First 30 Daze: Practical Encouragement For Living Abroad Intentionally

by Larry McCrary, Susan McCrary

Being a part of a non-profit sector allows us to live in and travel to many cities in the United States, as well as in Europe. As followers of Jesus, wherever we live or travel, our goal is to live out our faith in a different culture. It does not matter if you are a full-time vocational Christian worker, an international company employee, a student studying abroad, or a person who simply wants to live and work in another country—the first 30 days matter! The sooner that you can get out the door, learn the culture, meet people, build relationships, and discover what God has in store for you, the sooner you will feel at home and love your new environment.

Thirty topics and Scripture verses are introduced as well as practical ways to apply what you’ve learned each day through a simple but fun application assignment.

You may want to use the book as an individual devotional, with your family, or with a group. Regardless, it is short and practical so that you have plenty of time to get out and enjoy your new home.

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2016

Reviews

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading this book isn’t necessary to adjusting to a new culture, the daily devotional-type format could be a huge help to cross-cultural workers as they adjust to life overseas. Does your team provide a week or two of structured orientation before releasing your new arrivals to begin finding their own rhythms? This book could be a resource of daily encouragement from the Word and people who have been there as well as providing simple, manageable ideas for what to do each day as they learn to love a new people and place.

[Emily Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of the anecdotes don’t fit very well with a particular day’s reflection, Larry and Susan McCrary have created a really helpful list of action points for the time period after moving overseas.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed going through this book, although during my first 30 days on the mission field it was an overwhelming amount of information. I highly recommend it if you become an international worker, but I would suggest doing one day's activities every few days. It was helpful to dwell on the information and do the activities over time, instead of taking 30 mins each day to do the activities and then reflect upon the day. The resources in this book are great. I would also look ahead at some of the topics and if on a certain day you really need a reminder or to reflect on that topic, skip around and do it in an order that best works for you.
Overall the stories and devotionals were a great size for a daily activity. They often had 2 or 3 tasks related to that days topic, which took me a while since I wanted to gain the most from the activities. Then it had helpful daily reflection questions and a journal space. I was not very good at going back and doing those (after all the first month in a new country really is a daze). After a couple of weeks I began taking more advantage of journaling.
Overall having guided reflection time helped me process what I was feeling, how to navigate a new culture, and pointed out what was completely normal to experience (making me feel less alone). I think it is a great book, I just found the pace it was written at a bit much for my first month in Bucharest.

[Hannah Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to a 3.5, but wanted to round up cuz I appreciated this book. I truly wanted to not like this book because the author's voice is slightly cheesy (very Dad vibes) and the aesthetic is quite outdated BUT! despite that, I found the entries and application points actually helpful and engaging. Not life changing content, but good reminders of truth, especially in moments of need.

Would probably be most helpful for a student studying abroad who desires to make the most of their time. I could also see this being a helpful devotional for families moving overseas. Would recommend!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a great resource for people moving to a new culture. I would suggest however not necessarily trying to complete the book and it's "assignments" in 30 days, but to work on 3-4 a week. This allows you some freedom and also gives you time to process what you're learning while still pushing yourself to learn how to embrace your new normal and thrive!

[Nikaley Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to use if you are about to head overseas for 30 days or longer. It gives practical advice and activities to help adjust to your new location.

[Marti Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you’re a missionary, an international student, or just a Christian living and working in another country, your first 30 days matter. “The sooner that you can get out the door, learn the culture, meet people, build relationships, and discover what God has in store for you, the sooner you will feel at home and love your new environment,” say the authors of this recent book.

First 30 Daze covers 30 topics, pairing scripture with simple, practical assignments to help you succeed in the “daze” of adjusting to a foreign context. Each entry includes a place to make note of things you’ve done that day and reflections on what your experiences are teaching you. Though this is a quick read, the real value is in doing the exercises (and that could make a real difference in your adjustment).

Co-author Larry McCrary, leader of The Upstream Collective, also co-authored the more extensive book "Tradecraft."