Missionaries and learning from other cultures

No, this is not one of those syrupy posts about learning from other cultures. But, it is a reminiscence of an encounter I had with an older Quechua man up in the Andes mountains. For those of you who are not aware, my wife and I were missionaries in the southern part of Perú in the Andes mountains. On our second term there, I ended up traveling into the Colca Canyon to a village called Choco every... [Read more]

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Tony Campolo, Glenn Beck, and heresy

Over the last couple of days Father Orthoduck and I have been discussing short-term missions, theology, and social justice.  Let me now return to short-term missions with a quote from the article by Tony Campolo that was cited earlier. In this quote, Tony Campolo provides the link between Glenn Beck’s disdain for government and private donations to organizations that serve the poor. And, if... [Read more]

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Short-term missions, social support, and Tony Campolo

I am a supporter of short-term missions. However, my blog post of the day before yesterday did not make that clear. I have seen at least two people called to long-term missions because they served on a short-term mission team. My problem is not with short-term missions per se. My problem is with under-trained teams who come over and cause multiple problems to the missionaries in residence and who expect... [Read more]

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Learning about whom we visit in short-term mission

In January of 2009, I posted a blog on what we can learn from the poor. I talked about Fr. Alejandro Mesco and what he had taught me about sharing the good things that the Lord gives us. Just today, I read an article in Mission Frontiers which is a magazine of the US Center for World Missions. It is found in the column titled Further Reflections and the particular article is called, Learning the Lay... [Read more]

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On ch’uspa and belonging

How do you know when you belong? There are many answers, but I know exactly when I knew that I belonged in the town of Choco, and it had to do with a ch’uspa, a bag, similar to the one that you see pictured with this post. [For those of you who do not know what Choco is to me, look here. I also detailed something of the Choco mission in my posts in the first week of April 2009. So, what is a... [Read more]

Shoes of peace

Shoes of Peace Yes, that is my hand holding the separated heel on a hiking boot. It has been cold in Florida the last few days, so I thought that I would put the hiking boots on to keep my feet slightly warmer. But, when I went to put on my size 7½ hiking boots, I realized that the heel was separated from the main body of the boot and that the cushioning was crumbling. I know I have to dispose of... [Read more]

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I think they are missing the point!

Did you ever get the feeling that someone was really, really missing the point? I mean did you ever read a newspaper story and wonder whether the persons involved really realized what they were saying? Well, the story below was found by Father Orthohippo. He found it on a blog. However, I present to you the original story from the newspaper called the Tucson Citizen. The story dates back to January... [Read more]

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The Choco mission and the inner city

I suspect that this will be my final post, at this time, about the Choco mission. But, I wanted to point out that there is a relationship between the Choco mission and the work that my wife and I were involved with in the inner city. Unfortunately, it is a sad relationship. I am talking about the inner city in the Birmingham, Alabama area. You see, after we finished a decade in South America, we decided... [Read more]

The Choco mission, part 05

In my previous post on Choco I mentioned that, “I now look back and wonder whether or not there was truly something calling out to me that night, something that was not of God, but also could not harm a servant of God.” The reason I mention that is the following story from the Choco mission. I have already mentioned that Choco suffered a terrible tragedy, on the night the side of the... [Read more]

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The Choco mission, part 04

One of the things one learns in foreign missions is the difference between the classroom and what actually happens. Classroom situations are always written after the fact. And, we all know how easy it is to look by and analyze a situation by hindsight. Nevertheless, the classroom learning does help to prepare one for the unexpected so that one can at least have a fighting chance of saying or doing... [Read more]