So close

The last of my preparations are drawing to a close. There are 30 hours remaining before I head to the airport and I am so excited. It is finally here!

The weekend just past was my long awaited cross-cultural course with MIST (Missions Interlink Short-term Training) where the mix of practical and theoretical learning, as well as meeting mission-minded people, strong in their faith and passionate about sharing the gospel throughout the world, wise about there own experiences, enthused me for my trip ahead and helped me to focus and gain perspective for who this year is about. God our Father, who loves us more than we can imagine by sending us Jesus.

It was in Adelaide (a beautiful state) and started off perfectly by being able to have lunch with a friend I met at NTE (Hayley Walker) in China town on Friday. Then off to my billets for the weekend, a missionary couple from Indonesia. Saturday morning rose early to Nepali sweet beans for breaky (yumm) and met another course-goer named Kelly. She is 20 and going to Tanzania for 5 months (this is just below Uganda) and we got on immediately finding out that we are very similar in how we are going and feeling and our humour too. If you're reading this Kelly I hope you got to Sth Africa safely :)
Then onto our first morning at MIST, met altogether at around 8am and the group of us (23 course-goers) got to know each other by asking four questions (1. Name, 2. Birthplace, 3.If you could be an Olympian what sport would you do?, 4. Where are you going on mission?).
The places of mission ranged from Africa (Sth Sudan, Uganda -me- and Tanzania), Cambodia, Indo, Thailand & PNG.
Getting straight into the learning we talked about what is mission, how do you define it? and stting in groups we brainstormed words that we link to mission: service, evangelism, outreach, compassion, ministr, growth, homesick, excitement, stress, sorrows, joy, purpose, perspective, faith, love, overseas (?), confrontation, hope, challenge, culture, Jesus, change, doubt, disappointment, poverty, commitment, tolerance, sharing, learning, gospel, relationships, justice, holistic, respect, etc.

Then we had to shorten down that list to only 4 words! We came up with Jesus, Compassion, Service and Love.

Then we talked about God's heart for mission and for people to know his glory and where in the Bible mission is talked about (all over the place!/everywhere)

"Whatever you are expecting to happen will not and whatever you are not expecting to happen will", "Pray before you panic" and "go fully qualified to serve, but fully prepared to pick up paperclips" were three memorable quotes for the weekend.

Getting into the practical side of cross-culture we (women) served tea and biscuits for morning tea dressed in a burka (not easy I kept tripping over the bottom of it!) to the men also dressed in various cultural dress from different parts of the world. This was fun and certainly an experience.

We then looked at "being in another culture" and the adjustments we will haveto make and learnt about the 'honour/shame' culture. Basically it was good to be reminded that if something unexpected happens it may be simply that there is a cultural difference that you have not understood so always be humble, flexible and teachable, willing to try to understand new things each day.

For lunch the Africa-going crew went out to a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurat and agreed to allow the MIST facilitator (Lorelei, a wonderful, well travelled missionary woman and now friend) to buy us unknown food and we would just eat first and ask questions later. So we ended up having a jolly old time eating away, lively conversation and enjoying each others company finding out after that the food we enjoyed so much was crocodile, jellyfish, fishlips, beef tendons, shark fin and softshelled crab (looked like a deepfried huntsman) - all with rice :)
For dinner we all went to an Ethiopian restaurant and the traditional had injera and wot for tea(yummmy) and afterwards stepped back into Aussie culture for St Patties Day party at the Fringe Festival on the streets of Adelaide! An amazing day!!!

On Sunday we met early again and shared in Communion (breaking bread and grapejuice, as symbols of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us) together before the Church service but again it was with a cultural twist, sitting on the floor we were led through it by Barry Lock, a missionary who had been in Pakistan for 13 years, and so it aimed to be similar to what Communion would be like if we were in Pakistan :) 

After the church service (the church we were at for MIST is in a very multi-cultural area of Adelaide so again we got to share in cross-cultural activities/experiences) we continued on with the theoretical learning covering topics such as: communication, expectations & scenarios of what we might go through (if x happens what will you do/feel, etc.), handling cross-cultural conflict, culture shock, reverse culture shock (on return), re-entry (strategies to help adjust back to western culture) and packing/useful things/necessities, etc.

At the end of the course we sad somewhat sad goodbyes, we had all become suprisingly close after knowing each other for only a short time! But a few of us went to the beach while I waited for my flight back to Melb and had dinner together and prayed for each other. It was a very special weekend and a perfect one to end on as I prepare to leave my beloved Australia for another culture and what I am sure will become my beloved Uganda.

Please pray:
That I and all the other missionaries from MIST will continue to reflect on what I learnt at MIST.
That I will be able to say sufficient good-byes to the many people I am leaving here and not be too sad as I think ahead of the experiences God is about to show me.
That I would constantly be reflecting on God's grace and goodness and glory.
That I would pray first, before anything else and be steeped in God's word as I go out.
That I would be bold as I step out in faith and that God would protect me and use me to show others his character of love, mercy and grace, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Love Mel
xxx