Getting Started: Making the Most of Your First Year of Cross-Cultural Service
You’ve made the leap and said yes to serving God cross-culturally. You’re anticipating your big adventure and prepared to serve whatever the cost. But now the questions and practicalities flood in: How do I make friends quickly? How will I fit into the new culture? Do I have anything of value to offer? (And what if I don’t like the food?)
Amy Young, viral communicator and veteran of eighteen years in China, guides you through the maze of your first year on the field. With storytelling and research, she offers encouragement, practical tips, and plenty of humor to help you navigate the unexpected cultural, emotional, interpersonal, and spiritual aspects you’ll face.
Getting Started enables you to glean from those who have gone before you, to stay close to God, and to grow in cultural knowledge—all the while flourishing in fulfilling your call.
All the News That’s Fit to Tell and How to Tell It
You might not think of yourself as a writer, but you are. Whether on social media, newsletters, or reports, writing is a part of your ministry life. What if improving as a writer allows you to communicate with friends, family, and co-workers more effectively? What if improving your writing is simpler—and more fun—than you remember from school days. Viral communicator, Amy Young is the perfect person to guide you through the maze. With encouragement, practical tips and plenty of humor, she shares all that she has learnt in her twenty plus years of writing and ministry. All the News enables you to write compelling letters that communicate quickly, connect to the heart, and bring better support. These simple tricks will turn your monthly letter-writing from a chore into a pleasure. You might think you are the worst writer in the solar system, but by the end of this book, with a spirit of adventure, you may discover that writing is fun and has become a highlight of your work Available in Kindle and Print. Contact Amy to buy in bulk for your organization.
Love, Amy: An Accidental Memoir Told in Newsletters from China
Too often we believe that our stories don’t matter. They do. Love, Amy: An Accidental Memoir Told in Newsletters from China shows the power of a life story unfolding over time. Amy Young quit her job, packed up her belongings, and moved to China to teach English, initially for two years. She anticipated making cultural faux pas, trying new food, seeing God at work, and growing in her knowledge of language and culture. What she could not foresee, though, was nearly dying, experiencing political unrest, taking a job that involved traveling around China, training hundreds to live and minister in China, witnessing the craziness of SARS, or experiencing multiple medical situations. Join Amy, a natural storyteller, as she shares her life in China letter by letter.
Bonus: Nine short articles to help those who write newsletters.
Available in Kindle and Paperback
Looming Transitions
- Keeping your soul fertile as you stay grounded in Christ
- Looking for the lighter moments
- Learning about yourself
- Helping others
- Making lists
- Leaning into grief as you prepare for your transition
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How can you keep your soul fertile and sanity intact during transition?
This book is for those who will be going through a major life transition, either moving to the field or preparing to return to your ‘home’ country. Looming Transition is on Amazon (both Kindle and print)
Also available
22 Activities for Families in Transition
is a companion guide to Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service. It is available as a downloadable PDF for $5 or on Kindle for $2.99 (PDF and Kindle). These twenty-two activities will help your family to:
- process through your transition as a family
- create a fun vocabulary to connect as a family
- stay together, maybe even come through stronger, as a family
The activities follows structure in Looming Transitions and are adaptable to the ages of your children. Know a family you could buy this for as a gift?
Looming Transitions Workbook is a companion guide to Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service. This PDF is designed to help you process through the material you read in Looming Transitions. You can print it off and fill it in by hand OR type your responses directly into the workbook. One of the pressing questions in Looming Transitions was: “How can you keep your soul fertile and your sanity intact during transition?” This workbook will help you do just that. Interested in buying multiple copies for individuals:
- in your organization preparing to go to the field
- In your organization preparing for a Home Assignment or Re-entry
- a team going through transition
- several friends you know who have a looming transition
Check out the multiple copy option where the more you buy, the cheaper the workbook is.
Want to help?
You can leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Contact form for inquiries as to me speaking to your group about transitions, buying bulk orders, or your thoughts on the Broncos’ chances in the Superbowl.
