Preparations

We are getting close to beginning our International Gathering, so, as you might imagine, this month has been full of preparations and planning. The logistical details have, at times, seemed endless, but I have also been very aware of how I prepare spiritually for the event. 

It´s been 5 years since we last met in a Gathering like this (it´s usually every 4 years but Covid blar blar blar!) and it´s the time when we bring together representatives from all of our teams. It´s always a special time of fellowship together to worship (often simultaneously in multiple languages), celebrate, and plan. 

This time it´s also in the middle of a significant consultation as we seek to listen deeply to our members and partners about who we are and what we do. So much has changed and is changing in the world, that we want to be very proactive in listening well and adapting to the new ways in which God is moving. As part of that we are pushing some doors of new ways into mission, and so this Gathering is a key time to share those things and to evaluate and plan together. 

At the same time as deciding on what colour our name badges will be, or writing a risk assessment, this week I´ve also spent some time in prayer and fasting, seeking God´s spirit as I prepare myself for the event. There have been no great revelations (I wasn´t necessarily looking for any), but it has been important to make that physical sacrifice to focus on God, and the bigger picture, rather than getting drowned in all the details. 

I feel really excited to see all that God has for us, as we meet together. 

Historic interconnections

This month, I've been reflecting on our history as an organisation. Latin Link was created in the early nineties with a very modern and flexible structure to respond to the needs in Latin America.  That´s something that attracted me to it. For me personally, when I arrived in Guatemala (now 15 years ago), our team here had been established only a few years previously, so it has felt like we are in the early stages of making relationships with churches and projects that we work alongside, and are little known outside of that. 

But when Latin Link was created in the nineties, it was the amalgamation of 2 (or more?) organisations who I think had a 100+ years of history working with the church in Latin America (in particular in the Andean region, southern cone and Brazil). 

This month, there have been 2 events that have reminded me of that historical link - and the huge impact it has had and continues to have. At the beginning of the month in Argentina the Red de Misiones Mundiales (World Missions Network) celebrated their 40 year anniversary. Members of Latin Link there were able to attend and celebrate with them. They testify to a mutual relationship between mission agency and the Argentine church, in particular as the church has grown in their involvement in world missions, which has blessed them all. 

Last week, I was in Brazil, and was so encouraged by the Brazilian Missions Congress and the vibrancy of the worship and commitment to follow God's heart in reaching all the peoples of the world. I was introduced to a number of people representing ministries or denominations which Latin Link has worked with over decades. Some I met, mentioned the teaching or the writing of some of our retired members being influential in their development and growth. And some even traced the faith expressed in their family in their early years, from a grandparent who was converted through interactions and friendships with a missionary from the past. Many of the Brazilian leaders I met, were fruit of the efforts of previous generations of European missionaries, but were also sewing new seeds and encouraging new fruit in our members as they each use the gifts for the growth of the Kingdom. I came away with a sense of a very symbiotic relationship, in which all benefit from the close connection and interdependency. 

It was wonderful to see and hear those stories and to be a part of it in the role I play in the organisation today. It´s humbling, but at the same time uplifting to really recognise that I am part of a body - part of a greater community and church, which all works together for God´s glory to be known on the earth. 

Migration and Mission

I was recently visiting our team in Colombia, and had the privilege of being with a local church ministry for a morning, as they respond to the needs of (mostly) Venezuelan migrants. I was so impressed with their core response of accompanying people in their spiritual journeys alongside their physical journeys and needs. They were able to support people through monthly food parcels for those recently arrived, as well as ongoing support in accessing medical and education systems, and encouragement in job search or getting started in small business, and yet all of that was based around a spiritual discipleship as people found God in their lived experiences of migration. 

Since borders opened after COVID, the migration movements from and within Latin America have increased significantly. Nearly 7 million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years - that´s around a fifth of the population! It´s estimated that 1 million of them are in Colombia.

The Darien strait, an uninhabited stretch of impenetrable jungle on the Panama-Colombia border without roads or settlements, once under the control of guerrilla fighters and drug cartels, is now the place of thousands of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, as well as North Africans and others, fighting their way through the jungle with all it´s dangerous wildlife and tropical disease, as well as the threat of assault, rape and attack, making their way north. 

