Exercises in Servanthood & Submission

PCUSA describes the new model of missions with 7 key values. In our experience, 2 of those values translate into servanthood and submission. As new missionaries in Mexico, we appreciate how "green" we are. We are inexperienced, continuing to struggle with language, and faced with the reality of having limited capacity due to having a defined term of service that will end later this year. And yet, there are some ways in which our "greenness" has served us well.

Because we entered foreign missions at a time when PCUSA was struggling to define its direction, we were left floundering on our own. Thanks to the support of our own session at First Presbyterian in Mt. Airy, NC, our spiritual mentors, our families and Hebron USA, we felt enough earthly support to keep stepping forward. We are thankful to God for instilling in us a kind of faithfulness that kept fear at bay as we stepped forward in faith. And we are thankful to Pablo & Jan Feliciano, whose experience & encouragement assured us that we would be supported once we got here. So off we came to Chiapas.....unformed, untrained, virtually totally without the language, but totally and completely committed to being servants. However God, Pablo and/or the National Presbyterian Church in Mexico wanted us to serve, we were ready to try to answer.

It didn't take long to discover that part of servanthood is submission. Now....as a modern day American woman from a long line of successful, independent and accomplished women, submission is not exactly in my genes. I knew all about the paternalistic culture of Latino families, etc., but that's not really the kind of submission we have learned about. We've learned about submission to the culture...submission to the authority of the church....submission to the authority of the government. Part of our reality has been facing the choice of whether to challenge or submit when we have had differences of opinion. 99% of the time, maybe more, we've elected to submit. Those of you who know us well know that this particular aspect of missions has not come naturally or easily. And yet...we are here to serve - not to challenge the wisdom or authority of the culture, the church or the government.

At some point in our struggles with Spanish, I began to speculate that God might have a hand in our apparent inability to learn the language. Perhaps God needed us to NOT be fluent in Spanish to prevent us from being our usual assertive, outspoken selves?! We tend to be people who speak our minds....that is, when we can speak and be understood! Perhaps like the fire in Malachi 3, our years here have served to hone us with fire, to strengthen us at the same time we are being tested -- teaching us to submit and serve above all else.

For Holly & Maggie, they are faced with a real choice. They, unlike their learning disabled parents, HAVE become quite fluent in Spanish. And they too have been known to be assertive and opinionated. John and I don't have much of a choice really --- submit and stay quiet OR speak through a translator if we want to be diplomatic and clearly understood. But for Holly & Maggie, they can choose to speak for themselves because they are able. But in this culture that defines wisdom and authority by age and gender, their words would likely fall on deaf ears. The inspiration for this post is really their struggle to submit to some goings-on in their youth group and interactions between the youth, their consejera (youth counselor), and the directiva of the church (the equivalent of the session in a PCUSA church). In some ways, I know that John and I have it easier. Holly and Maggie are learning more genuine lessons in submission because when they choose to keep their opinions to themselves, their's is a more willful choice born of respect and determination to honor the culture even when they REALLY want to speak out and speak their minds.

For all the ways that God has tested us on this journey, we know that we are stronger. For all the ways that our daughters are growing, learning and expanding their perspective on the world, we know that God will use them to further the Kingdom of God in new and different ways too. Who know where God will lead us all in the future? Will God call us to another mission field? Will God call us back to Mexico? Will Holly and/or Maggie choose the missionary life? Too many questions, too few answers, but for sure the experiences here have opened new doors and new possibilities for us all.