Magzania

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...

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...