Through My Children’s Eyes

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by Rebecca

“Ah, we’re home! I love our house!”

“This is the best house!”

I was surprised and relieved to hear my children’s joy at being back in our little apartment. After a nine-month home assignment where we house-sat in a two-story house with a finished basement and fenced-in backyard, I wasn’t sure what our kids would think returning to our small, two-bedroom, single-bathroom apartment. While I was privately dreading tripping over each other and the lack of quiet spaces, I was comforted that this space was still our children’s safe haven.

During our language study in the capital, we made a trip out to our assigned city and were given a tour of the apartment that would become our home. I remember thinking, Did they forget we are a family of four? I spent too many hours dreading the move and worrying about how our family would live and thrive in such a confined space. A lot of prayer went into asking the Lord to give me his peace and grace to see my new home as a blessing, not a curse.

While my heart still pines for a bit more square footage, we have done a few things to make the space our own and make it work for our family. One of our resolutions as we prepared to move was to decorate as soon as possible and find furniture that maximized space and storage. Although the apartment came furnished—arguably over-furnished—we shopped on a Facebook Marketplace equivalent and found items that would be functional and suit our tastes. Early on, we borrowed a neighbor’s drill and hung pictures around the home—family photos and art that brought us joy and declared that this space was ours.

My husband loves to tinker and has a deep appreciation for things that work well. While others may opt to “put up with” things the way they are, my husband is always finding ways to make things work better. Overseas life has enough stressful elements that eliminating as much junk stress as possible feels like a worthwhile investment. He had a carpenter come and adjust doors that didn’t open and close with ease. He changed out the hardware in the bathroom to fix old, leaky fixtures and designed a bathroom vanity to replace our pedestal sink, affording us some storage and removing the constant fight of balancing four toothbrushes and hand soap on the small rim.

While in some places it may not feel like an option, our context gave room for choosing whether or not we wanted help around our house. And while there are great reasons to hire help, we opted to forgo it. A big part of this decision was due purely to the size of the apartment; it isn’t hard to keep clean. I also couldn’t fathom how we wouldn’t be in the way while another person was working, but the benefit that I had not anticipated was the sense of accomplishment I feel when I turn a messy house into a tidy one with clean counters and floors.

So much of the work we do doesn’t come with tangible results. It’s illusive and we offer our best and pray that it is making a difference in the spiritual realm. And yet, I think there is something beneficial to my—and maybe all of our—mental health when we have at least some tasks where we get to see the immediate fruits of our labor. Often I find, when I’m able to engage in the physical work of putting my house in order, my mind is free to think creatively and reflectively, coming away with insights into a problem or situation happening in that less-tangible realm. I find joy in maintaining our space for my family, a simple but satisfying task.

On the days that I feel overstimulated in our limited space or am tempted to be dissatisfied with our home, I remind myself that this is the place my children feel at home. It is the place that we are building our family and making memories together. While small, we have made it feel like ours, warm and welcoming to our friends and visitors while also being a sanctuary where we can steal away when needed. Someday, we will move on and leave these walls behind. My hope is that my children will remember not the square-footage of our house but, rather, the feelings of warmth, comfort, and joy they felt within its walls. Most days, that’s enough to help my heart embrace our abode.

Published at: velvetashes.com

INTO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

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by Rebecca

Emmanuel. God with us. He became flesh and dwelt among us. “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood,” is Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase. I resonate so deeply with the words, ‘and moved into the neighbourhood.’ Isn’t that what each of us has done?

We’ve picked up our lives and settled into a neighborhood on another side of the world. For us, the streets of our adopted home look much more reminiscent of the streets that Jesus walked than the streets of our passport country. Mudbrick buildings, horse carriages, and donkey carts accompany the traffic. The roads are peppered with streetside vendors. By earthly standards, the city we call home is humble.

We have embraced this little-known corner of the world. There’s a frenetic energy in the hustle and bustle of our streets – so many interesting things to see, new sights and sounds to absorb, smiling faces and welcoming people as we go about our daily lives. Friendly curiosity follows us in a place where there are only a handful of foreign faces. There’s much to love about the warmth and generosity of the people we live among.

In this current season, though, I’ve struggled with how to navigate living here well. How do I embrace all that is different while honoring the unique way God designed me? Our neighborhood can feel small, robbing us of any semblance of privacy. With the curiosity comes scrutiny. Anonymity while running errands isn’t an option. Introversion doesn’t seem to exist in our host culture – so how do I explain my need for solitude?

When we first arrived, I was anxious to make local friends and integrate into society. Now that I’m knee deep, I struggle to feel confident in our boundaries. Needs are everywhere. Social expectations abound.  “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

More often than not, I feel completely inadequate. Linguistically tongue-tied. My cross-cultural savvy still developing. Am I doing enough? Am I balancing home life and ministry well? Am I enough? Can I truly be myself?

As I settle into the Advent season, my heart returns time and again to this phrase, “He moved into the neighbourhood.” We moved into the neighbourhood to emulate Him. To shine His light. To reflect His love. We transplanted our lives to be tangible expressions of Emmanuel, God with us. I reflect on His life here on earth – He too was faced with insurmountable needs. He too was overwhelmed with social demands on His time. He too stole away for times of solitude.

As I sit under the weight of my self-criticism and self-doubt, He invites me to behold Him, one who is more than familiar with the humblest of surroundings, and remember that He is present here with me. He became flesh for those who surround me in this dark place, yes, but He also became flesh for me, to meet me where I am. His love shines on me too – it’s how I reflect His love to others.

As I sit in the glow of our festive tree, He invites my soul to bask in the glow of His unfathomable love.

Emmanuel, He is with me.  He sustains me.  He dwells in me.

