The Missionary as Learner
Missionaries must be Learners. It's critical that we approach things with open minds, cognizant of what we don't know and ever receptive to the wisdom and instruction of others. I'm going to be exploring this aspect of my vocation this week.
First, I leave for Puerto Rico in a few hours. I fly from Santiago to San Juan and then 76 miles from San Juan to Mayagüez - on a Cessna! It'll be my first time on the island, for no other reason than to be a Learner. My trip coincides with a short-term team from Hope Lutheran Church in Wake Forest, NC, a congregation with a long history of serving in Puerto Rico independently. This is the first time they've elected to align their work with OIM, so navigating the waters of our working relationship with the team members will be a learning experience for both me and the PR-based missionary team. Speaking of which, they're obviously far more knowledgeable than I am, so while I'm happy to lend "leadership" however I can, I'll have to take a backseat out of necessity until I've learned the ins and outs of ministry in Puerto Rico from those who are daily immersed in it.
Secondly, I'm starting the first module (Paradigm Shift in Mission) of the Missionary Formation Certification Program (MFCP) this week. MFCP is a five module online course that all OIM missionaries complete, ideally early on in their service. It's moderated by Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schultz, a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary Ft. Wayne (CTSFW). Each of the eight weeks per module features an assigned reading from Dr. Schultz's book Mission from the Cross. I'll have to 1) reply to the reading; and then 2) reply to a reply posted by someone else. My cohort consists of missionaries serving in the Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Uganda. So far, all I've done is log in to moodle, CTSFW's online portal:
I haven't been a Learner in an academic sense for ten years, so going "back to school" is a little intimidating. That being said, I've also been eagerly anticipating the chance to dive into this material since orientation, so excitement trumps anxiety.
Until next time, blessings!
First, I leave for Puerto Rico in a few hours. I fly from Santiago to San Juan and then 76 miles from San Juan to Mayagüez - on a Cessna! It'll be my first time on the island, for no other reason than to be a Learner. My trip coincides with a short-term team from Hope Lutheran Church in Wake Forest, NC, a congregation with a long history of serving in Puerto Rico independently. This is the first time they've elected to align their work with OIM, so navigating the waters of our working relationship with the team members will be a learning experience for both me and the PR-based missionary team. Speaking of which, they're obviously far more knowledgeable than I am, so while I'm happy to lend "leadership" however I can, I'll have to take a backseat out of necessity until I've learned the ins and outs of ministry in Puerto Rico from those who are daily immersed in it.
Secondly, I'm starting the first module (Paradigm Shift in Mission) of the Missionary Formation Certification Program (MFCP) this week. MFCP is a five module online course that all OIM missionaries complete, ideally early on in their service. It's moderated by Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schultz, a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary Ft. Wayne (CTSFW). Each of the eight weeks per module features an assigned reading from Dr. Schultz's book Mission from the Cross. I'll have to 1) reply to the reading; and then 2) reply to a reply posted by someone else. My cohort consists of missionaries serving in the Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Uganda. So far, all I've done is log in to moodle, CTSFW's online portal:
I haven't been a Learner in an academic sense for ten years, so going "back to school" is a little intimidating. That being said, I've also been eagerly anticipating the chance to dive into this material since orientation, so excitement trumps anxiety.
Until next time, blessings!
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