The USA border authorities have seen an overall increase in migration at their southern border, but also a change in the nationalities of those trying to enter their territory both legally and illegally. Just a few years ago, the vast majority of people crossing into the states were from Mexico and Central America, but now the numbers of Venezuelans, Cubans and Haitians have overtaken them, making their ¨Safe third country¨ agreements (which allows the USA to send migrants back to Guatemala and El Salvador) irrelevant for the vast numbers they are encountering now. Article - Migration encounters at US-Mexico border

All of this brings to my mind God´s words to Habakkuk 'Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn´t believe even if someone told you about it.' Habakkuk saw war and destruction around him, and asked God was he was going to do about it. God´s replies was an encouragement to keep watching, - but maybe not towards the things or the responses that you´ve seen in the past. Expect something new! I am sure that God is not surprised by these migration movements happening in our world. He is already working in and through them. 

I want to be like Habakkuk - with my eyes open, standing at my post to see what the holy spirit is doing. So I´m leaning into opportunities to be alongside migrants (of many kinds), to understand more of their experience, and see what God is doing in and through them.

Slow Travel

When I took on this new role, knowing that it would involve more travel, I made an internal commitment to myself that I wouldn't fly within Europe. Knowing that whatever other lifestyle decisions I make in order to lessen my carbon footprint, and other negative impacts on the environment, flying is the worst decision ever, and far outweighs other 'carbon savings'. In particular I vowed to myself that I would not fly within Europe, as there are various other travel options which are accessible and much less damaging environmentally speaking. And I want to make the most out of any flight that I do take. 

So I have spent the last 7 weeks in Europe, and have definitely packed in a lot to make the flights worthwhile, and have really enjoyed traveling by train, ferry, bus, eurostar and bike! 

On the 8 hour ferry from Liverpool to Belfast, I got my laptop out next to a window, and enjoyed stunning views the whole way whilst I worked! I even got a glimpse of a couple of dolphins and seals.

The shorter ferry from Belfast to Scotland was a day off so I choose to just sit in the sun and enjoy the ride.

On the Eurostar to Rotterdam, I learnt that one commercial flight from the UK to mainland Europe has the same carbon footprint as 13 Eurostar journeys!!

And on arrival in the Netherlands, the team there quickly got me on a bike! I'm not a fan of cycling in the UK, but of course in the Netherlands, the whole road system is geared (!) towards cyclists. I was very impressed with their skills - cycling whilst carrying my luggage - and cycling 2 people to a bike!

All in all, I enjoyed it!

Connecting and Representing

I have had a wonderful week in Northern Ireland, mostly at the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention. It was a privilege to be part of the annual event that has been going for decades and continues to inspire and encourage individuals and churches in their missions involvement. 

In particular it was wonderful to be able to share something of Latin Link - I am very conscious as International leader that I represent all our members and so tried to bring some of their stories and reflections to the Convention. I especially wanted to share testimonies from our Latin American members, as we celebrate their contribution to global missions. 

The theme of the week was of Christ's love compelling us - from 2 Corin 5:14, and I was glad to be able to share Pipe's story of ministry amongst young people from many different cultures in North London - how Christ's love fuels his passion and motivates him beyond human love and disappointments. And Gisele's story of helping Portuguese speaking migrants in Somerset to experience God's love and purpose in the midst of loneliness and isolation. Or Raquel's desire to bring dignity to her own people in Brazil to be transformed by God. And Miriam's experience of sharing God's power to heal the hurts of the past for women in Cuba. Or Carmen's testimony of God's provision and faithfulness throughout the Covid pandemic. And Maria's work mobilising Peruvian churches for greater involvement in missions. All these stories connect us to what God is doing around the world. 

It was also lovely to be able to meet so many of the Northern Irish Latin Link team - old members, new members, those preparing to serve with Latin Link and so many volunteers and friends. A real sense of being a community with a calling! 

 

I leave Northern Ireland with a full heart as well as a VERY full belly!

Perspectives

This last month, I´ve enjoyed being part of the Guatemala Perspectives team.

Perspectives is a course - but also a movement! The course helps ordinary Christians understand God´s heart for all the nations, and to connect and get involved with what He is already doing in the world. It´s about mobilising God´s people for His global purpose. 