Oh come, let us adore Him!

Rebecca, A wife. A mother. Wordsmith. Coffee enthusiast. Simultaneously a world traveler and a homebody. Both an Adult TCK and International Worker. Rebecca has a heart for the nations and to see the global community thrive wherever God has planted them.

This blog first appeared on https://www.alifeoverseas.com/into-the-neighborhood/

Unchanging

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by Rebecca

My husband and I once lived polar opposite lives. We poked fun at this at our wedding by creating a world map that spanned our lives up until that point. On the map, my little circle bounced around the globe every few years while his pulsed steadily in one spot for his first eighteen years.

Raised as a Third Culture Kid (TCK), my life was in constant flux. It wasn’t until my adulthood that I managed to live in one house for more than four consecutive years. Together with my husband, we answered the call to overseas service. Change continues to be a constant companion.

Sometimes the change is exhilarating—we get to live lives that other people dream of. No nine-to-five routine. We have the privilege of experiencing the world, meeting all kinds of beautiful people, and collecting all kinds of captivating stories. We get to experience the brilliant colors and flavors of different cultures. We get to serve on the front lines and see God change hearts in dark places.

But then there are days and seasons where the exhilaration turns to exhaustion. We crave monotony. Predictable routine. The depth of relationship that can come with years of putting down roots. We long for fewer goodbyes and greater proximity to family. We long to put away suitcases long enough to collect a thick layer of dust.

I don’t know about you, but I find my heart has this ebb and flow of loving and loathing change. When I find myself dipping into the valley of despair, the Father gently reminds me of three things.

First, no matter where I am in the world, no matter what my job description is for that season—be it as a language learner or a guest speaker—my identity will never change. I am a daughter of the King. An image bearer. Fearfully and wonderfully made. Redeemed by his grace. Loved because of whose I am and not what I do.

Undoubtedly, there are seasons in our international worker lifestyle that feel shinier and more glamorous than others. These are the parts that we often link our identity to. We fall prey to the belief that our value comes from what we do and that we aren’t succeeding if we don’t have impressive numbers to report or a story of significant change to share. But God doesn’t keep score that way. My identity is rooted in being his.

Second, his call on my life will not change. The specifics of the call or the location where I live it out might change, but at the end of the day, the call on my life is to love him with all my heart, soul, and mind and to reflect his love for the world.

We come from a tradition of international workers who packed their worldly possessions into coffins and sailed away, committing to terms that were much longer than the ones we serve now. We’re often tempted to believe that if we feel called to the nations, the rest of our lives will be spent overseas. We’re tempted to believe that if for some reason we find ourselves grounded in our passport countries, we will be filed away as failures. Our heart for the nations usually includes living cross-culturally, but we are not limited to that geographical requirement to fulfill our calling. We forget that our faithfulness in the daily grind is just as important. We have been placed in this moment, this season, this country for a time and a purpose—to encounter him.

Lastly, and most importantly, my God will not change. He is the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow. He is the same when I am in my passport country as he is when I am in my host country. Like my husband’s unchanging spot on the map, the God I serve is unwavering, ever-present, and reliable. No matter how much the storm of change wages on the outside, no matter how much turmoil and tiredness are stirred by change in my mind, the one who dwells inside of my heart is a shelter in the ever-changing winds and I hear his warm and comforting voice, “I am with you.” 

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. (Psalm 145:13 NIV)

This blog first appeared on https://velvetashes.com/unchanging/

Six Principles for Good Practice in Development by Bruce Piercey

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After a lifetime in development ministry, I believe I’ve discovered the most
crucial principles of good practice for Christian ministries engaged in development,
regardless of scale. These principles are theoretical concepts and practical guidelines that can significantly impact your ministry’s effectiveness.

