Missing Peoples - Church Planting in the Muslim World

I've been following the Cape Town conference in South Africa through videos/blogs found at http://conversation.lausanne.org. This video especially struck me. There are about 300 unengaged Muslim peoples in the world, and God is moving among them! Watch it to the end and you'll hear how local churches in rural Africa are mobilizing people for missions. The Nigerian church is committed to mobilizing 50,000 Nigerians to go to the Arab speaking Nigerians. This is phenomenal. Peter Tarantal (OM International) tells about a small, poor rural church that is supporting a missionary by selling their clothes and fasting.

 

"The Africans are coming!" - Peter Tarantal

Check out the site. You'll be informed/updated on all the leading issues the church is facing today, particularly as it grows in the southern hemisphere.

Assignments on My Mind

How would you define career? I kinda see career as the thing that takes up a person's time for which he or she is trained or being trained... or maybe it's just something that a person does to contribute to society (or even just themselves, I suppose). I'm not really sure. Anyways, for me, I like calling better, or maybe assignment. Beyond my role in WMPL Communications or my training in Linguistics, I recognize a string of "assignments" in life to which I am held accountable. These are my passions. My burdens. My joy.

Assignments on My Mind

• Set the Lord and my husband in the center of my life
• Create a place of refuge and love for those who live in and visit our home
• Recognize and act in ministering to needs at Hope Lutheran Church, Minneapolis and the Church at large
• Seek opportunity to share Christ with and pray for those who don't know Him and to encourage those who do
  
• Communicate the mission of God and the message of the World Mission Prayer League to the best of my ability
• Pursue information and opportunity for service in Bible translation/engagement

I found this list of 5 Career "Super Foods" from this random article by Lindsey Pollak. As I think about several somewhat-career-like issues in my life, these sorts of lists are helpful for me.

1. Daily Goals. "[S]et small, daily goals that will keep you moving forward. Big goals are important, but small goals get the job done."

(Check out this blog post.)

2. News. "[I]t’s crucial that you keep up with world news, national news and the news of the particular industry you want to join. We live in the Information Age, so the most informed people are the ones who are most likely to succeed."
3. Coffee. "While the actual caffeinated stuff helps a lot of people achieve their career goals, what I mean here is getting together with people for coffee -- also known as networking."
4. Mentors. "They are people who have “been there, done that” and are willing to share their wisdom to help your career grow. To receive the maximum benefit from a mentor, be sure to set up regular meetings... bring specific topics or challenges you’d like to discuss for each session."
5. Responsiveness. "With the amount of e-mails, LinkedIn requests, Twitter direct messages, voice mails, text messages and IMs we all receive, it can be hard to get back to people in a timely way. But those who are responsive -- especially to important requests and time-sensitive opportunities -- really stand out from the crowd."

What's it like being an MK?

Disclaimer: I edited portions of this post after receiving two very different responses. I do not intend this post to be offensive, hurtful, or sarcastic. It is simply to help you see into a mind of an MK and understand the deep sense of identity the label MK has.  -------------  This is probably the most frequently asked question of an MK apart from the impossible Where are you from? question. Uh, global citizen? My sister recently wrote on her blog, "They wanted to know what it was like to be a missionary kid. I would like to know what it was like to not be one." Seriously.  I'm an MK, or more specifically a TCK (third-culture kid). This doesn't mean that I grew up in a third-world country, though I did. It means that I've grown up in at least two different cultures, and  live a third. A culture that only fellow MKs will ever be able to relate to. We share in the identity crisis, the homelessness, the reverse culture shock... the rich childhood.  

   I can't tell you how many parents of MKs beg me for advice on how to relate to their child. I may have never met their child, I may never have been to their country, but I have a pretty good idea of what their dealing with. Any MK would.  One thing that most MKs have in common, is they love to talk about their experiences... only if they are certain they won't be ridiculed or alienated. The question What's it like being an MK? is typically interpreted differently by an MK and non-MK. To the non-MK (the ask-er) it may be a question about an experience similar to asking What was it like homeschooling? or How did you feel about moving as a kid? To an MK, the question is one of identity and can be difficult to answer. It sounds more like What's it like being American? Imagine answering that or What's it like not being an MK? Here are some questions that might make a conversation with us easier.  What do you miss most about the country you grew up in? What was the first thing you noticed when you returned to the States?What do you find disturbing about the American culture or political system?Would you tell me about your childhood best friend?   Try it sometime.  If you want to discuss identity with an MK, here are some suggestions: 1) Take him/her to a ethnic restaurant with familiar food. 2) Allow plenty of time. 3) Help him/her feel safe. 4) Find common ground, maybe with discussion on how his/her identity and experiences have influenced spiritual growth. 5) Share what it is like not being an MK (it might be difficult).   

    For those of you who are trying to relate to you MK friend or child, there are two realization that completely changed my life, freed me from anger, and gave me confidence and a sense of belonging.  1) My identity is in Christ.2) My home is in Heaven.    These, my friends, will never change -- no matter where I move, no matter what language I speak or use to communicate with God, no matter who my friends are or aren't, no matter how alienated I feel.   

   P.S. Here are a couple links that might help.  TCK Glossary Terms
Third-culture Kids