Magzania

This is not what I planned to blog but ... I was in a large group of GETI participants yesterday afternoon that had 30 minutes to plan an hour and a half interpretive presentation for the whole conference tonight. It was very frustrating yet revealing. It worked out to all the Europeans and Americans sitting around the table with everyone else around the periphery. The conversation mostly stayed around the table. There was no leadership and too many abstract  ideas. We quickly realized we weren't going to complete the task in the time. Emotions were high and agreement, low. Finally someone organically stepped up as the "stage manager", giving some cohesion to the ideas. Then, we had too many Americans and Europeans participating so they started to ask for only Asians and Africans. In some of these cultures, speaking up and out is not the norm. I wanted to participate but I was eventually edged out because I'm white (although I was replaced by a german). There is also ...

One of the interesting things about my program is that not only are we immersed in Tanzanian language and culture, but there are also 40 other countries represented too. At any time, you'll hear multiple languages spoken, and see different customs and attire. I am now friends with people from places that I knew nothing about. Today we learned about sustainability and justice. Students of GETI 2018 planted trees as part of a Service Learning day in our study program. The trees mark a symbol of unity, and of working together for a greener planet, and a sustainable future. Our little guy "sprout" was planted in a swamp though. While planting these 12 trees may not be a big deal for the planet as a whole, this event helps make us aware that we are caretakers of the world that God has given us. We also had three more lectures on mission and evangelism. My favorite was a feminist interpretation of the Women at the Well. Then we went on an exposure visit to the dioses. We vis...

That is our theme for GETI2018. I had an interesting night sleep but felt more energized today. I forgot to include this yesterday but we learned about the Talanoa method from the Pacific. The basic idea is that you create space to create a connection with another, taking time to understand their story of who they are and where they come from. We had three presentations today - each with three presenters. We covered African theologies, world Christianity, and interreligious dialogue. The highlights were hearing from John Mbiti - "the grandfather of Africa theology"; and a presentation on trauma and healing from Indonesia. It starting pouring on our walk to lunch, and myself, my books, and my phone are all soaked! I am highly impressed by everyone attending, and presenting at this conference, whom are non-native English speakers! Each morning and afternoon, we have prayer. It is really powerful to hear everyone praying the Lord's prayer in their own languages. We ended...

One week until I embark on this amazing adventure! I am getting so excited! I wanted to provide some more information about the program - specifically, our assignments and composition of small groups. I also reflected a bit on my hopes for this experience. At the end, I have included the link and lyrics to the theme song of the CWME (Conference for World Mission and Evangelism) Letter-Writing As part of the requirement of the GETI program, we are asked to complete eight pre-assignments -  using one of four tracks: letter-writing, creative writing, visual and bodily expression, and academic writing. I have chosen to use the letter-writing track - my letters will be written to American youth and young adults (millennials) who are resisting the North American church.. I think this will be a good platform to share some of the good news happening in the non-western movement of Christianity, to provide hope for the place the protestant church finds itself here in the US (declining in ...

A journey that began five years ago with a sense of call to be a missionary in Africa, that eventually led me to serve in Montana as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) through the PCUSA, is now culminating in the opportunity of a lifetime! This summer I applied, and was admitted as a student to the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute 2018 from March 5-12 in Arusha, Tanzania! The selection committee was composed of members from the World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, and the Network of Institutions of Higher Ecumenical Theological Education. Additionally, I received a scholarship through the YAV program/Presbyterian Mission Agency to cover the full cost. The students will arrive from different parts of the world and form a group of up to 120 advanced young students of theology. We represent a variety of countries and church traditions with an interest in gaining insights into the ecumenical movement’s current debates on understanding and practicing mission in vario...