  1. Care Before Cure
    The first and most fundamental principle is prioritizing caring for the people
    we serve over fixing their problems. This principle sets the tone for the rest of our
    approach and is key to building trust and relationships.
    Suppose you have been raised in a Western culture and education system and
    live in a developed country, especially if you have technical know-how (and we all
    have the access and ability to search for answers on the internet). In that case,
    you will instinctively start by identifying the problems in any given community and
    planning an effective solution. You will look for a fix or cure. If the solution doesn’t
    fix the problem (achieve results), you will examine the problem cycle, make changes,
    and try again. I have seen three or four cycles before the solution is abandoned.
    Usually, along the way, you will identify “cultural” barriers or passive resistance
    from the community. Eventually, the solution will incorporate fixing the people to
    correct the problem. Then congratulations—your solution might technically work.
    But now you have a new problem—people don’t like to be fixed. They don’t
    like outsiders telling them about their culture, that they are the problem. They
    resist the “transformation” we think they need.
    Relationships and trust have not been established to overcome this. You have unconsciously put fixing the problem ahead of caring for the people. The English verb to care has its etymological root with to lament. We must be willing to share in the suffering of the people we wish to serve. This sharing takes time, patience, and real listening. They must discover their problems and start small, high-risk, experimental, creative ways to address them. If the project fails, you remain a faithful presence and try, try again. Persistence, relationship, and trust form around the bond of caring you have established.
    Eventually, the question arises, “You really care for us? Why?” A door opens to
    share the truth of the gospel in the manner described in 1 Peter 3.15ff.
  2. Balance Accountability and Trust
    “I trust this man with my life. I would never ask him for receipts.” Less than
    a year later (albeit under tremendous pressure from persecution and death
    threats), “this man” absconded with all the funds in the church account.
    In Christian communities, asking for an accounting of funds or results is often
    interpreted as a lack of trust. On the other hand, putting large amounts of cash
    in the hands of someone without adequate accountability, boundaries, and
    expectations is placing temptation in front of them.
    This is even truer in cultures structured with patron-client expectations—the
    person you trust is under incredible pressure to use their access to the funds to
    benefit his own clients. We, in turn, stand in the position of being a bad or stingy
    patron if we don’t look the other way. Getting this balance right is one of the most
    complex challenges. The value of accountability for all stakeholders needs to be
    taught/learned, never assumed.
  3. Ownership of the Problem
    The patron-client (or power/fear) dynamic surfaces in the issue of problem
    ownership. We arrive as a well-funded outsider seeking to fix a problem. Our
    motivation may be entirely altruistic, but altruism is an alien concept to the people
    we serve. They think we must want something in return. The dynamic is that if we
    are willing to buy their problem, we are getting something in return. They may
    not know what the something is, but they assume it exists. In communities with a
    high level of experience in development projects, they know several things:
  • We on the frontline are obviously receiving a good salary and maintaining
    a healthy lifestyle.
  • We are putting our expertise to work solving what has now become “our”
    problem.
  • We are helping them grow more food, drill a well, and make a product to
    sell—we must be selling this at a profit or kickback.
  • We will return to fix any future problems with “our” solution to “our”
    problem.
  • We are likely to want something from them in return in the future, i.e., we
    are buying their problem, and they are willing to pay the price of a client’s
    obligation.
    The result is obvious. We are good patrons if we have bought the problem and
    the solution belongs to us. A relationship built on this transactional basis means
    we will remain good patrons and keep everything we have fixed. This is what we
    end up calling dependency. Take, for example, a district in one country where
    food was distributed after a famine in 1989 and continued to be distributed due to
    chronic food shortages until at least 2012. However, as long as the aid companies
    continued to bring the food, a great deal of back-breaking labour to scratch food
    out of the soil was avoided (an utterly rational choice to make). Food distribution
    had become a job for government workers and a source of income from foreign
    governments. Thus, a generation passed, making it so that if the aid ever stopped,
    too few actually knew how to grow food to feed themselves.

4. What are Your Expectations for Helping?
Charity is a relatively unknown idea in most cultures. Alms for the poor generates
merit with their god or gods. They think the giver is expecting some measure of repayment, if not in kind, then in loyalty from the recipient. Acceptance of your help puts them in debt and makes them your client. One of the best questions is, “Why are you doing this?” This question is not often asked in the development sector, as our motive is assumed. With persistence, building relationships, and fulfilling our commitments, the question of ‘Why?’ results, opening the door to the subject of the love of the God who sent us and His mercy and grace. But beware: If you hurry the relationship or press for their hearing and acceptance of the gospel—to make a decision for Christ—your motivation will seem offensive. This is a significant pitfall for ministry in a development context.

5. Understanding Worldview: Honour/Shame, Power/Fear, Innocence/Guilt
A Christian and biblical worldview understands how the gospel can be contextualized and effectively communicated to all three worldviews, providing freedom from guilt, fear, or shame. Sin accounts for all three, and Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection deal with all three.
For an international worker educated only in a reformation theology focused
on the problem of sin, guilt, and punishment (death), it is almost impossible to
understand why our atonement arguments fall on deaf ears. For someone raised
in an honour/shame culture, that version of the gospel utterly fails to address their
existential problem of unbearable shame. The gospel messenger in this worldview
must continually highlight how Christ came to take away our shame and give us a
place of honour before the heavenly Father. Only someone of impeccable honour
can restore their honour—Jesus on the cross for them.
When working with people in a power/fear worldview, the gospel must be
announced as coming to take away our fears, fears of evil spirits, fears of curses,
and fears of the witch doctor. The messenger proclaims the good news that Christ
came to give us the power to live without fear through His Holy Spirit.

6. Freewill and Determinism
The majority of humanity, from all religions and worldviews, sees life through
the lens of fate. Their outcomes are either predetermined by merit or lack of
merit in a previous life (Hinduism and Buddhism) or by the will of their god or
gods based on their karma. This is the most critical barrier to development I have
encountered. The poor believe that being poor is their fate/karma, regardless of
whether their sin or wrongdoing is unknown in a previous life or known in the
present life.
This is also another opportunity to open the door to spiritual change. A good
development project will demonstrate to the beneficiary how the positive change
in their life (handwashing, hygiene, improved health, school attendance) directly results from their own efforts. It will plant the seed of the concept that they can overcome fate by making different choices and efforts. That seed will become the basis for any number of transformational changes, including receptivity to the gospel.

So, in summary, here are six fundamental principles to think through before engaging in a development project:

  1. Relationship, relationship, relationship – putting CARE before CURE .
  2. Finding the right balance of trust and accountability…they can overcome fate by making different choices and efforts.
  3. You must own the problem to own the solution – avoiding handouts and dependency.
  4. What’s in it for you? (or what do they think your quid pro quo is?)
  5. Understanding worldview – honour/shame, power/fear or guilt/innocence.
  6. Freewill and determinism – self-help vs karma

Chapter 10 in this book – free download https://thealliancecanada.ca/resources/on-mission/

