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Getting Started: Making the Most of Your First Year in 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.
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“Amy's words will remain with you long after the book ends. I am so grateful for this writer!” Marilyn Gardner
“Amy’s storytelling and research in Getting Started will affirm that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.” Lauren Pinkston
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Amy Young creates material that helps cross-cultural workers flourish. After living in Asia for eighteen years, she is the author of multiple books, co-birther of Velvet Ashes, founder Global Trellis, and blogger at The Messy Middle (messymiddle.com). Amy claims the gym as her happy place.
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.
~~
“Amy's words will remain with you long after the book ends. I am so grateful for this writer!” Marilyn Gardner
“Amy’s storytelling and research in Getting Started will affirm that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.” Lauren Pinkston
~~
Amy Young creates material that helps cross-cultural workers flourish. After living in Asia for eighteen years, she is the author of multiple books, co-birther of Velvet Ashes, founder Global Trellis, and blogger at The Messy Middle (messymiddle.com). Amy claims the gym as her happy place.
192 pages, Paperback
Published August 19, 2019
12 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 11, 2024
Incredibly relatable, encouraging and insightful. Such a timely read for me personally. Would recommend to any cross-cultural worker!
August 29, 2019
Amy serves as a wonderful friend and guide for the first year of overseas life through her book! This book is full of both wisdom and practical tips, and makes a great resource for preparing for overseas life. It can also be a wonderful gift for those sending out workers from churches or organizations. I highly recommend!
August 24, 2019
Well, Amy has gone and done it again. She writes such wonderful resources for people on the mission field or just in some sort of service position abroad. She shares from her vast experiences, but also draws from the experiences of others, and weaves them together into a beautiful and useful resource for many! I loved this book because she spoke into many of the expectations and hopes and anticipations that I had as I went to the mission field; I hadn't realized that so many others had similar experiences. I wish I had had this book as I went, as it would have helped me to verbalize some things and to manage expectations, as well as deal with some of the unexpected and surprise challenges/feelings of being in a new country. I highly recommend this book, to those about to serve abroad, and also to organizations as a resource to prepare people well to thrive in a new environment.
August 23, 2019
Incredibly helpful and encouraging resource!
Amy Young does a great job of painting a well-rounded picture of many of the dynamics people typically experience in their first year of living cross-culturally. She unpacks these enough to go beyond the headlines, without getting bogged down in too much detail. Just the right balance!
Added bonus: Amy includes a lot of real-life stories – shorter and longer quotes by a wide range of people, describing the highs and lows, joys and challenges of their first year living cross-culturally.
All in all, this book is an amazing resource for anyone who is about to move cross-culturally, who is in their first year overseas or who knows someone in that situation. Highly recommend it!
Amy Young does a great job of painting a well-rounded picture of many of the dynamics people typically experience in their first year of living cross-culturally. She unpacks these enough to go beyond the headlines, without getting bogged down in too much detail. Just the right balance!
Added bonus: Amy includes a lot of real-life stories – shorter and longer quotes by a wide range of people, describing the highs and lows, joys and challenges of their first year living cross-culturally.
All in all, this book is an amazing resource for anyone who is about to move cross-culturally, who is in their first year overseas or who knows someone in that situation. Highly recommend it!
August 25, 2019
Amy Young has given us a gift! The wisdom in this book, collected from her personal experience and experience of others, will speak into your first year of cross-cultural service and the years to follow. I wish I had this book for my first year overseas!
By addressing areas such as expectations, team dynamics, celebration of the ordinary, grief, suffering, finances, and slowing down, Amy reminds us that first-year experiences overseas are both good and hard. This book is real life!
I highly recommend reading this book before entering your first year of cross-cultural service. It is also a great book for those who have been in cross-cultural service for many years and are helping to orient new cross-cultural workers. This is a resource to keep close and refer to often.
By addressing areas such as expectations, team dynamics, celebration of the ordinary, grief, suffering, finances, and slowing down, Amy reminds us that first-year experiences overseas are both good and hard. This book is real life!
I highly recommend reading this book before entering your first year of cross-cultural service. It is also a great book for those who have been in cross-cultural service for many years and are helping to orient new cross-cultural workers. This is a resource to keep close and refer to often.
