Today we are in orientation at MCC and will be so for the next three and a half weeks. It was good to see our children enjoying the activities, meeting new people and learning new things. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. They also have a person who is caring for them who moved to another country when she was herself a young person. She understands and will be talking with the kids about what to expect and how to care for themselves. This is what I like about orientation and what I like about MCC. It is like being with a bunch of people who are on a journey but always mentoring and discipling each other on the way. We are all on different parts of the journey of serving Christ but we can offer each other support and comfort as we serve. To me, this is Christ's body at its best and I can feel God's spirit is present.

Today we heard stories of why people have fallen in love with MCCs work, what it has done for the glory of God and why we do what we do because we follow Christ and his work. We looked over the vision, mission, purpose, priorities and principles in groups. My group was tasked with looking at MCCs priorities which is how MCC carries ot its work in disaster relief, sustainable community development and justice and peace building. It says:

Inspired by the Sermon on the Mount, we seek to follow Jesus in accompanying the poor, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted because of righteousness. 

By sharing food with the hungry, extending a cup of cold water to the thirsty, and welcoming the stranger, we join Jesus in participating in the lives of those who suffer. We show our love for others by looking out for their interests and not just our own. 

There was a couple key things that our stuck out to our group that emphasizes what or work is about. It is about participation and accompaniment. In MCC we attempt to participate with others in their suffering, bearing their burdens, not only those we serve, but each others. And in doing so we are changed, we are discipled, and we are drawn more and more to Christ and his likeness, rich, poor, black, brown, white, women, men, children, from every country and nation. I was surprised when I walked into the room to see an equal split between Asian, African, Latin American and North American service workers in the room. It was an amazing diversity of people from many countries all with the conviction of serving Christ. This sends chills down my spine and gives me so much hope. This is the vision in Revelation. This is the holy spirits work. Our work together is not just giving money and resources to those who don't have them. We were challenged in our donor relations session today that when we see the poor as only those who lack resources or the rich as only those who have resources then we diminish their humanity to what they have or don't have and our solutions come down to giving things and money. It is more then that. It is accompaniment, participation, visiting the sick, the hungry, those in war, those fleeing their lands. This is the holistic gospel that Jesus proclaimed and lived.

There will be difficult days ahead for both us and our children.  There will be days I will question this work and our decision. But today I am excited and am sure that God is present in this place and in these people.