Sometimes Missions is...

As my internship came to a close and I headed back to Gateway for a week of debrief, I contemplated all the experiences I had and what I had learned. This list is a way for you all to see glimpses of my adventure. The more time I spend on the mission field, the more I realize that being a cross-cultural missionary is much more than a "job", it's a lifestyle. It demands every part of me; physical, emotional, and spiritual. I must be ready for the unexpected and open to what God wants to do through me, because although most times the work can be very fulfilling, sometimes missions isn't fun or easy. Sometimes missions is...

• washing dishes
• organizing a never-ending closet full of donated clothes
• breaking up a fight, "musani ukulwa!" ("don't fight" in Zulu)
• letting my dinner go cold in order to serve others first
  
• ignoring obnoxious boys tapping on the window while trying to lead a bible study
  
• sharing my testimony with a group of strangers
• admitting my sin and seeking forgiveness
• waiting
• being prepared to pray at a moments notice
• submitting to my leaders

• experiencing a relationship evolve from "someone who lives in a homeless shelter" to "friend" to "sister in Christ"

• teaching games to a group of homeless Zulu men
• getting made fun of or judged because of my country
  
• giving away my clothes, because others need them more
• not complaining (even if I had a "right" to)
  
• being embarrassed because I know I'm not pronouncing Zulu words correctly
  
• listening without judging
• using all my patience while trying to communicate effectively through a culture and language barrier
• feeling helpless
• passing out bread in the rain
• saying goodbye, which is sometimes the hardest part.

Culture Palooza!

During my classes at Gateway, whenever we talked about cultural adaptation, I've always thought about it in terms of mine vs. theirs. Two cultures colliding in my life. However, my actual situation is much more complicated. My field supervisors are Koreans who have been in South Africa for 7 years. I’m living with a 3^rd generation Indian woman who raised three colored children. (The term ‘colored’ is completely pc here). I’m working in a Zulu township most days and partnering with a mostly white church.


So when I had to answer a Gateway assignment question, “How are you adapting to the culture?”, my first thought was, “which one?”


Having dinner with Jane, her kids and her grandson.

Growing up in LA has given me experience living in a diverse community, however my current surroundings are diverse in a whole different way. Firstly, the Zulu people have their own language. Now it’s easy to argue, “Well in LA you have different neighborhoods with communities that speak different languages”. True, but that culture and language is being imported from another country. Chinese, Mexican, Korean, etc. Those communities have roots somewhere else. Here there are Zulu, Afrikaans, and Colored neighborhoods all within one city. They all speak different languages (although most people do know English) and have cultural backgrounds. However, their roots are right here in South Africa.

The apartheid era wasn’t that long ago and it seems like the city is still very racially segregated. However a lot of these aspects lie under the surface. I'm constantly learning new traits about life in South Africa, specifically in the province of Zwazulu Natal. Being a cross-cultural missionary requires constant observation. It's an adventure of learning!

Self portrait in my backyard.

Being Used

Why me?

That question rolled around in my head while tears ran down my face as we drove back to Pinetown from downtown Durban. I felt overwhelmed and a bit confused. I had only been in South Africa for about a week, and my first real day of 'work' was coming to a close. There a variety of ministries I'll be helping with, one of which is visiting shelters in downtown Durban one evening a week.

I really didn't know what to expect as we split into groups after praying at a local church and headed off to the different shelters we'd be visiting. Tina, who was in my group and has been visiting that shelter for almost two years, handed me a bag of sandwiches to hand out. With no other instruction, I introduced myself to a thin young Indian woman standing in a nearby doorway, holding a toddler who was eating one of the sandwiches I had passed out.

I soon learned that Denise has lived in shelters for 3 years with her daughter and her boyfriend. When I ask her what life is like living there she mentions, "I don't usually come out and talk to people...and I don't let my daughter play with the other children. If she gets into a fight it means a conflict with the other mother. There's a lot of drugs and other bad things that go on here. I want to stay away from that."

This is surprising because in under an hour she basically told me her life story. Her Hindu family have disowned her because she got pregnant with her boyfriend, who comes from a Christian family. She became a Christian a few years ago but doesn't have a bible. Her boyfriend's family has had money troubles, which caused them both to drop out of university, and eventually move into a shelter. They're saving money to move to Johannesburg by September, in order for their daughter, Liandra, to be enrolled in a preschool. Denise also invited me to sit on her bed in her tiny room, and offered me a cookie while Liandra showed me her few toys. We delightfully discovered that we're the same age and after sharing with her about my life and what I was doing in Durban I ask, "You mentioned that you normally don't talk with people, so why have you invited me in and been so open about yourself?"

"I don't know, I could just tell that you were a good person. We just clicked, I felt comfortable talking with you", she says.

Soon it is time to go. I pray for her, and promise to visit her next week. As we reunite with the other groups Tina mentions, "I've never even met Denise before, she always has her door closed. God used you to open that door!" After praying and singing a few songs, the ministry leader asks one person from each group to share. Tina demands me to talk and as I speak about meeting Denise my emotions get the best of me and I struggle to get he words out.

I've always prayed for God to use me, and I'm happy that he did. It's very humbling. I feel special that somehow I could form a friendship so naturally with someone who was actually cutting herself off from everyone around her. I wasn't planning on trying to break down any barriers that night. I didn't really have any expectations for myself at all. I know that I'm no better or 'holier' than anyone else who's visited that shelter.

Why me?

I may not understand why God gives me the honor and privilege of doing his work, especially in cases like this. Although as long as He wants me to, I pray that I will be willing and ready to be used by Him.

