Missionary Talks 29: Jim Sloan

I am a little late on the announcement, but I put up an interview with Jim Sloan on Monday over at Missionary Talks.

Jim is a missionary whom I met some time back. Although we have been in a few meetings together through the years, I had not had a chance to really sit down and talk with him until last week. I really enjoyed our conversation.

I mentioned over at Missionary Talks that my conversation with Jim would probably change the direction of my ministry. I have already had one friend call me and wanted to make sure that I was not leaving the ministry that I am in. No, that is not the case at all. But, what I learned from Jim is how to more effectively do the ministry that I feel called to do.

My goal in ministry is to establish Deaf works and churches in Latin America. This would be done through training nationals in a short period of time using the sign language from their area. What I learned from Jim (and you can hear the details in the interview) is that I can do this without spending several months in an area all at once. He usually does 3 trips to an area to get a work started. As he lines it out, it makes a lot of sense to me. I will be advantaged in that when I go I will already know the spoken language of the people. I will not have to work through a translator, which I am sure causes Jim to have to spend more time making things clear.

One advantage that Jim has over me (though I am getting there) is age. One of the basic rules that (current) missionaries live by is that we, as missionaries, are not rulers over the nationals. We are co-workers in the ministry. With this I heartily agree. But there are times that, as the teacher or mentor, you have to take the stand that you are the authority on the subject. You are teaching someone something that they do not know. They will need to look to you as the authority, and you really need to handle that situation as if you are the one in control. Sometimes we missionaries work so hard to make the national our co-laborer, that we forget that someone has to be the teacher.

The reason Jim’s ministry works as well as it does, is he goes into the work with the understanding that he is the teacher…he is the boss. He is not there to control and make demands of the people, yet he does know how the ministry needs to work. He has a limited time to train them in the ministry. Again, I think his age helps with that.

It seems that missionaries today (and I am guilty of this) want to be the co-worker and not be the authority. But, the secular world does not have a problem with this mentality and neither should we as missionaries. A new restaurant opened up here in town recently. It was no surprise to walk in there and see a group of Americans in charge of telling everyone how to do their job. They were there to train the nationals in how to run the restaurant. When we went back a few weeks later, there were no Americans and the locals were in charge of everything. The same scenario can, and should, work in the ministry.

How, then, does this affect me? I still have my same goal in ministry, but how I go about it may be a bit different than what I had imagined. I will now plan shorter trips into areas to prepare the people before I actually get a ministry started.

It changes nothing about our ministry where we are today. The purpose for being here for so long is different than our future ministry. This is still training time for us. But, we are affectively doing the ministry while we are still studying the language and culture.

Happy 4th of July!

I spent last week in the US of A. It was a great time. Though I don’t mind at all being where God wants me to be in my ministry, last week showed me why I am glad to be an American.

It could be that I just understand the culture better, but it is my culture and it makes me proud. One cultural difference that frustrated me when I got here (and still does, but not as much) is the whole waiting in line issue. The way it is done in the United States is that people form a casual line always understanding who is in front of them. You don’t have to line up with one person’s nose stuck to the back of the person’s head in front of them. Also lines are wide. Enough for 2 or 3 people to stand side by side and talk.

Mexico works differently. Whoever has their hands on the counter is next. If you are patiently waiting for the person in front of you (which is only ever done by me) then people will lean around you to put their hand on the counter. Out of necessity, lines have to be cordoned off so that it is only wide enough for one person. Otherwise you have people pushing through the line to get their hands on the counter.

I was in a store last week where there were 6 or 7 people casually standing around waiting for a cashier. There were 3 cashiers, so we just took turns until you knew you were there before the next guy. No one complained and no one tried to cut in front of anyone else. How refreshing.

Comparatively, Mexicans stand in many more lines than we do in the US. Yet, they have not learned basic kindergarten courtesy when it comes to standing in a line.

I know that may seem like an insignificant thing to be thankful for, but after you have been pushed out of your place in line twice a day for three years, it is refreshing to be able to stand in line without being assaulted.

Happy 4th! Be proud of your culture.

Football Standings

I went to football practice last night. This is the first contact I have had with my team in almost 2 weeks. I was not able to make the last two games because of a church activity and traveling.

I found out that this weekend we won! The weekend before we lost. That gives us 2 wins and 3 losses. If we win this coming Saturday we will go to the final game. I will be able to play Saturday, but not after that. We will be going to camp during that time and I will be out of town. Even though I won’t be able to play, I still want my team to go to the final of course.

The first place team is already guaranteed a spot. I think we are tied for second. But the stats put us in third. We could still go to the final game if we lose, but the other team that shares second with us has to lose pretty badly too.

Road Runner follow up

Road Runner Sports logoI got a pleasant email from the manager at the Road Runner Sports store I was in last week. This is a follow up to the post I wrote about my good experience there.

Turns out, the manager was the other lady that helped me with my shoe fitting! She is the one who was writing down my suggestions about products they needed in the store.

Hi David,
Thank you for your kind words. I am very glad that “Mary” could help you in the store. I hope that you will continue to shop with us at our Costa Mesa location!

Thanks again, Linzee

They are moving from Anaheim to Costa Mesa. I am glad the move had not taken place yet. I would have been really frustrated had I been looking for the store and they did not exist. I did chat with a Road Runner salesperson on the Internet before going to that particular location. So I am confident they would have told me if the store was going to have been moved by the time I got there.