Birthday reflections
I'm not much of a birthday person, but one of the joys of being a missionary with the United Methodist Church is that my name is listed in the United Methodist Women's Prayer Calendar. Every year about this time I get emails and cards from amazing people who are passionate and committed to supporting the mission of our church around the world. It is very inspiring to me to know that so many people are praying for the ministry and in particular for their prayers for me at this time. I hope that others also have ways to know that, in their work for the Kingdom, they are supported by this great cloud of witness. I am grateful for the many birthday greetings and prayers that came to me through facebook, emails and cards.
Many people asked if I did anything special for my birthday. In one email I wrote, "I had a lovely birthday tea with my housemates and some friends which included tea sandwiches with whole wheat bread (a treat since we mostly eat rice and the most available bread is a kind of white baguette)." She wrote back,
I wrote back, "I'm sure that you have to live without delicious sticky sweet mangoes or rambutan fruit except on special occasions too."
It is nice to be able to have a unique treat on a special day and it does happen to be that whole wheat bread is one of those things here. I eat brown rice to get my bran allocation and so I don't miss whole wheat bread that much. If I really did miss it, I'm still part of the privileged class in this very globalized world and I could get it in the same way that someone in the USA could eat mangoes every day (mostly likely frozen or dried ones) if you really wanted them. But I'm sure that most folks don't feel like you are living without because you don't get mangoes every don't. I eat less bread here because I believe in trying to live locally either California or Cambodia, and we don't grow wheat here.
The larger question posed here is not so much about access to certain foods, but about the choices we make in life. It true that the things we have in Cambodia are different (rice instead of wheat or potatoes), but more than that, life in general is different here. There are things that I have given up in order to have the opportunity to serve in this place, although I find it difficult to actually expose them in a blog post; I've had to spend time with a pastoral counselor to come to grips with some of the consequences of living outside my home culture. But part of that is just growing up and making choices. The sacrifices I have made are, again, perhaps different, but no more or less difficult than those made by others who do not cross salt-water to live out their calling. There are also many joys that I experience here that are more rare in the USA, and that is a real blessing.
I received another email recently asking about a typical day for me. In some ways, a typical day here is just a typical day for anyone who does church-based community development. Some days I go to the office and write or prepare lesson plans or do the financial accounting for our 7 person team. Other days I drive out to the rural churches to facilitate a workshop to help a congregation plan an outreach activity with their community or monitor and problem solve with ongoing projects and activities. What is unique about it is that I sometimes I do get stuck in the mud trying to get to a church and that meetings are more likely to happen under a mango tree rather than at a Starbucks, and I fumble through all of it in a foreign language. But despite these differences, the church is the church around the world and fundamentally more similar than different.
Passionate people of faith around the world are actively seeking to follow God's call and to engage in activities that help to realize the proclamation of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is at hand. I am lucky to be a bridge between people of faith in different parts of the world who are working in different ways, but always in partnership and as a part of God's mission.
When we leave our home environment and cross boundaries of nation and culture and language and religion, it is not that we bring God with us. Rather, we find God already at work in the place where we are. I feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to serve God through the church in a cross-cultural setting. It is incredible to witness to the ways the God is acting in this environment and to be working in partnership with those who are committed to announcing the Reign of God in this particular place and time.
Thank you again to everyone who sent greeting and prayers to recognize that I have been gifted with another turn around the sun.
Many people asked if I did anything special for my birthday. In one email I wrote, "I had a lovely birthday tea with my housemates and some friends which included tea sandwiches with whole wheat bread (a treat since we mostly eat rice and the most available bread is a kind of white baguette)." She wrote back,
"I had tears in my eyes as I read your email. We sometimes forget how blessed we are here in the comfort of the US. Having whole wheat bread is not a luxury for us as it is for you. I live about 5 minutes from 3 different grocery stores and can run out for a loaf of bread of my choice anytime. I'm afraid even those of us who are plugged into missions still don't realize what others live without in order to serve our Savior."I was actually surprised when I read her reaction. It reminded me of how much I have adjusted to living outside of the USA. I don't actually think of myself as living without anything here in Cambodia, just living differently.
I wrote back, "I'm sure that you have to live without delicious sticky sweet mangoes or rambutan fruit except on special occasions too."
It is nice to be able to have a unique treat on a special day and it does happen to be that whole wheat bread is one of those things here. I eat brown rice to get my bran allocation and so I don't miss whole wheat bread that much. If I really did miss it, I'm still part of the privileged class in this very globalized world and I could get it in the same way that someone in the USA could eat mangoes every day (mostly likely frozen or dried ones) if you really wanted them. But I'm sure that most folks don't feel like you are living without because you don't get mangoes every don't. I eat less bread here because I believe in trying to live locally either California or Cambodia, and we don't grow wheat here.
The larger question posed here is not so much about access to certain foods, but about the choices we make in life. It true that the things we have in Cambodia are different (rice instead of wheat or potatoes), but more than that, life in general is different here. There are things that I have given up in order to have the opportunity to serve in this place, although I find it difficult to actually expose them in a blog post; I've had to spend time with a pastoral counselor to come to grips with some of the consequences of living outside my home culture. But part of that is just growing up and making choices. The sacrifices I have made are, again, perhaps different, but no more or less difficult than those made by others who do not cross salt-water to live out their calling. There are also many joys that I experience here that are more rare in the USA, and that is a real blessing.
I received another email recently asking about a typical day for me. In some ways, a typical day here is just a typical day for anyone who does church-based community development. Some days I go to the office and write or prepare lesson plans or do the financial accounting for our 7 person team. Other days I drive out to the rural churches to facilitate a workshop to help a congregation plan an outreach activity with their community or monitor and problem solve with ongoing projects and activities. What is unique about it is that I sometimes I do get stuck in the mud trying to get to a church and that meetings are more likely to happen under a mango tree rather than at a Starbucks, and I fumble through all of it in a foreign language. But despite these differences, the church is the church around the world and fundamentally more similar than different.
Passionate people of faith around the world are actively seeking to follow God's call and to engage in activities that help to realize the proclamation of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is at hand. I am lucky to be a bridge between people of faith in different parts of the world who are working in different ways, but always in partnership and as a part of God's mission.
When we leave our home environment and cross boundaries of nation and culture and language and religion, it is not that we bring God with us. Rather, we find God already at work in the place where we are. I feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to serve God through the church in a cross-cultural setting. It is incredible to witness to the ways the God is acting in this environment and to be working in partnership with those who are committed to announcing the Reign of God in this particular place and time.
Thank you again to everyone who sent greeting and prayers to recognize that I have been gifted with another turn around the sun.
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