God gave me an amazing opportunity to go to Colorado Springs, Colorado to do something I've never done before.
In 12 years in overseas missions, I am attending Debriefing and Renewal with Missions Training International for the first time. Although our group is nearly 30 adults and about the same number of children, its a small group structure with MTI staff facilitating our debriefing and renewal. My group is 9 people.
Leading us the first day was the topic of allowing each other to speak about the bad and good at the same time. We had a "pair of ducks" that represented both desires for and against that can exist in the same heart and the same time -- living in paradox. The truth of the need to be heard without judgement was followed by sharing and listening to our stories individually.
Day 2, we dealt with stressors. It was an intense day of sharing the areas that have caused us the most stress, being vulnerable in a new way by getting out in the open stories of difficulty: life events, daily hassles, situational factors, traumatic events, personality and gender differences. Tissue boxes were close at hand as tears flowed hearing what others endured serving to share the power of the gospel in nations around the world.
The idea of realizing we are all normal people dealing with real challenges, moves the guilt, condemnation and shame out. Seeing that those things had crept in as unwanted house guests because the opportunity to talk to other people that "get you" about these stresses was hard, helped me see how the enemy had been working to back many of us into a corner, some feeling isolated and developing autoimmune diseases, effecting the skin and in the gastrointestinal system.
Although, for me, it took me awhile to understand what the objective was, after I made this discovery it helped me take off the pressure, remove some fears, some areas of hard-heartedness and self-protection. After our leaders opened up a time to listen as a group, there was a one-on-one time for each of us individually in the afternoon. Afterwards, with my leader and the Lord's direction, I went back to my room and did some more deep processing with God, that is still happening...
In 12 years in overseas missions, I am attending Debriefing and Renewal with Missions Training International for the first time. Although our group is nearly 30 adults and about the same number of children, its a small group structure with MTI staff facilitating our debriefing and renewal. My group is 9 people.
Leading us the first day was the topic of allowing each other to speak about the bad and good at the same time. We had a "pair of ducks" that represented both desires for and against that can exist in the same heart and the same time -- living in paradox. The truth of the need to be heard without judgement was followed by sharing and listening to our stories individually.
Day 2, we dealt with stressors. It was an intense day of sharing the areas that have caused us the most stress, being vulnerable in a new way by getting out in the open stories of difficulty: life events, daily hassles, situational factors, traumatic events, personality and gender differences. Tissue boxes were close at hand as tears flowed hearing what others endured serving to share the power of the gospel in nations around the world.
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| In small groups, working through some of the hardest parts of life of missions overseas. Looking at our lists of the difficulties we've dealt with. It was intense hearing how much people have been carrying. |
The idea of realizing we are all normal people dealing with real challenges, moves the guilt, condemnation and shame out. Seeing that those things had crept in as unwanted house guests because the opportunity to talk to other people that "get you" about these stresses was hard, helped me see how the enemy had been working to back many of us into a corner, some feeling isolated and developing autoimmune diseases, effecting the skin and in the gastrointestinal system.
Although, for me, it took me awhile to understand what the objective was, after I made this discovery it helped me take off the pressure, remove some fears, some areas of hard-heartedness and self-protection. After our leaders opened up a time to listen as a group, there was a one-on-one time for each of us individually in the afternoon. Afterwards, with my leader and the Lord's direction, I went back to my room and did some more deep processing with God, that is still happening...
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