OM Book Cover Vol 8 Final Working2

A Ministry in-Deed by Buzz Maxey

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A few weeks ago, we visited Lincoln and Star, a CAMA couple who are working together with an Axcess couple, Brad and Abby, among an unreached people group on our island. As we drove into their experimental farm, Brad was helping the local men on a community work project fixing potholes in the street. He was covered in dust and dripping with sweat but having a great time shovelling gravel and joking with the men. Star and Abby were getting ready for their regular Zumba classes while Lincoln was preparing to show some visitors the milk goats the team was raising. He yelled a greeting to several of his soccer players who were riding by and invited us to join the farm tour he was about to lead. We joined them and learned how they avoided the use of pesticides and observed they were quite successful in
growing organic vegetables. They are also introducing new crops like okra, hibiscus,
Surinam cherry, and forage crops to feed cattle and goats. Their goal as a team is to first learn all they can from the local farmers and to share some agricultural innovations they have learned themselves. This unique farm attracts local farmers from the area, but the biggest attraction is the new breed of goats they are raising.
Lincoln, Star, Brad, and Abby do an impressive job of authenticating the gospel
in word and deed. Today they are attending the funeral of the husband of Yuyun,
one of the women from the Zumba team. They will sit and cry with her and her
family and then go to the graveyard along with the procession. They will come
back to her house, drink tea together, and try to be a comfort as friends and family
come and go. No foreigners have ever done this before in this community, and
the neighbours are amazed. The community knows that these two couples and
their kids love them and are here to help them be productive in farming. Everyone
knows too that they are “Nasrani” or Christ followers. They are the Nasrani who
now occupy the house everyone said was haunted.
Their goal as a team is to first learn all they can from the local farmers…
When John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus, “Are you the one?” He answered,
“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor
(Matthew 11:5). Our ministries should follow Christ’s example. Too often, in our
Western worldview, we cut the Word of God to pieces and come up with a very
lopsided understanding of Christ’s ministry. If we remove our cultural lenses, we
see a very wholistic ministry in the Gospels.
In the past, many Christian leaders believed development was “a tool to attract
people to the gospel” or “a means to get into a closed country.” I would suggest
holding a carrot out to gain followers or using good deeds “as a means” of getting
a foot in the door, but this is not the correct approach. Most of those who follow
will quickly disperse and feel betrayed when they see the real motivation.
Some people still have a wrong idea of what development is. Some think of it
as building bridges, digging wells, raising goats, or growing crops. For myself, the
two couples from the farm, and the close to 100 CAMA workers worldwide, our
work is way more than that. Our development work is Christ-centered ministry.
Development done right means discipling people to become all God intended
them to be. Our people are not only involved in development projects. Although
we are often involved in these kinds of projects as we deal with peoples’ physical
needs, the most important and sustainable development occurs inside the
mind and heart. Development is about building unity, compassion, integrity, and love. As one development worker put it, “Our methodology is discipleship, with development being the outcome.”
We should always be discipling people to use their gifting to build their communities and
to build them on sound Christian principles. We don’t want a successful goat
project and have people care less for their neighbours. We don’t want a greater
harvest of crops only producing greedy people. It is far better to have all the goats
die, the crops fail and have more godly, generous, compassionate, honest, and
loving people. This is what discipleship development strives for and what we are
committed to, but it takes lots and lots of time.
People development rarely happens quickly. It means being willing to fail in
a project if failure is the way the people are to grow and learn. It means really
slowing down our activities to develop deep relationships, build trust, learn from
farmers, and implement new innovations in the community. Too often we have
seen projects fail simply because activities have not been slowed down enough.
“Our methodology is discipleship, with development being the outcome.”

Funders and leaders may not like this, but as we slow our activities down, some amazing things can happen, leading to sustainability. One development practitioner I know well has said, “Good development is time expensive and money cheap.” However, the present trend in some organizations is to make a budget, finish the project, and liquidate the funds in the allotted time. Too often, the projects I see are money, expensive, and time cheap, leaving only rusting equipment, broken water pumps and burned-out people.
The four ambassadors on the farm are in it for the long haul. They have
learned the language well and have been trained in development, agriculture,
and theology. They understand contextualization and are experts in the people’s
culture and belief system. Although they have been in their village for only a few
years, they are already making quite an impact.
But tonight, they are mourning, not just because Yuyun lost her husband, and
they see the tears in the eyes of her children, Galang and Gafin, but because they
knew their father, Eddy. He is gone. Yuyun is left without her husband. They feel
the loss and wish Eddy had followed the One whom they proclaim. But they are
not daunted. They will say their farewells tonight, go home, get up in the morning
to feed the goats, work in the garden, plan for Zumba, and take care of the many
things that need to be done.
As we leave the farm, three little neighbour girls swing on the tire swing Lincoln
put up. This used to be a haunted house, but now it’s safe in this yard and even
fun. The girls smile and wave. We head out of the driveway and notice Brad still
shovelling gravel in the street. Lincoln heads back to the garden, and Star and
Abby return to Zumba class, planning and doing what Jesus claimed was ministry
in-DEED.

From chapter 12 – free download https://thealliancecanada.ca/resources/on-mission/

