Day 3 of the Institute, The Countdown...Continues

Hi Everyone,

The institute is going well!  This is day three and we'll be leaving for the airport around this time tomorrow.  Here are the students.

What have we been up to, you ask?  We've been engaging with scholars and practitioners such as Gary VanderPol (The Good of Mission), Vince Bantu (The Bad of Mission), and Lauren Vitrano-Wilson (Mission as a Journey of Self-Discovery).  While not in the classroom, we have been talking together as a team, engaging scripture, and worshipping God.  Last night, we did a multi-lingual dance party with French, Spanish, Hatian Creole, Swahili, Luganda, and English.  Petek even taught us some awesome Ugandan dance moves.  No pictures or videos of that though. :)

Our time of dancing came after a difficult morning where we focused on what has gone wrong with missions.  From colonialism to a celebration of empire as opposed to Jesus, missions hasn't simply been a positive or easy story to tell.  Even though it'd be great to see that season as one that is exclusively in the past, we do not own Jesus' "pure" mission and are not perfect as we try to follow His mission as we understand it.  We have to leave room to repent, to mourn, and to be honest about where we and the church have hurt instead of blessed our neighbors.

We got a chance to process all of this through some art and symbolism.  We used a paper tree to symbolize our desire to drink from the wells of Jesus (using the imagery of Psalm 1), but we also wrote sins of the church, personal or corporate, on paper leaves to acknowledge that we, as a church, are often known for our faults, rightly or wrongly.  Lastly, we looked to scripture to see how God still uses us, individually and as a body, to bring healing despite our faults.  Here's an image of the final product.

"The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Revelations 22:2

Please pray for us as we prepare to leave, as we begin medication, and as we hear more specifically about ChildVoice International, the non-profit we'll be working with in Northern Uganda.  Also, please pray thanksgiving and provision for all the wonderful people who are speaking at the institute, preparing our meals, and hosting us in Boston.  

In His Care, IV in Uganda

The Institute Starts Today!

In less than two hours, our Uganda team will join a team going to Hispanolia to take part in the annual NEGII Institute.  This institute is an intense and powerful time of team bonding, training, and encouragement from speakers who have been a part of or spent time reflecting on God's global movement.

Please pray for students to bond, to be focused, to have fun, and even to rest as we learn and talk together over these next few days.

More stories soon!
IV in Uganda

Countdown!

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for reading this blog and supporting our NEGII Uganda Team.  On this blog, we will have periodic updates before we leave for Uganda and during our time there.  It will be a great way to find out more about Uganda, our partners in ministry there, what we're up to, and to pray for us specifically as we travel throughout the country.

We have 8 days before we leave the States for Uganda!  We have five days before the NEGII Institute starts in Dorchester, Mass.  I'll tell you a bit more about what we're up to in the Institute as it approaches.

For now, please pray for excitement, health, preparation, and the wisdom to start that practical preparation (I see you, laundry) as soon as we can!

Peace,
IV in Uganda