Thoughts in Retreat

I wrote the following for a Global Ministries publication. Not sure if it will be printed as is, but it's a good insight into my trip. I hope to have pictures up soon. (I also touched on a few themes that will pop up sooner or later here.)

Most people would be surprised to learn that missionaries don’t really hang out together. We have similar callings – to spread the Good News of Jesus – but the call takes us to different places. So not only are we separated from our families and home churches, we are also separated from each other – quite possibly the only people who would understand what we’re thinking and feeling.

Of course, it’s easier to connect in this age of technology, but nothing really beats one-on-one communication and fellowship. That’s why I was so thrilled when Frank Yang sent an email inviting me to a staff retreat in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in January 2013. Thanks to my mom, I’ve known most of the UB missionaries for years, but our interactions have always been short and in a business-like context. Some missionaries, though, I’ve only read about or spoken to via email. I was excited at the chance to rub shoulders with old and new friends alike.

The week started off well with a long and winding trip up the mountain to the UB church in Loh Mah. For many of us, I think this was the first church service we’ve attended in a while that didn’t require us to do more than worship with everyone else (except Jeff who had to speak). I think this actually allowed us to engage even more with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what I love most about UBers – no matter where we are, we know we share a common bond.

As with any good UB function, we did our best fellowshipping over mealtimes. I knew that Miriam Prabhakar and I have similar wacky personalities, but I learned that Jeff Dice can hold his own in a battle of wits. David Kline and I had a nice conversation over our shared love of photography. We all commiserated with the Fiedlers’ travel troubles and rejoiced that they made it just before we all shared ministry goals and prayer requests. The Js – and there are a lot of us – claimed superiority based on our overwhelming majority. We all enjoyed meeting and encouraging the Gerlachs as they pursue a missionary career in Thailand.

And of course, there’s always more to learn. Brian Magnus, bishop of UB Canada, delivered an excellent series on the characteristics of a good leader. A good leader must show commitment to truth like Daniel and his friends. He must have vision for the impossible like Isaiah and practice faith like Joshua. His attitude, like David, must be one of seeking after God. Finally, a leader relies on God for power, like Elijah. I was so glad of the opportunity to take a step back from seeing missions as a job and instead to see it as the center of God’s will.

We didn’t spend all of our time in a conference room, though. One morning we took a boat ride up a tributary of the Mekong River to an elephant camp. I really wish someone had taken a video of the 28 of us on 13 elephants as they clomped their way up a mountain and down into a river. We had a slightly more sedate experience that afternoon at the Hall of Opium, a museum dedicated to detailing the horrors of the drug trade in the Golden Triangle. It was a part of Thai culture that most people don’t get to see. Of course, in visiting the Golden Triangle, we were as close to Laos as we could be without actually setting foot in country.

What I loved more than anything about the retreat, though, was the chance to rest. Missionaries are always on. We are sometimes the only examples of Jesus Christ that people will see, and so even when we go home, we’re planning the next ministry or meeting with discipleship partners. We’re committed to our call, but without a break, it can be exhausting. We were all incredibly thankful for the chance to rest in the knowledge that God is in control.