What does it feel like to prepare for intercultural work ? Great question ! Suzanne is getting ready to serve overseas , and here she explores what it feels like to live in the inbetween world of preparation .
Preparing for intercultural work is many things but very rarely boring ! In a way , I ’ ve been doing it for the last 12 years , and yet new emotions , experiences and questions always find a way to appear .
Suzanne is a wonderful young woman preparing to serve with the team in the Silk Road Area . Her heart is to see K people transformed by the good news of Jesus .
Suzanne is seeking individuals and churches to partner with her prayerfully and financially . Could this be you ?
www . baptist missionaustralia / Suzanne
I heard the call to mission when I was 16 . On a Christian camp , I prayed a scary prayer . I said that my life was God ’ s . If He told me what He wanted me to do with it , I would do it – no asterisk , no take-backs .
I ’ m 28 now . Each of those 12 years have been part of the preparation that eventually led me to Baptist Mission Australia and the Silk Road Area . And the preparation isn ’ t finished yet !
Here ’ s a snapshot of how I have felt while preparing :
Balance and Patience
When you ’ re preparing , you live in the land of inbetweens .
Inbetween jobs and roles : Balancing the responsibilities of finishing my work as a teacher in Australia well , while starting to transition into a host of new opportunities , tasks and things to learn on the Silk Road .
Inbetween communities : Finding ways to cherish and value the time I have left face-to-face with loved ones before I go , while building friendships and getting to know new team members and people from my future host community .
Inbetween places : Boxing and donating the parts of my house I won ’ t bring with me , while checking Silk Road weather forecasts and imagining cycling to the bazaar .
It ’ s in the inbetween that I ’ m learning patience when I ’ m itching to finally join the team . My timing is not the same as God ’ s and He is under no obligation to keep to my schedule !
Excitement and Grief
When you ’ re preparing to serve interculturally , you ’ re preparing to be welcomed into a range of new spaces and opportunities to share God ’ s love . That ’ s exciting !
I pray for and anticipate the friends I ’ ll make , the adventures that await , and the feeling of finally reaching the destination and starting the new chapter !
The other side of the coin , though , is that I am keenly aware of how much I ’ ll be saying goodbye to , even just for a few years .
My Bible study group , bushwalks , seeing the first class I taught graduate , family dinners , getting to hug a friend or sing Christmas carols in the town centre – these small blessings will be a lot further away next year .
So even as I feel excited , I am grieving a little too . Grief isn ’ t a bad thing . It grows gratitude for all that God has given and trust in all He is yet to give .
Preparing is a whirlwind , but so is intercultural work ! Above all else , I feel thankful that it ’ s a journey we never have to walk alone , but hand-in-hand with the God who calls us .
RESONATE ISSUE 40 | PAGE 16