Here in Guatemala, the course was first offered just a couple of years ago, and we have since offered 2 online courses. This year we went for an intensive in-person format, and had 20 students enjoying the chance to learn and understand more of God´s heart. It´s always encouraging to see how God transforms people thinking, as we study the 4 perspectives - Biblical, historical, cultural and strategic. 

This year I had the privilege of teaching a class in the historical perspective covering some of the pioneers of missions. As I prepared for the class, I was struck by the range and variety of people that could have been included. So many women and men --- in fact twice as many women than men -- who have followed God´s call on their lives, in spite of doubt and opposition from others. Several of them were actually rejected by mission agencies, but went ahead regardless, making their own road, and recruiting support along the way. So many opened doors not only for themselves and their own particular calling, but also created ways for others to follow. 

That´s a challenge and an encouragement for me, as a leader of a mission agency -- to have eyes open to what God is doing in his followers - even when it doesn´t fit into our previous model or structure. We are presently exploring one particular way to do that - helping Jesus-followers to get international jobs using their professional skills. We´re just at the initial stages of considering if and how we can do this, but feel excited about the possibilities.

Receiving the baton of leadership

It´s been a few months now since I took on the role of International Team Leader for Latin Link, and life is only just beginning to fall into a rhythm. 

When I took on the role my predecessor, Paul, handed me the baton of leadership. In fact he handed me two! Firstly he handed me the baton that had been handed to him by his predecessor, and another one before that! It´s a plastic baton filled with small and/ or symbolic items to help in doing the job of leading a mission agency with many different aspects and challenges. However he also handed me a new baton. Knowing my concern for the environment, and aversion to throw away plastic, he had a new wooden baton made and inscribed with the Latin Link logo. 

In these first few months, I've been reflecting on this balance between what is inherited in the role, and what can be created for this new season. I am very aware of all those who have gone before me, not only in leadership, but every member of Latin Link, and all that they have invested and sacrificed in supporting the Latin American church over the years and decades. But at the same time, I can see a very different world around us to the one in which Latin Link was created. The Latin American church is strong and is taking it's place in global missions, looking to partner with others. Within the last 2 years, the global context has changed so much, and the structures and practices that served us well in the past have been called into question. 

It's exciting for me to be starting conversations as we consider new partnerships and opportunities, but I try to hold that in balance with all that has gone before. In it all I want to be receptive to God's voice and his leading in this new era and situation, to discern His way forward for us.

The last few months in pictures

 It's been a while since I last posted. There's been the usual amount of zoom meetings and staring at computer screens but also a few things that make that easier to get through, so I thought I'd share a few photos with you. 

They include 

river walks,

making friends in the fields,

coastal walks,

swims,

relaxing on the beach

walking to drive-in church

housegroup meetings on the beach

sunsets

More walks and wildlife

Ultra running ..... and other challenges

I've been meaning to write a blog post for a few weeks, but felt a bit uninspired. The drudgery of lockdowns and restrictions can feel heavy, even as we begin to come out of them! 

Then today I read an article about Ultra races. In general 'ultra' denotes super long distances, but in this case, the race has a twist. There is no set distance. Instead the idea is to run around a loop of 4.16miles within an hour, and repeat it the next hour, and the next, and the next, and the next, until there is only one person left standing. The last person wins, whereas all the others are classed as 'did not finish'.  The current record is 75hours, or 312 miles. That's a huge physical impact on your body. At the same time, there is the monotony, and boredom of repeating the same loop, but also the challenge of refueling and resting enough in the inbetween moments to carry you through the next loop. Literally a case of run, eat, sleep, repeat. 

More than a year into a global pandemic with lockdowns, and loosening of restrictions, and more lockdowns, and second and third waves, an ultra race like that seems an appropriate analogy.

I am definitely not a runner. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I think running is unnatural for humans (unlike swimming!). But I was more interested in the psychology of these runners. Competitors start the race not knowing how long it is, or when the finish line will come. Actually the 'finish' banner at the end of the loop had been changed to read 'There is no finish'!. That wouldn't be out of place for how many of us are experiencing the pandemic. So how do you keep motivated when you don't know for how long your motivation needs to last, when there aren't any goalposts beyond getting through the next loop?

