MCC Orientation II

It has been a good second week here at Orientation. Our seminars were focused on
issues that we will face as international service workers, such as understanding the global economy, addressing issues of culture shock and re-entry, and self-care on assignment. We had to wait until the almost the last day to be briefed on financial matters and how all that works. While the sessions have been good, it has also been information overload. I am thankful that they give us handouts that we can look at a few months from now when it may seem more relevant and helpful immediately. I also enjoyed our excursion to the Material Resources Center, a large warehouse where blankets, clothing, tins of meat, and many other things are prepared to send overseas. We saw the school kits and other kinds of kits that we have helped prepare and now understand more fully what happens before it gets put into the containers that provide a measure relief and resources for the poor around the world.

It was also a week of interesting conversations and connections. I met Odess, a Zambian who was in the USA for a year with MCC’s IVEP (Int’l Visitor Exchange Program). We were only able to chat for 15 minutes but she was absolutely delightful and it made me excited about all the other Zambians I will meet soon. I met the country reps returning from Ethiopia and valued the wisdom they imparted after several years of service with kids in tow. I also met Solomon, an Ethiopian who works with their church’s HIV/AIDS program. He was at the Mennonite Church National Conference in San Jose and discovered that he then went to Fresno and stayed in the home of Edmund Janzen, one of our college professors. Such a small world. It was fascinating to hear of the work he is doing in Ethiopia. All the Africa MCCers were invited to a lovely meal at the home of one of the Africa directors. Great stories, wisdom and practical advice was gained from this time with both the directors and their families. And then there are all the interesting conversations with the other MCCers going out: Phil and Lori (going to Indonesia), Colleen and Steve (Nicaragua), Betsy and Pavel (Ukraine), Ryan and Heather (Jerusalem), and many others. It feels like we have known Kurtis and Karla much longer than two weeks. We really hope we can visit them sometime in Tanzania. While we are already in the neighborhood, maybe we can drop in on Dale and Marika in Uganda. Jason loved sneaking up on Dale and Marika at the dining hall. It was fun for the boys, and us, to have familiar faces from church sharing this same experience. I also loved hanging out with Julie and John who are off to Brazil. John taught me two words that I will add to my international vocabulary. The first one is “bagunsa” (I don’t know how to spell it) which basically means chaos in Portuguese. A helpful word to know. The other is actually a phrase that is spoken quickly: “Bob’s your uncle” which is Australian for “that’s it”, or “that’s all she wrote.” I am learning a lot of really important things here!

Actually, I am learning a lot of important things here but don’t have the mental space to reflect on it all right now. There are three ideas that have stuck with me particularly. First, there is so much I don’t know and in my attempt to “help” I can do more harm than good. It was impressed upon me the necessity of finding a bridgebuilder (or a gatekeeper), someone who knows the culture and can teach me. I am praying that God will bring a Zambian into our lives who will talk straight to us, challenge us, and help us to see our blindspots. Second, we often go into other cultures with a tough heart and a thin skin. Instead, we need to have a tender heart and a tough skin. Lastly, we often focus on the end of Matthew where Jesus says “Go and make disciples” and forget about Jesus’ words in the beginning of Matthew where Jesus says, “Come and follow me.” As someone who desires to do good, to be of service, to make a difference, it is easy for me to resonate with the ‘go and make’ part. I am going to try to meditate on the ‘come and follow’ bit and let that swirl around in my soul as we go to Africa.

In the midst of all this, we made connections with friends from our days in Prague. We spent an evening with Greg and Debby Nichols who were in the area visiting family. Our boys were very excited to see Nic and Selina again, making them a little too hyper for the restaurant we were in but we soon got them out of there and took them miniature golfing. Julie Justus came up Friday afternoon and spent Saturday with us. We went to Cherry Crest Farms, which Peter informed me is what is known as “agri-tainment.” We were impressed with the “Amazing Maize Maze” which is five acres of of corn field with 2 1/2 miles of paths in it. It was quite hot by the time we got started and Jason was crying because he had sunscreen in his eye, and then we found out it would take 1-2 hours to complete. I cheated, um, I mean used the technological resources available, and took a picture of the maze that they showed at the beginning. We used this to navigate the maze yet we still got lost multiple times. We made it out in about 40 minutes which the worker thought was outstanding. I must admit, I didn’t reveal my secret! But that left us plenty of time to have the boys drive go-carts, hold baby chicks, sling tennis balls, and take a ride on the Strasbourg train. It was a full day and we were exhausted by the end but the boys loved it. I wish we had an extra week to see friends just a little further afield in New Jersey and Maryland but it wasn’t possible this trip. Maybe in three years.











































So now we are back home in Pasadena: a little peopled out, looking forward to a dry heat, weighing several more pounds thanks to the abundance of wonderful food, missing our friends that we made at MCC orientation, our minds swirling with details and tasks that have been postponed while away, looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family here, eager to take a swim, and tired.

Hard to believe but we leave in a month! August 18 is rapidly approaching!

Bob’s your uncle!