The major learnings I took from my recent mission trip are:
- The importance of household
- The importance of planning
- The community is global
A household is the bread and butter of our community. It is the building block of any type of community structure but more importantly is one of the most intimate ways to experience and share Christ in our community. It also provides a way as leaders to pastor and nurture their members. Without consistent households, service can easily be something that is forced upon us rather than a response to a love that we have experienced. The great blessing about Malta is that their culture promotes the importance of family. This inspired me to carry it into my future vocation as well. There is a saying, “we cannot give what we do not have”. Households are meant to exchange love intimately within the community.
Planning ahead can really help in direction and goal setting. It allows us to be strategic in our pastoral efforts as well. It helps people to make commitments to specific events, trainings, and to the community as a whole. We are also able to look back on the year and see what practices to continue as well as tangible ways to improve.
It is very comforting knowing that our community is global. This is especially true for smaller areas or areas that are isolated from other members. Without proper pastoral support, ministry directions or manuals can be challenging to follow. It is easy to get caught up in following the community, to the point that we begin following people. When we follow people, we might get discouraged or upset when they do not meet our expectations. This is where, I believe, a Full-time Pastoral Worker can be a blessing. He/she can explain the Spirit behind the manuals, events, culture and overall community. He/she can be the link between the local community and global community.
Spending 4 weeks in Malta has reminded me that Christ has no boundaries. Cultural, language and ethnic differences cannot stop the sharing and exchange of God’s love, especially through the community. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet new people and learn from them. I am now inspired to go back and to share the same passion and love for God wherever I go. May God be forever praised in Malta!