We continue with Part Two of our interview with 3W Emerging Leader Darren Adwalpalker.
Were there any surprises for you guys regarding international cross-cultural work as opposed to cross-cultural work in the United States?
The main difference is that the post-Christendom world is a much larger part of the scene in Europe than in the United States (although it is rapidly growing here).
6. You were able to see some great sights. Do any stand out?
I absolutely LOVED Fritzlar. It is one of the most amazing towns I’ve ever seen- so quiet, quaint and peaceful. And what can compare to London?
[editor's note: "Uhm..absolutely nothing except Paris."
7. How was your experience with the 3W crew (Varners, Philips, Nachtigalls)
The team was amazing! Kind, gracious, generous. Being at the Nacthigalls felt so comfortable. Great cooking, hosting and a great layout for us and our children to stay. They were so accommodating and took us around to see different sights, too. The Varners were incredible. We couldn’t have done all the traveling without them. Aaron was an especially helpful culture and language guide in our travels. It seemed as if he never ran out of patience. The Varners were our ‘angels’ on the trip as they cared for our kids during our sessions at Fritzlar. The Phillips were very gracious hosts to us and our children. We appreciated the dinner and conversation at their house. Kelly was also very helpful in our travels back from the airport and on our trip to Wittenberg. Doing the trip with a 2 and 5 year old was especially challenging, but the whole team was extremely accommodating, patient and helpful with our kids. That made all the difference.
9. Any final thoughts and comments?
I am SO thankful for this opportunity. It has opened my eyes to see the reality of the Three Worlds in Europe, and has been incredibly enriching for our church here in Los Angeles. Thanks for making this trip possible!
Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for the remainder of Patrick’s session with the Tottenham Church. Our kids were on overload at that point and needed to be rescued (I should say, the children’s workers needed to be rescued!).
One thing I would have loved to have seen/ participated in if time permitted would be a time of allowing the participants to process their learning and begin to make applications to their contexts. I love facilitating people making connections from their learning to their specific situations. My fear is that by overloading them with too much information and then not being with them as they process, the chance for implementation might be less. But then again, that’s what Patrick and the Three Worlds team are there for, to help be a resource as the groups wrestle with applying the material in their own settings.