Community: A place of belonging, sharing and love
All of us are a part of communities. Currently, I’m a part of Peace Building Community in Namyangju, South Korea, where family community, working community, and church community all overlap. (To learn more about us, see a description at the end.) Community is a place of belonging. I am an immigrant. When I walk around […]
Reconciling the clouds
Many ask us, "How are you adjusting as you move back and forth each year?" We often answer, "Fine." But my more thoughtful response is reflected below: Imagine that you’re seated in a fiberglass canoe, floating on a coffee-colored river that parts the thick forest on either side of you, only days after engaging in […]
Sharing humanity
I think that one of the most amazing things about humans is our ability to connect despite having radically different perspectives. In my short time and thus limited experience on this planet, I have found the value in identifying unity in humanity. As I continue to meet people from walks of life much different to my own, I’m […]
Youth Venture in Peru
Youth Venture locations this year include Benin, Indonesia, Japan and Peru. Join with others to serve, learn, worship, and build relationships in local communities around the world. Apply today!
Appreciation for mystery and diversity grow during 30 years in mission
ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Mission Network) – Linda Oyer first traveled to France to buy drugs in 1970. It turned out to be a lonely place for a young woman in knee-high moccasins and an army jacket with a black-fist logo. Dejected, she phoned a missionary couple in Paris, friends of her parents. They told her […]
Integrity on the mind
Last year, I took an English composition class. Toward the beginning of the class, I was assigned an essay with the writing prompt, "What trait do you want to cultivate this semester?" I chose integrity – and I have been thinking about cultivating integrity ever since that class. One of the dictionary definitions of integrity is “the […]
Love crossing borders
My parents were folks who demonstrated love to all. Because they demonstrated love, it continues to live on in our family’s lives. Through their love we were taught to welcome or acknowledge "the stranger." If we avoid strangers or even people we despise, we risk opportunity to witness Christ. As we reduce our speed, anxiousness, […]
Mennonites in Burkina Faso and Nigeria celebrate anniversaries
HAMPTON, Virginia (Mennonite Mission Network) – More Mennonites worship in Africa than on any other continent. In this epicenter of Anabaptist witness, Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso and Mennonite Church Nigeria celebrated anniversaries last November. An entire weekend of festivities attracted guests from around the world for both occasions. Mennonite Church Nigeria celebrated their […]
Life’s mission questioned, transformed
After I took an African Literature course, I had a 19-year-old’s arrogance to think I could be of use in Africa. I went to Paris, France, for language study in preparation for a Mennonite Central Committee assignment in Chad. But then war broke out. I became acquainted with students at Foyer Grebel. This hostel for Africans […]
The advice you didn’t ask for, but I’m giving anyway
It’s February and it seems to me this is the month when (like it or not) the world turns its focus to romantic relationships. Whether you’re in a relationship, want to be in a relationship, getting over a relationship, or avoiding them completely, everyone seems to have something to say about them. It occurred to […]
Mission worker in the Congo shared suffering, broadcast gospel
ELKHART, Indiana (Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission/Mennonite Mission Network) – Charles E. Sprunger, 86, died Jan. 9 at Dock Woods Community of Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Sprunger served in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo with Congo Inland Mission (CIM) from 1957-1972. The name of the agency changed to Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission in 1975. During much of his […]
Breath-taking sweetness in the eye of God’s storm
We love to hear about new initiatives. Stories of God’s people responding to a need inspire in a world that often feels lacking in hope. But, it’s not popular to share the end of a ministry. That could be interpreted as the failure of God’s collaborative, kingdom-building project. However, reality teaches that finalization does not […]