August 30, 2019
Amy is an amazing author with writing full of wit and humor! Her story telling eases you into much needed advice and insights. As I prepare for my first year on the field this book was immensely helpful and delightful to read. I found myself unable to put it down! She gets to the heart of issues and the struggle of living in a new context. I loved the many quotes from other cross-cultural workers and, of course, her own life experiences. Amy gives a well-rounded picture of the highs and lows experienced on the field, which I for one truly appreciate. I feel more prepare for the task before me thanks to Amy's wonderful book! Most of all I love that the heart of this book is her love for God and His work in the nations! I highly recommend it for anyone preparing for cross-cultural work!
August 23, 2019
I just finished reading this book and I am so glad I did..I only wish Amy had written it two years ago for my first year in a cross-cultural context. I remember having the thought part way through my first year of "Why did no one tell me what this would feel like?" Living and working in another country is an experience that is unique. It is hard for other people to really prepare you for what might happen but this book takes you through the experience through the words of people who have been there before. I am so glad I have this book to recommend for people who are going so they can have a framework to use for their experience.
October 19, 2019
The perfect resource for cross-culture workers
Getting Started is a must-have guide for your first year on the field. Drawing from personal experience and collective wisdom, Amy Young shares everything you need to know to thrive.
Getting Started is a must-have guide for your first year on the field. Drawing from personal experience and collective wisdom, Amy Young shares everything you need to know to thrive.
September 14, 2020
Very Helpful
Read this our first few months in our new country on Kindle and found it very helpful! Real, down-to-earth, and encouraging. Thankful for the wisdom that comes with experience, from herself as well as many others.
Read this our first few months in our new country on Kindle and found it very helpful! Real, down-to-earth, and encouraging. Thankful for the wisdom that comes with experience, from herself as well as many others.
November 17, 2024
Amy has a way of making you feel so normal and understood. Reading this book encouraged me that I’m right where I need to be, helped me have the words to describe some challenges I’m facing, and prepared me to make the most of my first year. Highly recommend for any international ministry worker.
March 28, 2020
Good thoughts for new missionaries to help improve adaptation
June 1, 2021
Great Resource for first year global workers
February 29, 2024
Such a great book for anyone heading overseas!
August 26, 2019
Amy drew from her past experiences of not just living abroad, but also helping others to adjust to a new culture, to create a book that is so desperately needed. Her thought provoking ideas and suggestions are reinforced by the 180+ people she surveyed on the topics surrounding the first year. Her strong voice reveals her personality and passion to see people succeed - which doesn't translate to a smooth year with no problems. But, I believe she conveys that a successful first year is taking time to evaluate and process the ideas in this book, so that one can continue to thrive in the new country for as long as the Lord allows.
I did give it a 4 star because I was bogged down with all the quotes that she used as examples. With that said, I still believe that it is a great resource for mission organizations, care member teams, and really anyone who is moving abroad.
I did give it a 4 star because I was bogged down with all the quotes that she used as examples. With that said, I still believe that it is a great resource for mission organizations, care member teams, and really anyone who is moving abroad.
August 29, 2019
This is such an honest book about how it is to experience your first year on the field. As Amy has her own experience combined with the results of her research among so many other experienced people, this gives the reader a unique opportunity to be more aware of what to expect in your first year on the field.
So if you prepare to live in another country, or if you are in that first year abroad or even if you have left behind that first year on the field and are more settled/grounded, this book is for you!
I would have loved to read this in my first year and get to know that all what I was going through is part of the package and also how these unique experiences have a purpose. And most of all: you are not alone!
So if you prepare to live in another country, or if you are in that first year abroad or even if you have left behind that first year on the field and are more settled/grounded, this book is for you!
I would have loved to read this in my first year and get to know that all what I was going through is part of the package and also how these unique experiences have a purpose. And most of all: you are not alone!
August 29, 2019
I am in my last weeks of my first year overseas and this book came out just when I needed it. The results of her research are not only incredibly helpful but they serve as a resounding reminder that I am not alone in my experience of my first year overseas. I would absolutely recommend it for anyone moving overseas, in their first year, or even with years of experience, as it will help you understand your own experience and it will help you help others. This is an excellent resource for missions organizations or missions teams at churches or even for those who have a family member or friend living their first year overseas.
