Survival Strategies for Coming Home
Rinto Dasuki

---

Preparation is necessary for any significant endeavors. This is especially true for people who face a reversed culture shock, such as alumni who return to Indonesia after studying and/or working in the US. Good plans coupled with strong idealism may fail due to lack of preparation, when faced with harsh reality in Indonesia. In her book Transforming Society, Melba Maggay proposes several survival strategies for Christian workers who intend to be involved in society renewal. These strategies include (1) Expect a self-developed opposition, (2) Inspire and nurture a strategic minority, (3) Watch our wineskins, (4) Play the Pied Piper, and (5) Protect our inner life. The author believes that this list can be applied for preparation before going home as well. It gives excellent ideas to get ready mentally and spiritually. Additionally, the list could be expanded to include three more strategies, including (6) Develop a sharp vision, (7) Maintain a balanced life, and (8) Develop a strong theological basis of involvement. This article provides an overview of preparation strategies before returning home and practical tips for engagement in the public square. It does not attempt to be comprehensive, as adjustments to a specific situation are necessary. It does not try to explain each strategy in detail, but it is supposed to complement what has already written in the book. Its purpose is to prompt a discussion on how Christians are supposed to think and act as they prepare to make an impact in the Indonesian society.

Many Alumni are surprised to encounter opposition when they return home. Those who have embraced the vision of ICF (i.e. “making impact in family, church, and society”) bring home a high degree of idealism and expectation. They think that they will be able to apply what they have learned here, both in the local fellowship and the local church, to bring change in each sphere in Indonesia. They do not typically expect that there will be much opposition, because they think: what I will be doing will be straightforward and beneficial to everyone. However, this is not a typical case. People who are used to be involved in a movement should expect an opposition. As Maggay puts it, “A movement develops an antithesis, a reaction that sets it back, but the resulting synthesis from the conflict is at least one degree higher in quality than where things were before. The parable of the wheat and the weeds antedates this dialectical understanding of the process of change. (Matthew 13:24-30) We are told that for every advance in the kingdom of God, there is a corresponding advance in the kingdom of darkness. When the wheat shot up and bore grain, the weeds appeared also.”

Additionally, when one has a clear vision for a change, it is not unusual to encounter opposition from people close to him or her, like his family or his Christian brothers or sisters. It is not that he is doing something wrong; it is just the expectations are misaligned with what he is trying to do. He may have understood a specific calling God has asked him to do, but his family may expect him to do something else. For example, Alumni have shared the challenges they face from their families and friends when they try to get involved in public life. Often they are surprised and unprepared. The best way to handle this situation is to come up with a plan long before facing these challenges. This allows extra time to equip them, learn how to communicate their answers, and to be more thorough in giving explanation to their objections.

What does it mean to inspire and nurture a strategic minority? It is very easy in life to think in terms of majority and minority. Majority is often associated with power, while minority is often associated with weakness and needing protection. We naturally want to include as many people as possible to buy our vision and the specific plans we would like to implement upon returning home. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen and before spending a lot of energy doing this, it is better to consider a better alternative. Maggay explains it this way, “Students of social change tell us that it is better to aim at consensus within a strategic minority rather than to waste time and breath at soliciting the conformity of the majority. Since a movement for changes involves vision and sacrifice it is not possible to start with the many. Very few people can see ten steps ahead of them. Most are enclosed in the realities of the present to be able to imagine an alternative future.” In other words, focus on the important groups of people that can work together with us.

The idea of cultivating a strategic minority makes sense in social transformation, because there needs to be a critical mass before something big happens. Originally, the vision may start with one believer or a group of believers; however, a bigger group must adopt it before it gains momentum. It does not need to be a majority. Melba points out, “Sociologists tell us that it takes only five percent of a country’s population to turn society around and put it on course.” The idea is squarely compatible with the circle of influence paradigm, which states that one should work within one’s circle of influence, going from the inside to the outside.

Structured organization is one proof that the owner of the vision is methodical, prepared, and serious in the pursuit of the vision. However, bureaucracy has to be watched out. In other words, watch our wineskins. Maggay gives the following quote,” A student of church movements once said that sociologically, a community of people with a cause moves from being a movement to a machine, and from a machine to a monument…For a movement to retain its cutting edge, it is important to hold nothing sacred except its original calling. Institutions, programs and structures are only means; we must ready to discard them once they have outlived their usefulness.”