OM Book Cover Vol 8 Final Working2

Two Decades in the Trenches by Mark Jones

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After 31 years of participation in relief and development, I realized that my own
development and God’s work in me have been vital to my ability to participate
well in community development and to come alongside others in their personal
development. Please allow me to share with you some of the things I have
learned and continue to learn that affect my ability to be a successful community
development worker.
As a young married man, I moved with my wife to the other side of the world
to a communist country, finding itself at a pretty low point on the United Nations
Human Development Index (HDI). It had been through war and experienced
significant closure to the outside world. I had sensed a call to serve internationally
early in my life, and this move seemed the culmination of a long journey to get
there. At 26 years of age, I felt well-prepared to go out and change the world.
Those first two years were two of the most challenging years of my life. Those
years were the starting point for realizing my own needs and poverties and how I
did not have what it takes to fix and change the world.
Years later, I read White Man’s Burden by William Easterly, and it helped
bring some clarity to where I had started and where I was growing in relation to
seeing myself as someone with answers and solutions to circumstances. Easterly
(2006) wrote about Searchers and Planners. He wrote about how Westerners,
which is my background, have a strong leaning and tendency towards studying
an issue or a problem (quite possibly from afar), devising a plan to address the
issue, and then implementing it. In general, the Planners do this to the exclusion
of significant interaction with the ones living with “the problem.” He contrasts
those Planners with Searchers. He describes Searchers as people who come in,
not with preconceived ideas and plans of fixing things but with the intent of
listening well to what those living in the situation see as their need and how they
believe their needs should be addressed. This “searching” results in marrying the
self-diagnosed needs and prioritizing those needs with potential resources, often
local in origin.
I had come in as a Planner. The people I had come to serve had suffered greatly,
lived in poverty, had terrible health care, poor education, low life expectancy, high
child mortality rates, and the list goes on. I, with my Western education, middleclass upbringing, and a desire to see these people have the “rich and satisfying
life” Jesus said He came to give in John 10:10, felt I had the answers these people
needed or, at the least, had good access to the answers. Instead, what was
needed was for me to become a Searcher. So, how did I start this journey, and
what character traits did I need to develop in order to become a Searcher rather
than a Planner? Let me tell you my story.
Learning to Listen
In one area of the country we served, subsistence-level living was the norm.
We looked at their resources and observed most farmers had a cow or maybe
even a few. While this area was far from the capital and the good markets, we saw
the potential for these farmers to increase the amount and quality of their cattle,
and we could help find solutions on the market end of things.
So, we devised a plan. We brought in a cattle expert from Canada. He researched
everything related to making small, scrawny cattle big, fat, and marketable. He did
trial plots on grasses from different areas to find out what grew well and balanced
it out with grasses the cattle seemed to like better than others. He did silage trials
and looked at ways of bailing. He looked at what diseases they were dying of and
got access to the right kind of vaccinations. And with all this learning in hand, we
started training sessions for farmers to teach them all he had learned. Then, with
high expectations, we waited to see big, fat, healthy cattle.
We waited, and we waited, and it never happened. What could have gone
wrong? So, we started doing what we should have done in the first place: We
talked to the farmers about what was going on. It seems like it should have been
evident to us all along that we needed to take this step. Yet somehow, when we
think we see what the problem is, we tend to jump to conclusions about the
solutions and devise a plan on our own instead.
It turns out the farmers have their one cow or a few cows for really only one
purpose…manure production. As farmers, they wanted access to good fertilizer,
and as long as their cattle stayed alive and made cow pies, they had what they
wanted. They wanted their crops healthy to feed their families and maybe enough
to sell for cash. The vaccinations went well as they helped keep their cattle alive.
However, nothing we did to help find ways of turning them into beef cattle found
root as the farmers had no desire to sell their cattle; they needed the manure.

I came in as a Planner and eventually learned the hard way to be a Searcher. So, big lesson number one? Find ways to “search” in your work as a development worker over “finding plans.” Talk with people early and often. Listen well. Accept the idea that if you present a
mainly formed idea or plan to people living in poverty, they will likely tell you your idea is great and that they need it, even if they feel differently. The place to start is not with a planned presentation but with relationships and good listening.
Many years ago, I saw a diagram Myers (1999) presented that provides a simple
pattern for doing this work intentionally.

