Tuesday, June 13, 2006

I want to be a missionary.

Oh, wait. I am a missionary. But this summary from Marc VanderWoude's blog on Nuno Barreto's insights on missionaries coming to Portugal is insightful and challenging to me as we move to Mexico in August.

  1. Skip Bible school; instead learn how to plant churches in real-life.
  2. Engage with the culture, but dare to be authentically foreign; don't imitate the locals.
  3. Count the cost and learn the language.
  4. Get a job that helps you meet lots of people, and join a club.
  5. Forget about targets and 5-year plans; get a (family) life.
  6. Resist the temptation of forming a holy bubble with other missionaries.
  7. Beware of support with strings attached; stay financially free to be able to move with God.
  8. When you plant a church, don't stay on as a pastor; your best gift to the church is to move on.

Be praying for us as we get ready to move there and call Mexico City our home for 3 years. We are planning on making a trip, no kids, from July 8-14 to buy a car, find a house and prepare for our family to arrive on Aug 1st.

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