He's not going to be called a missionary is he? This question fell at Mom´s feet from none other than Mary Frances Yates Green, affectionately known as Granfran, my grandmother. On Sundays, you´ll find this sharp-as-a-tac 95 year old Episcopalian at Christ´s Church near Ft. Frederica on St. Simon´s Island, where she remains committed to the old school liturgy of the 1929 Book of Common Prayer.
From where Granfran´s suspicious missionary question comes I cannot say, but I´ll take a stab at it. Episcopalians (I was an active Episcopalian until age 23) are not eager evangelist in the popular sense of converting souls to Jesus, and perhaps it´s that rubric that comes to Granfran´s mind when she heard of her grandson´s work plans for Guatemala. I can imagine her cringing at the thought of my preaching in the streets of Guatemala City! Regardless of how we understand what a missionary is, I´ll still address the question: Am I a missionary? Well, maybe. Sort of. Yes, but not exactly … .
Until November 11th, I continue working on my language skills here in Xela, a chilly 7,500 feet above sea level. This city, Guatemala’s second largest, sits in the shadow of the Santa Maria Volcano and serves as the crossroads for at least four different cultures: Mam and Quiche Mayan, Ladino (non-indigenous Guatemalans who identify more with their heritage of Spain and Western culture), and International (mostly comprised of Westerners like me who have come to study in one of the many Spanish language schools). So far, I’m not a missionary, but a language student and a bit of a tourist. An example of the latter: an exhilarating, exhausting, brilliantly scenic four hour mountain bike tour up and down and around an inactive volcano with a guide and three other Gringos!
On November 14th, however, I’ll begin working with Cedepca (see www.cedepca.org), specifically with their Intercultural Encounters program. I will assist this program’s director, Emerson Morales, in leading delegation groups coming from Canada, Europe, and the U.S. Technically speaking, these are missionary groups and I will be their guide in their mission experience here. So, in this sense, perhaps I will be a missionary of sorts. Yet my work and Cedepca’s work is more nuanced and ultimately more satisfying than simply helping Gringos help impoverished Guatemalans.
These groups come from seminaries, universities, and churches to interact with and work alongside people of widely differing cultural backgrounds, such as Guatemala’s indigenous Mayan people, children living alongside Guatemala City’s buzzard infested landfill, and Pentecostals living in remote villages. As group leaders, Emerson and I will not only translate for the groups, but we will also facilitate reflections on the life of faith in terms of the world’s broader realities. Whether it be through hands on work helping construct a birthing center in partnership with a local community; listening to human rights lawyers share about the ongoing issues of justice in the wake of Guatemala’s civil war; learning about the many layers of immigration and the myriad of ways to respond faithfully; or whether we wrestle with the complex issues of U.S. Free Trade policies and their effects on poor Guatemalan farmers, the Intercultural Encounters program creates sacred space where lives are transformed on all sides for the longer haul of faithful discipleship amidst a broken and fearful world.
CEDEPCA’s mission statement emphasizes Paul’s teaching the importance of the transformation of our minds (Rom. 12:2), connecting mind with heart for ever more faithful participation in the work God is doing here and now for peace, reconciliation, healing, and newness of life.
So, back to Granfran’s pressing question: Is Alan going to be called a missionary? Hmm??? How about my passing this question on to you? Does my work, inasmuch as I’ve shared here, make me a missionary? What is your understanding of a missionary? Or perhaps, Are all Christians called to be on a mission, regardless of location, age or work? Should we all understand ourselves as missionaries? I would LOVE to hear your response in the comment section below.
Until next entry, Shalom!
Alan
I strongly resisted the moniker of missionary when i was a jesuit volunteer in the marshall islands - i was there as a teacher, not a proselytizer - and i was only 21! but looking back, i do think it is true that when you act because of your faith, you are a missionary in a way...even if you don't go to a far-off place like guatemala.
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