Those who created their own goalposts to look forward to ("it'll all be over by the summer") have generally been disappointed as dates come and go, and the situation hasn't changed, or has changed in a very different way than expected. Even as the roll out of vaccinations might be a game changer in this country, for anyone with links in other countries and who's lives involve international travel, the picture (or the finish line) is still far from clear. So what do the successful ultra athletes advise?

One runner, who came 'third' after completing 216 miles in 2019 said "We're crippled by the past and the future. What's happening in the next 10 seconds is all that I can control." 

It's an extreme example of focusing not on the finish line, but on the race itself. Not on the goal or the prize at the end, but on the present moment, or the very immediate future moments. I think it's that lesson that we are learning in the midst of the pandemic: to focus on the steps right in front of me, rather than to think or plan too far ahead. And to refuel ourselves and rest enough for the next loop. Maybe with that mindset, we might even be able to enjoy the present - in the same way that ultra athletes enjoy a gruelling race without a finish line!

 

 

Walking forwards (and backwards) into the future

Next week will mark a year since I came to the UK for a short visit and ended up staying for a 'bit' longer than expected. For most of us it's been a strange year - with unexpected changes and limitations. Apart from the concern for health, this year has also striped us of much sense of being able to plan for the future, or have control over our lives. 

Last Sunday, I was privileged to be able to share (virtually) with my local church about Joseph's life of faith. He was also someone who was robbed of his capacity to plan for the future, when he was sold as a slave. He was able to mature, be faithful to God and use the gifts he had been given in several twists and turns in his life. Yet he came to the end of his life, and asked his family to take his body back to the land that had been given to his great grandfather. He knew that God had been faithful in the detour of his life, but that there was a greater promise that he was a part of. 

I shared the modern(ish) example of Joni Mitchell. Best known as a singer songwriter from the 60's she sees herself as a painter, who was derailed by circumstance. Her songs expressed an angst and disappointment that she couldn't fully articulate in everyday life. But once the circumstance that had derailed her passion for painting was resolved and came full circle, she stopped writing songs and returned to painting. 

Many of us have put things on hold this last year, or have felt derailed or detoured by the pandemic. But there are passions and dreams that we hold which will come back to the fore. 

We try to plan for the future, but are frustrated with the niggling feeling that perhaps we can't control the future (*spoiler - we can't!). So I tried to learn a trick or two from the Andean worldview. The Quechua and Aymara groups in the Andes visualise the past in front of them (as opposed to behind us like the western culture), because they know what happened in the past, they can see it clearly as if it's in front of their eyes. They visualise the future as behind them - because they can't see it, and they don't know how it will develop. So they talk of walking backwards into the future.

In preparation for Sunday, I practiced walking backwards. I might have got a few strange looks whilst I was on my daily walks, but here's what I learnt! 

Walking backwards means that I take every step with a bit more care and attention, and go slower! That's not a bad thing. 

Walking backwards uphill (I live in Devon!) can actually be much easier and a lot more enjoyable than walking forwards uphill. The big difference is that I can see where I've come from, and how much progress I have made already. 

The practice of remembering where they've come from and what God has done in the past is a key component of the Israelites walk of faith in the Old Testament. There are several times when they set up stones of remembrance to help them remember God's presence with them in specific moments so that they could walk into the unknown future with the assurance of his faithfulness with them. 

So what are the stones of remembrance in your life?

It also made me think of reversing a car. Some of us are better at it than others, but for most of us, we need a bit more concentration and caution when we reverse, compared to driving forwards. We might get a snapshot of what's behind us in the wing mirror, but it doesn't give us the complete picture. What's even more helpful when we try to reverse, is having a friend who can see everything that's behind us, and can give us some simple instructions to follow. We actually don't need to see the whole picture, we just need to trust the one who does. 

So as we begin to move out of lockdown (again), I'm trying to put into practice these principles - in the absence of certainty for the future, I keep my eyes on the certainty of God's faithfulness in the past. And as I can't see a full picture of where I am going, I'm trusting God, who can, and learning to hear his voice as he instructs me in the way I should go. 

How are you preparing to come out of lockdown?

Signs of Spring

 In the midst of coldness, I've seen a few signs of spring on my walks...