Mission Team Preparation

In order to best prepare ourselves for the mission ahead the team has been studying a book together called A Mile in My Shoes, by Trevor Hudson. The book was written to teach Christians how to reflect upon their faith and discipleship. Hudson writes, "Ever since my own beginning as a disciple of Jesus, I had been struck by the fact that many of the most Christlike spiritual leaders were men and women who lived in close relationship with those who suffered." Hudson came up with the idea of the Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope, based on his feeling that in order for us to flourish as Christians we need to reach out to our suffering neighbors.

Through our study of A Mile in My Shoes we've learned how to best understand and cultivate all that God is offering through our opportunity to help our friends in Guatemala. We're going as pilgrims; we see ourselves as fortunate to be in a position where we may help others. We are not saviors. With these things in mind we approach our pilgrimage with humility and reverence.

In the second chapter we read about how to adopt a "pilgrim posture" by learning to be present, to listen, and to notice. Only when we are present in the moment can we see what God is offering us; if our minds are preoccupied with other things we may miss what He wants to show us. "Being present involves letting  go of our constant preoccupations, immersing ourselves in the here and now, and giving ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever is at hand... If we are with another person, it means engaging him or her  with all of our heart, our mind, our soul, and our strength. Such wholehearted attention requires patience, time, and  disciplined effort. And its one of the greatest gifts that we can give to those around us, especially our suffering neighbor."

In learning to listen we studied that in order to listen one must stop talking. That seems pretty straightforward, right? Hudson stresses the importance of this in saying, "Unless we bridle our tongues, stop our constant chatter, and check our tendencies to interrupt others as they speak, we cannot truly listen to one another." And in learning to notice we read about discerning what God is saying and doing in our lives through keying in on the Divine Presence. A simple way to think of this is to ask yourself, "where was God in this situation?"

So in adopting a pilgrim posture we realize that even in "every day moments" God is working in and through us for His good purpose. Every day, every second, every breath is divine. I'll let you reflect upon this and end here.

Peace in Christ,
Erika