Internship Training; a story of Individualization

Recently Shevawn learned that a couple she had led through the pre-internship training course last spring have now become members of Wycliffe Bible Translators and have accepted an assignment in South Asia.   We are always excited when those who have had a successful internship go on to become longer term workers in Bible translation; this particular couple she especially remembers because of a rather unique situation that surfaced as she trained them.  Here's what happened:

As I worked with this couple, I became aware that while the wife had significant cross-cultural experience, her husband had virtually none. John and I have seen first-hand on trips we have led in the past that when this occurs some tensions are likely to arise in a couple’s relationship, because in this type of situation it is common for the husband to find himself becoming somewhat dependent on his wife.  For many couples this is not a big deal, but for others who hold certain beliefs about the husband’s leadership role in their marriage, the disruption that can occur because of this shift in their relationship can be difficult.  I felt it was essential to have a conversation with them before they went on their internship in order to get a feel for their relationship dynamics and beliefs in order to help prepare them for this, so I put together some questions to ask and some thoughts to share….and then we had a video phone call.   Normally all my communication with interns and volunteers are in written form, but I felt it was really important for me to see their interactions with each other as I brought up issues they should be prepared to encounter in order to help me determine how to advise both them and the field they were going to.   It was a helpful connection for all of us, and one I’m glad I decided to pursue. 

So far that has been the only time I have added a video phone call to my training, but I doubt it will be the last.  Much of what I do involves “catching” potential issues that pop up as I discuss subjects with our interns and volunteers via our curriculum, and then figuring out how to address them in helpful and specific ways for each person as needed, which often means individualized emails in addition to their regular coursework.  I am thankful for the years of working with interns in person when we led cross-cultural internship trips to Ghana that has given me insight into areas that people may need to address before going to the field in order to help them have a successful internship…and for the prayers of many as I seek to communicate in ways that are helpful and eye-opening.