different than all the thing you learn about in your training and preparation to go, but it WILL come in some form or another. Mine came around the year mark of being in my placement. I began feeling really digruntled anytime I though about going to vivist the individuals I had begun building friendships with and while working under my boss who was from a different culture than me, I would be so annoyed that he did things so differently that I did. I also began feeling very down and not wanting to go out and do anything related to the work I had been called into. I told my leaders about these feelings and thoughts and they kindly told me I was most likely expereince culture shock. They were so gracious in guiding me though it and reminding me why God had called me here and also pointing out the ways that God was using me and making an impact even if small in the community. I had to learn to be gentle with myself and recognize that these were indeed signs of culture shock and take some time to process, but then ask God for strength to keep going on and not completely abandon the work and relationships he had begun to form. So, be gentle with yourself as these hard seasons come up. You WILL get through it! With heavy leaning on God's strength and grace.
The last piece of advice I have is to bolster your spiritual muscles and armor up. With memorizing scripture and having even a simple phrase prayer you can call out in times of trouble. Spiritual warfare is real and will come at times when you least expect and potentially in forms that you haven't experienced before. I don't want to scare you, but just make you aware of what can and most likely will happen. The enemy does not like the work that we are being called into and will find a way to cathc you when you are most vulnerable. Mine came at first in the form of nightmares. Where I would have these pretty freaky dreams of dark beings around me that were threatening me. I awoke and was so afraid, but was able to cry and just say Jesus' name loudly and tell the enemy he was not welcome and had no power. And God reminded me of Psalm 4:8 which says "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety." (NIV) Later on during my placement, I began to have a lot of doubts in areas that growing up I woul dhave never questioned, but honestly didn't have a great biblical foundation in. I began to seriously question whether what I had been taught in this area growing up was really right and began to be led astray until God jolted me back to my senses and reminded me of his truth and his beutiful desgin in this area. But this I believe was a way that the enemy began to try and interfere with the work God had called me into. God pulled me out of the wandering and ways tha twould continue to harm me and He has been so faithful and good in his drawing me back to Himself and His truth. But, I believe it will continue to be an area I need to bolster myself in with God's truth and have community around me who will also remind me of this.
So as I close, remember to be gentle with yourself and bolster your spiritual armor and muscles. If you can keep these two things as a focus of preparation and also be reminded of during your two years, I think you will prepared well for thriving. But, also don't feel that this has to be done perfctly or that if you mess up God can no longer use you. In fact, God may make your witness stornger through your weakness and mistakes or help you to see more clearly your need for him. I know that's been true for me in the midst and on the other side of hard times.