Let the adventure continue!

Initiate Internship Immediately!

It's time to pack! I need to fold clothes, sort through papers, take pictures down from the walls, and check under the bed for renegade socks. It's time to say goodbye to students that aren't returning for debrief and pray together one last time. On Thursday I will fly home to LA and spend a few days visiting with family and church friends. Then on Monday, April 18 I will board a plane again, for a much longer flight!

All the students and staff of Gateway


36 hours later I will arrive in Durban, South Africa, ready (or not!) to begin my 3 month internship. I will be assisting two long term missionaries in their work with a local church, specifically in children's ministry. A good portion of my time will also be committed to learning Zulu, which is the local language (although most people also speak English). In order to effectively apply what I've been learning from the classes here at Gateway, I will be required to turn in weekly assignments as well.

With my internship inching closer, I'm getting more excited and nervous by the minute. I'm looking forward to being in South Africa, to experience all the wonders of an unfamiliar place. To smell, touch, taste, hear and see. To learn how to pronounce 'ngiya bonga' correctly ('thank you' in Zulu). However I'm also worried about going through customs, collecting my bags and trying to find whoever is picking me up. I'm concerned about what it will be like to be a single white woman in a male-dominated society that is 79% black. I won't be able to blend in much! I'm afraid of unintentionally offending someone or having trouble communicating effectively. What if I get sick? What if I don't make friends? What if I don't like the food? What if someone steals my lunch money?

With all these upcoming challenges, I know that I need to take a deep breath, pray, and have faith that Jesus has my back. That doesn't mean that everything will be perfectly easy, but it does mean that my God will love, support, and guide me through every step of the adventure!

Life at Gateway: In Pictures

Here's a glimpse (literally!) into what I do here at Gateway

Classtime! Every morning from 9-12 we go downstairs to the library (notice all the bookshelves). Each week we have a different module taught either by staff members or facilitators who live close by.


Feeding the chickens! Every Sunday Elda and I go out to the chicken house to fill up their feeders, their water tank, and to collect eggs of course!









Then we wash all the eggs!



















Some eggs are dirtier than others...





Ready to eat lunch!


Every weekday, students and staff have lunch and dinner together.













Everyday at lunch we pray for Gateway alumni who are on the mission field in various countries. Postcards are passed around to give a bit of info for each person and their prayer needs.








Gilmara, one of the staff from Brazil, listens to Ungchung and Yaojin tell about their day (or maybe they were discussing the pros and cons of ice cream)






Dishwashing Dreamteam!

YongJin and I cleaning up after lunch. All the residents are split into two teams, so we take turns doing all the clean up. Working the professional dishwahing machine is actually pretty cool.









Who says missionary life isn't glamorous? I can get a steam facial everyday!











Every week, each student is responsible for cooking dinner once. So every Thursday afternoon I'm usually peeling potatoes. I've gotten pretty good at it, just saying....














Each night before dinner we gather in the lounge for worship and prayer. It's called Vespers, although I'm still not sure what that name means.






Study time!!


This is actually a more accurate portrayal of what my studying time looks like.





Somehow we managed to go through summer, fall, and winter within one week. These are all the view from our 'backyard'. The little building seen in all three is the chicken house. You can also see the barn on the left in the 'summer' and 'winter' pics.








Also, sometimes I like to have dance parties in my room with the kids.




Praises:
- I'm going to South Africa for my internship!

- New friends!

- Learning more about my weaknesses and how I can put these in Gods hands in order to be used by Him.






Prayer Requests:
- Funding for the rest of my time here in Canada (I'm currently at 76%, contact me if you are interested in giving financially)

- Arrangements for my internship

- Strength, focus, and self-discipline in order to stay on top of my studies

Gateway!

Gateway is a missionary training center located in rural Langley, about an hour away from Vancouver, Canada. The program I'm in involves living in community with the staff while taking classes about different aspects of missionary life, then embarking on a 3 month internship.

Settling in to life at Gateway has been very easy, everyone here is friendly and helpful. When I first arrived I was the ‘new girl’ since all the other students have been here for a few months either learning English or taking extra bible classes. That was nice since it was my birthday only 4 days after I got here. I wasn’t going to tell anyone or make a big deal out of it, but somehow they all knew ( probably from all the paperwork I had to fill out). [Picture of the student team, left to right: Yongjin + Sunhee (S. Korea), Paul + Kim (England), me, Elda (Mexico), Jinhyeok + Sunjoo (S. Korea)]

Living in community means that everyone has chores and responsibilities, like cooking dinner, sweeping the laundry room, or collecting eggs from our chicken house (it really doesn’t smell that bad).Most of the staff has spent a decent part of their lives abroad on the mission field, which can lead to very interesting lunch conversations... “While I was living in the Gambia I ate…"; “The politics in Chad…"; “Riding on the bus in Columbia…"

The only real difficulty for me has been the adjustment to being a student, it’s been a few years since I had homework to do! I feel silly admitting that, since the workload really isn’t that intense and there are students who are not native English speakers and have children to take care of. Although all in all things are going very well! [Picture of some of the staff helping me celebrate my birthday!]

Praises:

- I’ve been getting along really well with Elda, who’s the only other young single woman here. Yay new friendships! Also she’s from Mexico so sometimes hablamos en Espaniol!

- The power adapter I ordered finally arrived after two weeks! (this might seems silly, but without being able to use my computer, I had no way of listening to music, which apparently I’m dependent on)

Prayer Requests:

- That I would manage my time well (I’m doing an o.k. job).

- The student team would continue to get along well and would form good friendships.