  • Discovery/Appreciation – Myers asks, “What gives life?” to help us consider
    what good things already exist in this context and what is valued.
  • Dreaming/Envisioning Impact – Asking questions such as ‘’What might
    be?” and “What is God calling for?” can help those we are working with
    dream and cast vision for the future.
  • Dialogue – After imagining what could be, Myers encourages us to discuss
    with our friends and partners “What should be?” or what the “ideal” is.
  • Delivery/Sustaining – During this step, it is helpful to consider what is already working, ask how we can work together to grow what is working, and possibly how to build off it. After this fourth step, the cycle begins again. Working through these together helps those of us coming in from the outside be better Searchers. In addition, when it does come time to incorporate some planning, we are now doing it alongside those in the context and supporting what they see as important versus starting with our own plans.
    Keep Growing
    An understanding of being a co-participant and a co-learner is important. The
    idea of us coming in as fully functional givers and suppliers does not lend itself
    well to communities and individuals accepting ownership of their own stories and
    walking towards greater health. When we come across as fully put-together and
    complete providers, how do we expect those we work with to relate to us? How
    can we expect others to walk towards greater health if we are unwilling to address
    and be vulnerable about our needs to move towards greater health?
    Bryant Myers brings up an essential point about poverty. He says, “Poverty is a
    result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that
    are not harmonious or enjoyable” (2011, 86). In their book When Helping Hurts,
    Fikkert and Corbett (2009) flesh this out by showing how poverty is about broken
    relationships in the different spheres of our lives: a broken relationship with God, a broken relationship with ourselves, a broken relationship with community, and a broken relationship with systems (like government and economy). I write this not as a reminder of who you are working with but as a suggestion for you to locate yourself in this list of brokenness. Ask
    yourself in what area you are experiencing poverty.
    Before heading overseas, I would never have listed myself as having a poverty
    of community. After living among people with a rich and developed sense of
    family and community, I realized I had a lot of room for growth. What a pleasure it
    was to grow in this area. The rich sense of family and community I developed with
    many in our early working context continues to bless me today. When we identify, accept, and share openly about our own growth and movement in these areas of brokenness, we become more human and acceptable to those to whom we come to serve. As an old football coach of mine used to say, “When you are green, you grow, and when you ripen, you rot.” We need to stay on the growing edge ourselves, along with others, and not come across as finished products.…poverty is about broken relationships in the different spheres of our lives.
    Choose Humility
    To be co-learners and co-participants, we need to be humble. Humility may
    not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering how to be a good
    development worker. But if being a Searcher is better than being a Planner, and I
    firmly believe it is, one will find it difficult to do without humility. As I noted earlier,
    I left Canada for a far-off communist land with a strong dose of self-assurance and
    purpose resulting from good preparation and a strong sense of call on my life.
    What those things didn’t make a lot of room for was humility. I was young, full of
    ideas and passion, and ready to change the world. What happened in those early
    years helped to humble me and, eventually, helped me appreciate humility.
    When you come into a new context, language, culture, and relationships, many,
    if not all, of the things that once helped you have a healthy sense of who you are
    and how you can contribute take a pretty serious bashing. Suddenly, you can’t
    communicate. When you do communicate, you unknowingly use a gesture that is highly offensive and leave the situation with no idea why it’s offensive. To top it all off, the relationships you took years to develop into your support system are now on the other side of the world, and you are at square one again. If you can accept your limitations and be humble in the midst of everything, it will go a long way to help you be a co-learner and participant with the goal of being a Searcher.
    Build a Tolerance for Ambiguity
    “Ambiguity leads to advance, and clarity leads to closure.” So said Phil Skellie,
    our beloved leader of CAMA for many years. It’s a strange saying, and I think
    your average Westerner will react quite negatively to this statement. But in our
    bid to be a Searcher, I believe a high tolerance for ambiguity is needed. If we go
    for complete clarity too early in the search process, we can shut down discussion
    and create short-sighted solutions. We short-circuit the development process by
    bringing our sense of clarity to something not yet ready for it. Sometimes, as colearners, we must learn to hold ourselves back for a while. It is not helpful if the clarity we experience is only with one party and not the whole. If we can find a way to live in the uncomfortable area of questions, half answers, and ideas with no action plans attached, I believe we will help to free people up to fully engage If you can accept your limitations and be humble…it will go a long way to help you… in their own development and that of their communities. In many cases, there will eventually be clarity, but we need to give the process much more time than what we are used to as Westerners.
    Become More Self-Aware
    My last word of advice on how to develop as a development worker, is to
    increasingly work on your own self-awareness. Who are you? What do you bring
    to the table? What do you need to be brought to the table because you don’t
    have it? How do you react under stress? What does it look like when you are
    functioning at your best? Your worst? Are you a loner or a team player? Are you
    contemplative or action-oriented? Are you loud? Are you quiet? What is your
    relationship with God like? Are you harbouring secrets? (I don’t believe you can
    overdo it in the endeavour to understand yourself better.) There is a plethora of
    tools out there to help you understand yourself better. Don’t be satisfied with
    one. Try out a few, and see what they tell you about yourself. Here is a list of some
    worth trying: DISC, Birkman, Myers-Briggs, Strength Finders, and Enneagram.
    Don’t do them all at once, and don’t keep the results to yourself. Draw others
    into the discussion of who you are and what it might mean for the work you have
    been called to. Ask them what they agree with and what they don’t. Learn, grow,
    and develop. It is what you have been called to help others do. Don’t deprive
    yourself of similar growth.
    In conclusion, if you have been called to service, including development work,
    acknowledge early on that you also need continued development. Walk into your
    own need, and it will go much, much better than being only a provider and not a
    receiver.

    References:
    Myers, Bryant. 1999. “MARC Newsletter.” No 99-3.
    Myers, Bryant. 2011. Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
    Easterly, William. 2006. White Man’s Burden. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
    Corbett, Steve and Brian Fikkert. 2009. When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

Chapter 9 in this book – free download https://thealliancecanada.ca/resources/on-mission/

OM Book Cover Vol 8 Final Working2

Tip#16 Finish well

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by Rebecca Brown

“Seven days,” the official at the visa office said. We had jumped through the two-day process of renewing our visas again. Aside from being time-consuming,
the process had seemed smooth up until this point.
“Okay, we should return in seven days to pick up our visas?” we clarified.
“No, seven days,” he repeated, handed us our passports, and ended the
conversation. As we ran through the conversation again in our minds, confirming
that we had understood his Arabic correctly, I thumbed through my passport. I
stopped.
There, marring a page in my passport, was an indelible stamp. “Um, this says
we need to leave the country in seven days,” I held it up to show my husband.
“What?” Neither of us could believe it!
We’d barely been in the country a year. We’d muddled our way through
language study. We had spent so much time sheltering in place thanks to the
onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. It felt like we were just getting started,
and now it would all be over in one week. This outcome hadn’t even crossed
our minds when we entered the passport office that morning. We felt stunned,
overcome with disbelief. Had all of this been for nothing?

If you took a missions history course, you likely learned about the great
missionaries of old who packed their worldly possessions into their coffin
and shipped it overseas, prepared never to return. Missions was a lifelong
commitment. Even though the world has changed significantly since those days,
there is still a deeply instilled idea that if you sign up for missions, this is the rest
of your life. Being prepared to devote your life to sharing the gospel is great, but
let’s remember a few things:


First, the world is volatile. Mission strategy has turned its focus to the most
challenging places remaining – the least-reached areas of the world. Missionary
visas are less popular. Even if you’re prepared to put down roots and live in your
host country for decades, you may be deported. It may become unsafe for you to
stay, and your missions agency may ask you to come home or relocate. We must
hold our timeline with open hands.


Second, God has been at work in your host country long before you arrive,
and He’ll continue to be at work long after you leave. He is inviting you for a
period to join Him in His work. Whether you see abundant fruit in that time or
not, nothing is wasted in His economy. He will use you in ways you can identify
and in ways you may never learn about this side of Heaven.


