A few months back, I was having a chat with Dad about the way in which my work and time in rural Indonesia has changed me, and we got to talking about how my initial updates that I sent always began with what was supposed to be a humorous cross-cultural observation, and that I don’t do that anymore. It was something that he’d noticed – my tone has slowly shifted over time from condescension to a greater appreciation for the things that folks in rural Indonesia have taught me. Perhaps you’ve noticed the change in tone – or maybe for those of you who know me personally, you may have seen other things change; for example, Michelle (my wife) has noticed a movement from bluntness to gentleness in the way I communicate (some may dispute that!).
This personal development was never (initially) on my radar; I wanted to get involved with community development work to ‘help the poor’ – I was going to help them, and I had never considered that they might also help me (I think this is quite a common posture towards the marginalised generally). Things have changed somewhat now, and I try to use points of cultural difference to uncover my own weaknesses and potential points of learning.
So I chose to do my research paper on mutual transformation in community development. My question was essentially do community development organisations encourage their staff and donors to learn from the poor, or do they foster a view of assistance going in one direction – from economically rich to economically poor, from ‘uppers’ to ‘lowers’, from ‘educated’ to ‘uneducated’? I was also keen to see whether mutual transformation had accidentally happened between community development practitioners and the communities they work in, and if so, what sort of factors fostered mutual transformation?
So here’s the heftiest paper I’ve written for my masters; it’s only a very small study, so hold my conclusions lightly. Feel free to skip the more boring bits at the beginning (methodology etc.), but if your life involves marginalised people at all – be they at home or abroad – this might be an interesting read. I’d be keen to hear your experiences of mutual transformation too!
Have a read of it here: The road to transformation, a one way street
patmos 
God in us and us with God …. what an awesome partnership to grow personally, and in our relationships with others! Thank you, Clint. (And yeah, that research article was thought-provoking!)
Hey Dad, thanks for having a read! Looking forward to catching up on the weekend. Hope you’re having a nice Easter.
Thank you,Clint,for your openness.
I did not read “The road to transformation,as it is a bit too heavy for me.
But,your introduction really gladdened me.
It is more like becoming like Christ,isn’t it?
His humility and engagement with the poor and needy.
I find it a never ending road to perfection and have to say to myself;”But for the grace of God,here go I”
Much love,oma.
Hey Oma,
Some people like me need to write lengthy papers to get to the wisdom you write in a few short sentences. It is becoming more Christ-like; but I still tend to want to do it my way (top-down, with power, distance and authority) rather than the bottom-up, washing-the-feet-of-his-disciples way of Jesus…
Love, Clint.
Hi Clinton,
Re my message on Moodle: I have found your blog! by a roundabout route. Tada! So I can steer my colleagues and others to your posts etc.
Now I’m trying to access the research paper, latest post: “The road to transformation: a one-way street” but the link is broken 😦
For your attention, thanks
Roland
Hi Roland,
Well done on sleuthing your way through the valley of Google to find this! Regarding the research paper, I actually pulled it down temporarily yesterday after someone alerted me to numerous spelling mistakes throughout it. For some reason the spell check on my computer isn’t working, and it appears I have become far too reliant on it! I will sort it out today, and the link will work again soon; I’ll let you know when it’s up again…
Thanks,
Clint.
Just a note to say that the paper has been updated and the link should be working again now. Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing it!
Thanks,
Clint.