Missionary Retreat 2022

"The Christian vision of love isn't the sacrificial heroism of the lone individual, for Jesus doesn't ask us to love the world all by ourselves. That's not sustainable."
-Richard Beck

 

This week, for the first time since 2019, our organization's missionary family gathered together from the various continents of service. We are a team who love-the-world as we make our homes all over the globe, and for one week the team got to be face-to-face again.

The home office staff (below) thought of everything so the week could pamper the missionaries, promote spiritual conversation, and simultaneously work towards organizational development.

One of the board members provided missionary care in the form of gourmet sweets:

Working hard.....

And playing hard.....

With board members, missionaries, presenters, and visitors there were over forty people involved in the week, but since some of them work in sensitive locations, these are all the pictures I can share. I hope it's enough to communicate the missions family is a loving-the-world team. I already cannot wait until the next chance to be face-to-face!

Under the Mango Tree

 "When Paul envisions Christian life, he envisions communities, not primarily individuals. He doesn't lose the individual, but he thinks of individuals-in-community. For Paul, to be a Christian is to be a brother or sister in a new family, a citizen of a new polis, a vital organ in a new body. In our parlance we might say that being a Christian is a team sport."

-Poured Out: The Spirit of God Empowering the Mission of God

What do you think when you see this photo of Sunday school under a mango tree in a distant land? Can you feel the connection? These are our teammates in faith!  Oh that we could feel how far and wide is the body of Christ and put our energy into cheering each other on until we all get Home.