The message of the Gospel does not change, but the means and methods of communicating the Gospel does change. Consequently, the realization that organizations and structures need to adapt to the contemporary culture is an important aspect of bringing light to the world. The values and the vision should not change, but the ways to achieve them should be reevaluated regularly to ensure proper deployment. History shows that Christian leaders who fail to watch the wineskins often have to pay considerable price in terms of effectiveness and ability to reach the lost world. Examples include the leadership that failed to utilize the radio technology and the Internet technology to spread the Good News and to impact society. Ten years ago the presence of Christian websites was quite limited, but it is now expected that any Christian ministry should have its own website. Alumni have to be aware of the different tools available in communicating their vision to the larger public and start include them in the planning stage, rather than later. It is beneficial to prepare the communication strategy early in the process.

What does it mean to play the Pied Piper? Maggay puts it this way: “To play the Pied Piper, to sing a tune that our people will recognize as their own, echoing their own longings and aspirations – this is the job of those of us who wish to see society transformed. ‘My sheep hear my voice,’ says Jesus. (John 10:27 )” She also adds: “Truly creative movements do not need huge organizations to carry out what they need to do. What is crucial is the ability to discern what God is doing in the world, and articulate it at certain critical junctures.”

One of the characteristics of leaders is that when they say something, people can identify with their statement and feel that it accurately represents their position. Sometimes, they do not have the right words to express their feelings, but when the leader publicly voices an opinion, they will say, “Yeah, that’s what I believe.” This is one important skill that has to be cultivated in order to capture audience. The ability to express the right words at critical junctures requires knowledge of the situation and the hearts of the people. Sometimes it takes a long time before the opportunity comes along; however, along the way preparation is necessary.

Protecting the inner life is extremely important in any pursuit. One common issue that is repeated over and over again among the Alumni is that their spiritual discipline has become meaningless, plain, or just completely missing within one or two years after returning. The busyness of work and life has taken over the priority such that daily fellowship with the Creator takes a back seat. This is very unfortunate and seems counter-intuitive because most Alumni attend evangelical churches while they are in the US, usually characterized with passionate worship, biblical preaching, and emphasis on dynamic spiritual life. Now, this becomes even more difficult when additional pressures are added to the mix such as involvement in the public space. Therefore, preparation that includes both Christian worldview and strong spiritual discipline is a must.

On this topic Maggay states, “There is something about the daily exposure to poverty and other ills of society which tends to tear away faith and makes agents of change some of the most cynical people around. Poverty is evil; it grinds people down and distorts the best of us into churlish whiners or wooden prophets of doom and gloom in whose eyes the light has gone dead.” News reporters who worked in dark places like in Cambodia during the massacre or in Rwanda during the civil war often had a difficult time going back to their ordinary world. Psychologically, they were changed forever due to the images they saw first hand. Similarly, any Christians who work in any areas of poverty eradication will face challenges to their faith, thus they need to equip themselves specifically to these kinds of work. How do we protect the inner life? First, as success is not guaranteed 100% of the time, learn how to fail. Maggay says, “A critical skill we need to teach ourselves and our people is how to fail – how to learn our lessons from the experience of defeat and pick ourselves up again and start anew.” Second, learn how to separate the personal life from the problem. She explains, “Protecting our inner life also means that we practice a certain amount of detachment… To disengage, we need periodic flights of fancy that are just as absorbing, a strategic withdrawal into an entirely different world, where the dragon is slain and the prince rescues and runs off with the maiden.” Third, respect the day of rest (Sabbath). She describes, “A sanity escape, at its best, is really a longing for Sabbath, for that time and space when we can rightly disengage and behold the work of our hands as something removed from us.” Fourth, expect a long fight. She adds, “It is also important to recognize that social transformation requires a long obedience, and there are times when we suffer what Alan Sillitoe calls the ‘loneliness of the long-distance runner.’” Finally, pick our fight purposefully. She expounds, “Since our strength is small, we should learn to conserve energy. Strategically, this means we get selective about our fights. We must learn to pass up small provocations to conserve gunpowder for the big battles. An ancient Chinese general once said that the best way to win a war is to try not to fight.”