Third, a call away from the overseas ministry is not a failure. You may be called
away from serving overseas at some point for one or more reasons – whether it
be a health issue, aging parents, children’s schooling, other kid-related reasons,
or simply you feel God calling you out of your posting. You will not have failed if
your service was shorter than you expected.


Lastly, the goal of missions is to work yourself out of a job. Should the country
or people group where you’re working develop a strong, locally-led, indigenous
church, your job there is done. At this point, it will be time to consider another
location or return home.
So, with these thoughts in mind, how do you even start your overseas ministry?

  • Do your best to balance holding your timeline with open hands and
    approaching language and cultural learning as though you will spend the
    rest of your life there. No matter your anticipated timeline, putting down
    roots and investing will never be a waste of time.
  • Cultivate a small group of people who pray and discern with you. Discerning
    the will of God should not be a solo activity. Your call might be an individual
    thing but, more than likely, your community of faith around you will affirm
    it. As you set out, you will want a faithful core of prayer warriors who will
    follow your life and your work closely. These people will also be vital in
    helping you discern if and when God is calling you out of this season and
    into something new. So, when you’re in a valley of frustration, maybe
    wishing God was calling you out, you’ll have this group to encourage you
    and hear the directive voice of God.
  • Remember your faithfulness to the One who sent you is more important
    than any statistics you feel you should be reporting to your supporters.
    In John 15:5, Jesus tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you
    remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can
    do nothing.”
  • Finally, love one another. Jesus continues in John 15:16-17, “You did
    not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go
    and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my
    name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”
    Your actions of love are what the world around you will see – a tangible
    expression of the Father’s love for them. Love your spouse, your children,
    your teammates, your neighbours, and your local church. Love them well.
    Even before your language skills reach a point of being able to eloquently
    pray and effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ, your outpouring
    of love to those around you can be evident to all.
  • When it comes time to move on, whether it’s to another country or returning
    home for a new season in your life, you can be confident His words to you will be
    “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” if you have remained faithful to Him
    and have well-loved those He has placed you among.

    Book
    Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-cultural Service by Amy Young, published independently, 2017
  • Download all 16 tips in this e-book from https://www.cmacan.org/resources/on-mission/

Tip#15 Continue to learn

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by Ron


Lifelong learning takes us beyond the formal classroom into self-motivated
education through books or videos, online or in-person classes through a local
college or training facility, one-on-one with a tutor, or training courses and
workshops provided by our sending agency. Through the internet, we also have
access to many great resources. Lifelong learning is about being open and taking
in new ideas and perspectives.


Incorporating this type of learning into your life offers you many long-term
benefits. For example, learning a new skill can renew your motivation, bringing
personal satisfaction. It can get you out of a rut of doing things the same way
all the time and inspire you to do things in a better way. It can reduce boredom,
making what you do more exciting and help you to reach your goals quicker and
easier. It can often reveal interests you never knew you had.


While we’re learning new skills, we’re also learning more about creativity,
problem-solving, critical thinking, and ways to adapt. We also become more
skilled at what we do; our self-confidence increases personally and professionally.
Lifelong learners often see change as something positive, and it helps them to
grow in problem-solving while learning new skills and encountering people with
different ideas. An open mind enables you to evaluate other ideas and change
your mind, if necessary, helping you grow in your understanding.
Sometimes our learning takes us outside of our comfort zone, which can benefit
personal growth, opening us up to learn things we may not have considered
before.


While there are many benefits to lifelong learning, you may find it can also
be time-consuming and exhausting, so it’s essential to celebrate achieving each
milestone so you don’t become discouraged. For example, going out for a special
meal or treating yourself to something you enjoy can help motivate you to
persevere when you feel like stopping. Likewise, not being content with what you
already know can be a powerful motivation for continuing your education.
Your example can encourage others to become lifelong learners, and seeing
others inspired by your example can motivate you to continue your education.
We recommend the following excellent resources as you continue your lifelong
pursuit of learning.

Books
Christian Mission – A Concise Global History by Edward Smither,
published by Lexham Press, 2019

Theology of Mission – A Concise Biblical Theology by J.D. Payne,
published by Lexham Press, 2022

Rethinking Global Mobilization – Calling the Church to Her
Core Identity by Ryan Shaw, published by Ignite Media, 2022

Advanced Missiology – How to Study Missions in Credible and
Useful Ways by Kenneth Nehrbass, published by Cascade Books,
2021

Regeneration – Stories of Resilient Faith in Communist Romania
by Miriam Charter, published by Word Alive Press, 2020


Courses

Tip#14 Finesse your communication skills

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by Rebecca


Being an international worker requires you to become a jack of all trades.
You’ll find yourself doing things you never expected to do! Whether or not you
enjoy public speaking or writing updates, finessing your communication skills is
a critical component of the worker’s life.
I’ve met many people who dread the end of the month or week – whatever
their self-imposed deadline is for getting out that update email. Rather than
dreading it, I hope you can embrace it and use it as a regular reminder of God’s
faithfulness and a moment to pause and look for His fingerprints in the ordinary.
Your job in updating your support base isn’t to wow them with big numbers or
incredible stories, but rather it is to disciple them in their understanding of God’s
heart for the nations, to share how you see God moving in big but also small
ways, and to include them in your work as you live overseas as an extension of
your supporting church.


Stories are key when engaging an audience, and the best advice you might
receive regarding what and how to share. Rather than detailing what you have
been up to, share a story that impacted you. Short truly is sweet, so don’t feel
compelled to write a novel, but share a short story of how you saw the Spirit at
work or saw a prayer answered. This will draw in your readers and help them
better understand your overseas work.


