Hellwig Family | e-mail: [email protected] | website: www.naestrada.org Cape Town / South Africa, June 2013. “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self- control.” (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV) Message Culture shock is a sense of cultural disorientation among the people where you are living. Not only missionaries who feel this shock, but also all the people who leave their country and move to another culture. At first you feel like a tourist, meeting new beauties of the place where you are living, but soon you see that it's real. New language, food, habits, people, new EVERYTHING. Lord, what to do? If you pass through the culture shock without drop everything and go back to your homeland, you will be a person to become bicultural, leaving the new culture changing your way of living. Challenges It isn't easy to pass the shock-cultural, even for those who have traveled abroad, because one thing is to travel to another country, another is to live in it. It's a horrible feeling, in which women suffer more. In our case the change hurts a lot, because in Brazil we had an abundance life, where we had conditions to buy what we wanted. But now, as missionaries, living with the support from friends, family and the church, we don't have enough for such "luxuries", just for the basics. Moreover, distance from family, friends, and freedom to express ourselves and talk in church are points that we suffer a lot. We are sharing this so you can understand what we are feeling and also understand that this adaptation takes time and each new change, we need to adapt and adjust again. And Fran has suffered more, however, the Lord is working in her heart and bringing renewal and comfort, as we are sure to be fulfilling our calling. In this month, the children were sick and we had to take them to the doctor. In Brazil, we knew who was the doctor, the hospital, we had the family closer, and everything was easier. But we believe in the word and power of Jesus Christ, when he said: “Do not fear, only believe.” Mark 5:36. During the Gustavo's trip to Bristol, Fran was with a female friend, where they had a long and good time together, with very witness and fellowship. But after his return, things were quite disturbed, perhaps by the definitions that have emerged there and because Fran entered in a very tired time. So she will reduce slightly the English classes, because by the grace of God her level is already good by MIAF / AIM needs.