Missionary as an Overflowing River of Life

The ways through which God carries out his will to us, is incredible. Beyond doubt, as written in Jeremiah 1:5  “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.” Being a missionary is not something that I had dreamed of before. However, I always liked the missionary work from the perspective of Christian and developmental activities. In my home context I socially benefited from the missionary works by studying in schools they built, health centers and other important infrastructural activities as well as the Gospel they shared in my Church. By serving God in the Student Christian Movement of Rwanda, I was equipped with more insight and interest to the missionary work Later, I discovered the Global Mission Fellows program.

During the orientation training in Seoul, I was challenged and more open minded about what the Bible says on God’s mission and creative ways to share the Gospel by addressing the root causes of injustice in the world. To get to my place of assignment, it wasn’t an easy process. It reminded me of the commissioning service in Seoul where we declared to God “Put me to doing, put me to suffering,” Months waiting during the visa process, separation with entering a new home and life without friends and family, brings soreness that I have not imagined before.  I realized that it’s really God’s mission.

When we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we cannot only bring back hope but also lead people to Eternal life. A lot is happening in this world. There are human being suffering, deaths, civil wars, conflicts, terror, poverty and hunger as well as many other factors that lead countries into chaos and force human beings to flee their homes. There are millions and millions of refugees. They take risky routes through deserts, seas and other terrible ways looking for a refuge. Today, according to the International Organization for Migration report (IOM, 2018 Report) the UN Migration Agency, shows that 3.3% of the world’s population are migrants, with over 40 million people internally displaced and over 22 million refugees. Most of these are people in crisis and in need for help from anyone.

Thanks to countries and church communities in Europe, there are places willing to become a welcoming and helping home with a heart of love for refugees and migrants. There are still some other countries and congregations as well as individuals still need to understand the reasons why people flee their homes. They must stop xenophobia perceptions so that they can be a helping hand  by opening doors and borders for human beings to find refuge. We pray for God’s Peace and hope to refugees and migrants, as well as advocating for the respect of  human rights and dignity in our daily work.

Brethren, having Christ in our lives brings peace and hope for the future. Apart from whatever social and political support that we can provide or negotiate for to those in need, it’s important also to share Jesus’s love.  Through him we have hope and Eternal life. This pushes me to describe missionary service as an overflowing river of life which has Jesus Christ as its foundation. Every single day, I see God’s love and work at my disposal. I am thankful to God and feel more dedicated to God’s mission.

I understood that many around the world suffer and have very few to understand them. It is horrible to have a broken heart, and yet you don’t even know where your help could come from. In Romans 10:14 the Bible tells us “But how can they call to him for help if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard the message? And how can they hear if the message is not proclaimed?” I thank God for the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), where I am serving now, to work for justice and peace by addressing migration and Asylum policies along with fighting  racism and discrimination in Europe. I am growing tremendously and proud of our work.

“Let us be like rivers for justice and love, givers of hope to the humanity. Let the little light of yours shine.” Math 5:14-15

Jean Pierre HABIMANA

GMF-International, Class 2017-2019

Belgium #3022373

 

Walking North, Walking Home

At the beginning of December, my students and I participated in a march in solidarity with migrants in transit through Mexico. We walked 20 miles along the train tracks from Huehuetoca to the Methodist church in Apaxco, joining two migrants from Honduras: a father and his 16 year old son.

We started out well, and I naïvely thought it wouldn’t be as difficult as I had imagined. After awhile, though, my backpack started to weigh on me and the sun grew stronger. I slipped on a greasy part of the tracks. I was okay (just covered in grease), but my water got carried off by someone who had stopped to help. My boots felt tight. I was thirsty. I began to wonder if I would make it the rest of the way. We were walking such a small percentage of the journey from Mexico’s southern border to its northern border, yet we were exhausted.

I felt tired and sweaty and thirsty, and as I observed homes and restaurants off in the distance, I felt far from everyday Mexican life. My anger grew. No one should have to live this way, traveling clandestinely and running into thieves, drug cartels, gangs, and exploitative government agents, but U.S. and Mexican immigration policies make it so. I felt in my body a little of what migrants feel every day, and that cemented my frustration with how we treat other people and what our governments have done to do cause this situation. I felt that pain and fatigue in my body, and I won’t soon forget it.

We walked north, towards Mexico’s northern border. The goal is the U.S. for most and Mexico’s industrial northern cities for some (they say there is plenty of work in cities like Monterrey). As we walked, I thought of the U.S. at the end of this 40-day journey—the U.S. on the other side of the border marked by walls and the unforgiving Sonoran Desert. The U.S., my home. I thought of my family waiting for me for Christmas. Some of the people that walk the train tracks towards the north also have family in the U.S. They also think of the U.S. as home. They walk day in and day out to get back there.

Before we began our trek, I had received good news. Isaac, my partner of three years, had gotten approved for a tourist visa to travel to the U.S. After two previous failed attempts and a few years of hoping, this time he had finally been approved. I felt ecstatic—he would finally know my home and my family—and yet on this walk it felt bittersweet. As we walked kilometer after kilometer with our faces towards the U.S., we knew in a few weeks we would fly there together, but we also knew that we couldn’t take along our new friends. Why were we more deserving of a safe travel than them?

When it came time to fly to the U.S., I also thought of my friends from Deportados Unidos en la Lucha. They go to the airport to meet the three planes that arrive every week filled with people getting deported from the U.S.. I was at the airport to fly in the opposite direction. My friends are deportees who call the U.S. home (or a home) and who have family still there who miss them every day. Why am I more deserving of a trip back home than them?

The truth, of course, is that I’m not more deserving. We’re in this situation because of the unequal political and economic power distribution between the Global South and the Global North. We’re in this situation because of xenophobia and racism and racial profiling. Therefore, we can and should give a blanket to a migrant in transit and offer work to a deportee, but we also have to work to dismantle our unjust systems.

Amanda Cherry

GMF International, Class of 2016-2018

Mexico

#3022198

My Different Lent

I have no idea why I love Lent more than the Advent. My favorite moment is when I can sing with all the feels “Old Rugged Cross”, whether in English or Tagalog. I was used to a hot and dry Holy Week. During Wednesday of that week, the television channels start to retire and you cannot watch the usual programs. Instead, old films or children’s films are shown. In the Philippines, we have a worship service celebrating the Last Supper and sometimes washing of the feet on Maundy Thursday then Seven Last Words with seven different speakers on afternoons of Good Friday. Black Saturday is usually swimming day for families, because there’s a superstition that you cannot take a bath nor smile during Good Friday due to the death of Jesus Christ. On Easter Sunday, we have sunrise services sometimes all together in a park near the mountains, in an area with a hundred steps. Moreover, the long weekend is used by people who work in the capital to go home, out of town or abroad to relax and unwind.

Telling this story from my new home (Uruguay, South America) sounds extremely rare or different. Holy Week here is a 5-day holiday called Semana de Turismo (Tourism Week). There’s even a Semana de la Cerveza which is a famous week-long festival with artsy items and draft beer plus bands and performers. The weather in the capital city, Montevideo starts to cool down for the autumn season. Cool down for me, around 18 to 12 C from the summer`s 30 to 36 C with humidity. I spent my Good Friday at the local church I am working with where a group of people gathered for a reflection time. The next day, Black Friday, I was privileged to share some games with children and teens during another local church in anticipation for Easter. On the morning of Easter, almost five churches, and a group of Youth for Christ, gathered beside the beach waiting for the sunrise. We read some verses from the Bible and sang original hymns from all over Latin America. Afterwards, we had breakfast in each local churches. At 11 AM we had worship service and holy communion. I had my time with the teenagers, like a small group where I shared my work with young people in the Philippines during Holy Week. It was different for the Uruguayan teens.

Late in the afternoon, I went to the Museum of Visual Arts with some friends to catch an exhibit of an Argentinian painter named Sergio Viera. I have appreciation for the art in my new home. I always enjoy my time going to art museums for free. The masterpieces always remind that something or someone will always be out of my league or sense of reason and it’s alright not to fully grasp its sense, but at the same time it’s vital to not miss it’s beauty and that feeling of transcendence. That is maybe why I love lent more than advent because most of the time, death is harder to explain than life.

Micah Pascual

GMF Class of 2017-2019

Advance #3022332

Take after the Easter Reflection, me with 3 German volunteers.

What do you see?

Red, and yellow, and pink, and green!

Purple and orange and blue!

I can sing a rainbow!

Sing a rainbow!

Sing a rainbow too!

This was a song we used to sing when we were young kids, when we saw rainbows in the sky. All we could see then were the beautiful colors in sky. This song came into my mind when I was out working in the villages. It was a cloudy day and was promising to rain. I was feeling low, depressed, and worn out that day. That’s when I looked up to the sky, and I saw a rainbow.

Now that I am older, what do I see now? When I saw this rainbow, I did not only see the beautiful colors and think of the song; I thought of Genesis 9:12-17. After the flood, God established a covenant between Him and us. I see that our God is truly there in heaven. He keeps His promises; what He says surely happens. The rainbow covenant was established during the time of Noah, thousands of years ago, but it still stands up to now. What more confirmation do we need that God is really there? This was a sacred moment for me, and my mood changed from being depressed and feeling low. I felt peace inside of me, and deep in my heart there was inexplicable joy.

This got me thinking, how many things do we see every day that show us, or remind us of God’s promises and covenants with us? How many times does God give us a sign of His everlasting love, but we fail to see it because we are so consumed with the things of this world? Just take time and observe what God is trying to show you. What God says will surely happen, all we have to do is have faith and believe in Him. It’s time to let go and let God.

Ruvimbo Zvikomborero Simango

GMF International, Class of 2016-2018

Malawi

#3022244

 

BE PATIENT – BE FLEXIBLE – BE PRAYERFUL

Patience is often defined as the capacity to tolerate delay, trouble and suffering without becoming angry or upset. Patience is always a bitter plant, but we can all testify about its sweet fruits. In most cases we become impatient when things are going out of hand thereby forgetting that with God everything is under control. In this missionary journey I have seen the importance of trusting in God and leaving everything into his hands as the author of our lives. If a car is having a problem, taking it to the carpenter to fix it is time wasted and won’t produce the desired result.

The same applies to our lives, when we face problems we tend to use wrong channels to address them. Often times we share with people trusting in them more than God who is not like us humans who lie. He is faithful, whatever he promises, he fulfills.  Numbers 23:19.

Spending three months at Methodist Ministries Centre working with Methodist Church in Kenya as a project coordinator has affirmed my faith and trust in God. Initially I never knew what to expect in a land where I know no one, but I have managed to transition well. I owe this to the overwhelming support I get from my workmates, family, friends and other Global Mission Fellows. Besides the support, the affirmations I received during training gives me strength whenever I feel weak. I always take time to go through each and every one of them and reflect what God is telling me using this mighty way. Recently I was going through the aforementioned, and I saw a note written “Be patient, Be flexible and Be prayerful”. This alone is enough to remind me that God is with me since when I answered His call I said, “ I will go in the strength of the Lord” Psalms 71:16.

 

Tinashe Tembo

Global Mission Fellow

Class of 2017-2019

3022359

Possibilities: They Are Where You Cannot Even Imagine!

When I arrived in the Republic of Nicaragua I found everything very different from Brazil, but I decided to open myself up to new experiences. Without creating expectations, I tried to accept this new country into my life. I chose to prepare myself for the “non-knowledge” of things. I opened myself to the new culture, the new place, and all the POSSIBILITIES that presented themselves to me while I watched everything carefully.

I came curious to work together with an NGO that works on issues of social justice, community development, and health, so after GMF training and training in the capital of the country, I went to the Caribbean Coast and started a cultural immersion that would change my life!

The Autonomous Region of the North Caribbean of Nicaragua is very interesting and fun. Interesting because it is everything different from what I already knew, and fun because that is how I see my learning process and adaptation! I love meeting people, and my biggest investments have been directed to new relationships I’ve made.

Even though sometimes people look at me as if I’m from another planet, it’s fun! Once I was accompanied by my friend from work and a very humble lady asked my Nicaraguan friend, “What country is she from?” I looked at her and answered in Spanish: “I’m from Brazil!” I smiled, but that lady was very embarrassed because I spoke to her without knowing her. After I said my name, she already gained more confidence and continued asking questions!

In Brazil I have always loved going out for a walk and having coffee outside the house every day; this is something important for me. However, in my place of work it is impractical, so I have reorganized my lifestyle. Now I like to make homemade coffee, wash clothes by hand with a specific soap whose smell I love, do exercises in the workshop room of my work (where I live), and sit on the porch talking to a work friend! I rewrite Bible passages and study my actions together with some friends of my GMF class! This is good!

We are all beings that adapt, and I can say that I am very happy to live as I live and to meet so many nice people. The important thing in all of this is to be well and have fun even in a complex context. I choose to smile every day in the midst of my sadness, and it makes me grow a little stronger.

My gratitude is for being able to do what I learned to enjoy. I continue to learn how to be, how to learn, and how to do. My learning is constant, and in Christ I can say with great confidence: everything is fine!

Ester Antunes

GMF International, Class of 2017-2019

Nicaragua

#3022335

 

 

Possibilidades, elas estão onde você nem imagina!

Quando cheguei na Republica da Nicarágua achei tudo muito diferente do Brasil, mas decidi me abrir para as novas experiências e sem criar expectativas busquei aceitar esse novo país na minha vida. Escolhi me preparar para o “não conhecimento” das coisas, me abri para a nova cultura, o novo lugar e todas as POSSIBILIDADES que se apresentavam à mim enquanto eu observava tudo atentamente.

Cheguei curiosa para trabalhar junto com uma ONG que atua em questões de justiça social, desenvolvimento comunitário e saúde, então após capacitações e treinamentos na Capital do país, fui a Costa do Caribe e comecei uma imersão cultural que mudaria minha vida!

A Região Autônoma do Caribe Norte da Nicarágua é muito interessante e divertida, interessante porque é tudo diferente do que eu já conhecia e divertida porque é assim que eu enxergo o meu processo de aprendizagem e adaptação! Eu amo conhecer pessoas e meus maiores investimentos foram direcionados a novos relacionamentos que fiz, mesmo que as vezes as pessoas me olhem como se eu fosse de outro planeta, é divertido! Uma vez eu estava acompanhada com minha amiga de trabalho e uma senhora muito humilde perguntou a minha amiga nicaraguense: de que país ela é? Olhei para ela e respondi em espanhol: Sou do Brasil! Eu sorri, mas aquela senhora ficou muito envergonhada por que eu falei com ela mesmo sem a conhecer, após dizer meu nome ela já ganhou mais confiança e seguiu fazendo perguntas!

Sempre amei sair para passear e tomar café fora de casa todos os dias, isso é algo importante para mim, mas no meu local de atuação é inviável então eu readequei meu processo de qualidade de vida e agora gosto de fazer café artesanal em casa, lavar roupas na mão com um sabão específico que eu amo o cheiro, fazer exercícios na sala da oficina do meu trabalho( onde eu moro) e sentar na varanda para conversar com uma amiga de trabalho! Reescrevo passagens bíblicas e estudo minhas ações juntamente com alguns amigos de minha turma GMF! Todos nós somos seres que se adaptam e posso dizer que estou muito contente de viver como vivo e conhecer tantas pessoas legais, o importante em tudo isso é estar bem e se divertir mesmo em um contexto complexo, eu escolhi sorrir para a tristeza todos os dias, e ela me faz crescer um pouco mais forte.

Minha gratidão é por poder fazer o que eu aprendi a gostar, sigo aprendendo a ser, aprender, fazer e ser, minha aprendizagem é constante e em Cristo eu posso afirmar com muito consciência: vai tudo bem!