Developing a sharp vision is another important issue to consider. It is very easy to get sidetracked in today’s world. With the advancement of technology the media has so much power over people that it’s becoming very easy to be “like the world,” thus losing our identity as disciples of Christ. Similarly, Alumni who clearly have a good intention to bring changes in Indonesia are often incapable of doing so consistently due to lack of a sharp vision. They may survive for several months, but when presented with a difficult situation, they would deviate from the original plan. When asked what they plan to do, they would provide generic answers like “to make Indonesia better”, “to influence people”, and “to bring impact to my family.” While these answers are acceptable in the beginning, they need to be clarified and made more specific as time goes by. The main reason is that there are so many distractions and temptations along the way, that without a clear purpose it is very easy to be lost or side-tracked. After a specific calling is identified, one has to systematically identify areas that need to be learned, skills that need to be developed, and tools that are commonly used by experts in the area. In other words, cultivate the basic investigation technique (who, what, when, where, why, how). Moreover, it’s hard to develop a strong vision without a context, in a cultural vacuum. We can not just develop our vision inside a room and with our computer/books to do research. We need to walk in the street, really feel the people’s longings, and the convictions that God puts in our hearts and develop our vision from there. It is a journey. Additionally, we need to understand the culture of the places where we plan to go and prepare a response. For example in Jakarta, the culture of materialism is such a strong current that it can debilitate us.

Maintaining a balanced life is essential while working for society renewal. When athletes prepare for an upcoming marathon, they pay attention to not only the physical aspect of the race, but also the mental aspect and the nutritional component to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They know that they need to balance these components to be able to finish the race well. Working for society renewal is rather similar. Even the direction is clear and the achievement seems to validate the vision, without the support of the family (especially for married couples) or a good health, it is very difficult to maintain the momentum. Biblical teaching maintains that taking care of one’s own family is a prerequisite of taking a more active role in a local church or a larger context. Christians are in the position to show the rest of the world how a functional family unit, where love is shared and differences are acknowledged, can be a strong witness to the world. See, the world needs real examples of people who show love and concerns to the community with integrity. This is an example of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.

The capacity to maintain a balance life may not come naturally, but it is something that needs to be learned over a lifetime. It is quite easy to move from one extreme to another. Thus, a constant reminder should be part of the reflection during devotional times. Specific skills to establish priority and to manage time may need to be developed. Customized tools that help these may need to be found. Accountability with fellow believers will help establish a good habit.

Finally, development of a strong theological basis of involvement provides long-term endurance. Involvement based only on emotions or knee-jerk reactions is usually short-lived. It does not really address the root cause of the issue. The effect can sometimes be counter-productive as well, because it ignores the analysis required to unpack the real issue and the solution offered is shallow. For example, Christians are often attracted to boycott a product or a company due to contemporary issues like abortion, but they are not equipped to understand the prevailing worldview in the society that makes those issues acceptable. They are encouraged to perform a specific action, but not equipped with the ability to connect the dots. On the other hand, with a thorough understanding of Biblical teaching of cultural and social involvement, Christians are more ready to accept the challenge and make the sacrifice. Of course, this is not only head knowledge, but a deep commitment to follow through what has been determined as part of the calling. Having this commitment provides the fuel and energy to keep going when the situation gets tough. They have the resources to answer tough questions that often come during adversity, like “why did I get involved in the first place or “why am I the one who suffers?” At a recent conference Maggay stated, “Theology is too important to be left only to the theologians.” Yes, a strong foundation of theology of involvement is needed for a prolonged, fruitful pursuit in society renewal.

In summary, don’t wait until the last minute to prepare for our eventual return to Indonesia. In some sense, the preparation starts as soon as we step into the class on the first day of school and build from there. The opportunities and challenges ahead are so great that it is not adequate to start preparation a year before leaving. Solid spirituality, combined with a strong Christian world view, will provide a good foundation. However, it is obvious that the future struggle should be expected and long-term involvement, with or without a noticeable result, should be the approach. Bringing the signs of the Kingdom of God in the marketplace is not an option, but a calling to every Christian.

Rinto Dasuki graduated from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with an M.S. in Computer Science. He is currently working as an engineer and resides in Eden Prairie, MN with his wife and three sons.

Back to top