A "first read" for those needing and wanting to build a basic understanding of culture, teaching, and missions.

Building a Foundation introduces basic concepts that people need as they prepare for and begin cross-cultural teaching ministries. The first half of the book starts by focusing on culture and then looks at worldview, ethnocentricity, culture shock, and culture competency.

These chapters give readers a basic understanding of how culture and worldview influence our interactions with others.

The second half of the book begins with stories that are built around different ministry aspects of teaching. It then discusses how the classroom is a microcosm of culture and how the curriculum should fit the needs of the learner and meet the expectations of that culture.

The book concludes with encouraging Biblical principles that connect teaching with evangelism and discipleship.

Lynn has written for people who feel called to teach and evangelize in other parts of the world. As a primer for cross-cultural teachers, this book is less an academic treatise and more a personal, informative work. Building a Foundation will engage readers from a variety of ages and backgrounds - from high school students considering teaching English on a short-term missions trip, to college students considering a month or a semester as an international teaching intern, to retirees considering how they may yet serve.

Lynn DeVries holds an MS degree from Kansas State University. She founded and directed a teaching/ministry program at Sterling College called Share Your World. More recently, she has been a volunteer educational consultant in Cambodia and has taught at Handong Global University and Handong International Law School in South Korea.