Personal Meandering Thoughts
There are three distinct things going on here.
I'm surrounded by novelty. The culture is new, the landscape is new, faces, transportation, everything. It's all new to me, and it takes effort to get past my own expectations and assumptions to get and share an accurate sense of what is real. As I mentioned in a previous post, I recognise that that's not really possible, but I'm set to do my best. It's great to have long-term missionaries to help guide and shape the process.
Then there's the job. I'm here to collect materials to support the EFCCM and its missionaries. That is central, and I'm putting great pressure on myself to achieve the best results possible from this brief trip. But I'm actively avoiding being seen as the guy with the camera permanently attached to his face. However, the reality is that when a moment's over, there's no way to recapture it -- I just hope I can collect enough moments. I'm here as an ambassador for the Home Office, to establish my own relationships with our missionaries, and to give our Canadian congregations a good impression of what's going on. That's a lot to keep track of!
Finally, and this was unexpected, I'm processing my own personal missions experience. Nothing here is similar to my experience in Zimbabwe, but I'm reaching into my own past to try and come to terms with the feelings and memories of my past. This is something that is going to have ramifications for a long time, I can feel it. One missionary recognised that right away, and advised me to not to deny the process, but embrace it, and its whole gamut of accompanying emotions. I know it's good advice -- it'll be interesting to how it all plays out when I return.
I'm surrounded by novelty. The culture is new, the landscape is new, faces, transportation, everything. It's all new to me, and it takes effort to get past my own expectations and assumptions to get and share an accurate sense of what is real. As I mentioned in a previous post, I recognise that that's not really possible, but I'm set to do my best. It's great to have long-term missionaries to help guide and shape the process.
Then there's the job. I'm here to collect materials to support the EFCCM and its missionaries. That is central, and I'm putting great pressure on myself to achieve the best results possible from this brief trip. But I'm actively avoiding being seen as the guy with the camera permanently attached to his face. However, the reality is that when a moment's over, there's no way to recapture it -- I just hope I can collect enough moments. I'm here as an ambassador for the Home Office, to establish my own relationships with our missionaries, and to give our Canadian congregations a good impression of what's going on. That's a lot to keep track of!
Finally, and this was unexpected, I'm processing my own personal missions experience. Nothing here is similar to my experience in Zimbabwe, but I'm reaching into my own past to try and come to terms with the feelings and memories of my past. This is something that is going to have ramifications for a long time, I can feel it. One missionary recognised that right away, and advised me to not to deny the process, but embrace it, and its whole gamut of accompanying emotions. I know it's good advice -- it'll be interesting to how it all plays out when I return.
Labels: inspiration
2 Comments:
Hi Brad
(Are you sitting down? You'll probably fall over when you see who this is from)
Got your newsletter - want you to know that no experience, whether good or bad is ever for nought. As we process the things we go through in life, we learn (hopefully), put it in our knapsack full of life experience and are better able to relate to others. God is going to use you - even more than what you think that He is able. That's where the breakdown always occurs. We see ourselves as the "weak link". I'm going to pray that "Christ in you", and the power of His resurrection by His Spirit will make you so aware of everything that He is aware of, and enable you to capture it on film, be able to articulate it with words and passion in a way that will provoke, inspire and motivate many people!
Come to think of it, I think I'll wait and let you guess for a while.
see ya!
Hey Brad,
Some advice from someone who's been around just a LITTLE longer than you.Don't take yourself too seriously. YOu know you can do a good job, so take the time to savour and enjoy all of these new experiences that may never come your way again. God will use you despite yourself! Can't wait to hear more, (You write very well!)
Janet
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