Update your supporters regularly and frequently. With the ease and
affordability of email, some workers opt to send weekly emails rather than
monthly – both are good – the key is that they get sent. Don’t feel bound to send
updates on the same day every month; instead, send updates when you have
something to say. You may find yourself having something to share three weeks
after your last update, and other times, it may be closer to five weeks, but if you’re
averaging a monthly email – pat yourself on the back. For example, we aim for a
monthly update, but when we started having visa issues and faced deportation,
we communicated much more frequently to keep our prayer supporters updated
on the ever-changing situation!

Of course, you have heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
So lean heavily on photos – you might want to consider making your whole update
a series of pictures with a paragraph under each picture as a format for sending
updates. Images help your supporters better understand what your world looks
like. It also helps those who only take time to skim. Some want the highlights
rather than reading through a page of text.
Many of us shy away from asking for money. We cringe at the thought. If a
goal of your communication includes fundraising, be encouraged to share clear
and defined fundraising goals. A donor wants to know what they are giving
towards and how great the need is. Avoid nebulous, vague asks for support and,
instead, provide a specific goal with clear instructions on how to give. It may feel
uncomfortable for the asker, but the donor will appreciate it.


Lastly, personalize where and when you can. If you’re using an email platform
such as Mailchimp, you can subdivide your mailing list into individual churches.
For example, I have broken down our mailing list into six separate lists so I can
include a screenshot of an elder praying for us during the service or a comment
on a milestone the church is celebrating. These additions might be specific to
one church but not of interest to the rest of the people on our mailing list. This
also allows me to send a ‘thank you’ email to a specific church after we have
spoken there on a weekend. It takes a little extra work – and you don’t have to
personalize each update – but when there are opportunities, it goes a long way
toward communicating that your relationship with that church is a two-way
street and you care about what is going on there.


Get creative. Use social media where you can. There are many ways to
communicate – don’t let the options overwhelm you; choose what works for you
and do it well. If you’re communicating God’s heart for the nations, authenticity
in the ups and downs of your life, and expressing gratitude for those praying for
you and supporting you financially, you are succeeding at communicating well.

Book
Enjoying Newsletters: How to Write Christian Communications
People Want to Read by Amy Young, published independently,
2019

Download all 16 tips here https://www.cmacan.org/resources/on-mission/

Tip#13 Use a wellness plan

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by Ron


The world is a needy place. When we arrive, there are so many demands
calling for our attention. Stress can build. Guilt can form for not meeting demands
we can solve. Trying to prioritize takes time and effort. We feel bad for saying no
to certain things. We don’t like not meeting the expectations of others, especially
the people pleasers! How do we say ‘yes’ to maintaining a growing relationship
but mean ‘no’ to the request?
For those reasons, global workers must pay attention to our mental health. We
need a plan to maintain our health in a foreign land for the long haul. Otherwise,
the risk for many is that they become overwhelmed and soon leave.
Here is a Wellness Plan developed by Beth Cook. We encourage you to fill it out
and review it regularly. It might be wise to send it to your accountability partner.


Wellness Plan for God’s Call on My Life
The Greatest Commandment:
The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark
12:29-31)
Love the Lord your God: I resolve that my love relationship with God will be the
core and foundation for all of life and ministry (encompasses both the receiving
and giving of God’s love). To that end, over the coming year, I resolve to:
With all your heart: I resolve to express my love for God through emotional
wholeness. To that end, over the coming year, I resolve to:

With all your soul: I resolve to express my love for God through spiritual
growth. To that end, over the coming year, I resolve to:


With all your mind: I resolve to express my love for God in my thought life,
and through cognitive and vocational growth. To that end, over the coming year,
I resolve to:


And with all your strength: I resolve to express my love for God through the
care of my physical resources. To that end, over the coming year, I resolve to
express my love for God through wise stewardship of financial resources. To that
end, over the coming year, I resolve to:


Love your neighbour as yourself: I resolve to express my love for God through
my relationships with others. To that end, over the coming year, I resolve to:
Date completed or revised:
(Signed) ________________________


Global worker Mike Sohm recently retired and wrote this in his biography (ON
MISSION: Stories of Those Who Went, Volume 6):
Regular Patterns for Nurturing Your Relationship with God
Over the years, I have developed daily, weekly, quarterly, and bi-annual
disciplines.

  • Daily, I meditate on a verse or short passage, take a posture of listening
    for 10-15 minutes, journal, and pray for those on my list for the day. I have
    often incorporated music, primarily hymns.
  • Weekly, I do two things. First, I read over my plan and look honestly at
    how the past week has gone and where I need to give some attention in
    the week ahead. Then, later in the day, I begin my weekly Sabbath, which
    has morphed over the years from a “day off” to something quieter and
    more contemplative. When I travel, I often have to carve out a half-day
    somewhere to be quiet, read, reflect, and often take a nap.
  • Quarterly, I would review my activity, how I used my time and my overall
    well-being. For example, I often saw a link between a lack of rest or
    inconsistency in spiritual disciplines and an increase in stress. Extensive
    travel with not enough downtime also had a negative impact on overall
    well-being and relationships at home.
  • At least twice each year, I would take a two-day retreat to be quiet, take
    long walks, pray, rest, read my Bible and do something in the area of
    spiritual formation.

    Books
    The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by
    Mark Buchanan, published by W Publishing Group, 2006

    Finishing Well: The Adventure of Life Beyond Halftime by Bob
    Buford, published by Zondervan, 2011

    Finishing Strong: Going the Distance for Your Family by Steve
    Farrar, published by Multnomah Books, 2000

    The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry
    by Ajith Fernando, published by Crossway, 2007

    Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be
    Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature     by
    Peter Scazzero, published by Zondervan, 2017
  • Download all 16 tips here https://www.cmacan.org/resources/on-mission