October 29, 2024
Encouraging, realistic, and practical
As a cross-cultural worker preparing for my first year, this book was a huge blessing. I know I will come back to it throughout my first year. I am grateful for Amy’s encouragement even in the midst of frank discussion of “real life”—and the advice not to be too hard on myself as I do the hard work of just settling in and laying the foundation for many years to come. It was great to hear from a diversity of experiences through the quotes from the large survey that formed the foundation of this book. What wisdom of experience! Here’s to each generation of cross-cultural workers becoming healthier, happier, and more resilient.
As a cross-cultural worker preparing for my first year, this book was a huge blessing. I know I will come back to it throughout my first year. I am grateful for Amy’s encouragement even in the midst of frank discussion of “real life”—and the advice not to be too hard on myself as I do the hard work of just settling in and laying the foundation for many years to come. It was great to hear from a diversity of experiences through the quotes from the large survey that formed the foundation of this book. What wisdom of experience! Here’s to each generation of cross-cultural workers becoming healthier, happier, and more resilient.
August 29, 2019
After I bit of a slow start, Amy kicked it into gear and pulled off yet another coup. This book is destined to join her already impressive list of helpful tools for global workers. Much of the advice for first-termers is applicable to anyone anywhere along the continuum of cross-cultural service. Every missions committee, every missionary mentor, should make this required reading for those preparing to be sent out.
August 29, 2019
This is a must read not only for those heading overseas or in their first year. Anyone who cares for cross-cultural workers needs to read it as well. Not only does Amy normalize the experiences of new workers and helps them to see how to overcome barriers and revel in successes. And those with long term experience may well find answers to nagging issues. Well done!
Anyone who sends out cross-cultural workers can gain valuable insight from this book.
Anyone who sends out cross-cultural workers can gain valuable insight from this book.
August 29, 2019
Getting Started is a resource inspired by Amy’s experience as a cross cultural worker and mentor for others in the field. This book needs to be packed (even before cook books!) as new folks prepare to begin a term or a career in a different culture. Amy provides sage, practical advice, richly interspersed with plenty of humor, making for a delightful read. For those new to the field, I heartily recommend generous highlighting and tabbing and keeping this book within easy reach!
September 14, 2019
This book is excellent! It will give new cross cultural workers an very rounded view of what reality is like in the field. As a cross cultural worker myself, my favorite part of the book was reading of numerous other workers who experienced situations similar to what I have faced, & still face now. It was so good to realize "I'm not alone. What I face & the emotions I feel are all normal to this journey I am called to." Thank you Amy for another excellent book!
October 17, 2019
I read "Getting Started" just before moving to China. Two months later I think it was one of our best international transitions - this time as a family of four. I have no doubt that this book made all the difference. It's such a gift to carry the stories of those who have gone before us. Sometimes we learn from them, other times they give us courage, but most of the time we just need to be reminded that we are not alone.
November 2, 2019
Priceless Wisdom
I cannot recommend this book enough. It was everything my heart needed to hear two weeks into my first year on the field of cross-cultural service. Seriously, there were times that I really thought she had read my mind. Her advice and wisdom is priceless. Absolutely a must read for anyone going to serve overseas or trying to support someone who is going overseas.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It was everything my heart needed to hear two weeks into my first year on the field of cross-cultural service. Seriously, there were times that I really thought she had read my mind. Her advice and wisdom is priceless. Absolutely a must read for anyone going to serve overseas or trying to support someone who is going overseas.
August 28, 2019
Amy's newest book is a must read for those heading into cross-cultural service landscapes. This enriching and encouraging book equips people with tools to "start well" and continue their first-year journey by providing the much needed space to be with God, be with oneself, and be with others.
December 29, 2019
Easy read and so helpful!
In the middle of my first year on the field and this book has helped me process so much. I’ve read all of Amy’s books and would highly recommend them for anyone moving to the field
In the middle of my first year on the field and this book has helped me process so much. I’ve read all of Amy’s books and would highly recommend them for anyone moving to the field
August 31, 2019
What a great book. Really wish this had been written before we left for the field 8 years ago. Good insight and practical help, well written.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews