LoginHome » Ministries » Youth Ministry » Fuel Magazine » All Issues » Fuel Autumn 2007 : Mission Possible » explore Nepal, Myanmar, Africa, Thailand, and Taiwan
Explore Nepal, Myanmar, Africa, Thailand, and Taiwan
Mission for me
I have found that the ability to understand the true sense of the word mission coincides with how I have learnt to understand the great quote from Martin Luther King Jr. He said quite simply that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
"Mission for me has become about a strong sense of connection between me and all the people of the world. It is a statement to the people around me that the indescribable acts of injustice are quintessentially my problems, whether or not they are anybody else’s. Mission work is therefore primarialy about understanding. I have discovered through my missionary trips to Haiti and Tahiti in the past that missionary work is not about turning up to a foreign country proclaiming that I have all the answers. Nor is it about telling people what to do because I feel like I have some righteous agenda. Both of these philosophies are hurtful to how I am able to get along with people around me, and is a sure way to be humbled by the intelligence and wisdom of the people in these countries.
This brings me to the second reason why I venture off to distant and at times very dangerous countries. That is, I aim to enter into relationship with the communities that we come across, hopefully with the goal of empowering them to be able to make better decisions for themselves and their communities. This is the heart of mission work! I am comforted by the life and actions of Jesus, and the way he was able to live these values to a standard that I will forever be reaching for. Jesus was an ultimate proclaimer of justice and was in essence willing to give his life to this cause. He was the man who refused to partake in meaningless tradition. He kicked the money changers over in the temples, he touched the untouchables. He healed people on the day of rest. Jesus was a man of mission; continually engaging in relationship in the most unnatural situations. I believe that it is missionary work that allows someone to really find truth because God is found most naturally through service. My trip to Nepal and Burma this summer gave me the most amazing opportunity to experience relationship, community, and a fight for justice in solidarity with my brothers and sisters who live on this earth with me. It is this that makes all the saving, the organisation, and the long bus rides over dirt roads in hot temperatures worth every moment. Missionary work is one of the greatest privileges that I have been given, and it’s not just a window into another perspective, it is an experience that I could never let pass!
Geoff Cooper
Geoff was part of a team that went to Nepal and Myanmar (Burma) through the GMO this summer. With him were 2 others from St Lukes, Remuera - Andrew Colgan, Sophie Parnham and also Andrew Johnston from St Johns in Wellington. They spent 3 weeks in Nepal with an organization called Hope for the Nations. After that they spent a further 3 weeks in Myanmar, with most of their time spent at Tahan Bible College.
"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." MLK
Reflections from Africa
Mo and Kirk Morgan were in Africa for three months with the help and support of the Pressie Global Mission Office. They visited Global Mission Office projects and got their hands dirty as well as travelling in Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Thailand.Mo reflects on their experiences in Kenya...
So what stood out to us?
While there was much that was different, there was much common ground. We sing the same songs, and through our conversations, we realised that there are many issues that are the same for young people in Kenya as in New Zealand. The Presbyterian Church is alive and well in Kenya. When people heard that we are involved in the Presbyterian Church, it opens the door to many new conversations.
We went hoping to have an experience where we might come to better understand global inequality and how we might respond. We have seen and heard much which has given us things to think about. At a prayer meeting in Nairobi, a man spoke of a recent trip to Sudan, where there are no roads, no water, but landmines aplenty, and many many needs. A comment that really stood out to us from what he said: He explained that the common experience for the Sudan people of Western Non-Governmental Organisation’s is that they come, make promises, take photos and leave. He urged that there is a real need for Christians to bring a holistic, integrated approach to development.
One of the things that stood out to us (that we would change if we could) is that many ‘working class’ people leave school at the end of primary school as there is no money for them to continue on to high school - so for many, they’re taken out of the running to do anything beyond manual or domestic labour at a young age. This is the case for many of the $6 a week labourers on the building site. We talked with Katherine, one of the workers at the retreat centre, about some of the needs in the community and the lack of social workers in the area to follow them up. We couldn’t help thinking, she’d be brilliant as a social worker in the area and when we suggested this to her, she said she would need to finish school and then do another course - and this wasn’t really possible with her needing to provide for her family.
Mo Morgan
Taiwanese in town
Taiwan: known by the Taiwanese as the "sweet potato" for its kumara shaped coastal outline, I confess that before last year I might have assumed it to be like just like any Asian country. But when 6 young people from the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan landed in Auckland early November last year my perspective of the small country off the coast of China was radically changed.
They were a group of young people whose dynamic presence exploded into every place I took them and left me with the sinking realization that it was us who received the greater blessing to have hosted them.
They delightfully burst into cultural song and dance at every opportunity and had my sides often aching from laughter at their witty sense of humour. So it was my pleasure to give them a ‘real kiwi experience’ of culture, relationship and activities. Over 10 days we engaged in everything from learning songs at the Kids Club at St Andrews, Otahuhu, to horse riding, kayaking and sharing meals with the local Taiwanese churches, St Heliers and Te Aka Puaho in Ohope. And, of course, the journey would not have been complete without taking countless photographs of each new experience and everything that moved.
Taiwan’s political situation at the moment is a half-a-century-long tale of international rejection. Despite this, I found the Taiwanese youth to be inspiring in their love for God and their continual zest for adventure, but especially in their warmth towards everyone they met. It seemed that every time I had turned around they had made friends with yet another stranger behind a sales desk, or random person on the street!
But after an only too short visit they left with the invite lingering for any NZ youth that care to respond to the friendship they so generously offered us. I hope to see a youth trip boarding the plane for their direction in the not too distant future.
Josh Firth
This CWM funded visit was the first major project Josh worked on in his new role as Global Youth Manager. A return trip is planned for June/July when kiwis will attend the CWM ‘Training in Mission’ Conference hosted by the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church.