Solomon Islands Ministries...

After months of anticipation and preparation, Vanessa and I finally landed in Solomon Islands on Wednesday, 13th December to commence our appointment as the Officers in Charge of The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands.  We were greeted by a warm and enthusiastic welcome from CSM Wency Ramo’oroa and some members of the Honiara congregation, many of whom delayed or cancelled their annual trip back to their home provinces just so they could meet us!  Along with the Honiara Corps welcome party was Pastor Mary Vasula from the Honiara CRC church to greet the incoming Salvation Army Officers as a demonstration of support from the local churches.  After some initial pleasantries, the welcome party ushered us to a garden rotunda adjacent to the airport car park where Wency addressed us with some formal words of welcome, giving thanks to God for our arrival.  It is truly a humbling experience to be told that your arrival is an answer to the prayers of a congregation.

During our first two weeks in Solomon Islands we have approached our new role in a three-fold manner - Look, Listen & Learn!

Persian poet Moslih Eddin Saadi once said, "A traveller without observation is a bird without wings."  As travellers in a new land our senses have been overloaded by the reality of life in Honiara.  From the onlookers perched on top of the airport roof, to the gauntlet of crater sized potholes turning the 10 kilometre trip from the airport into a two hour drive, to the splattering of red spit all over the pavement from the incessant chewing of betel nut, the sights of this city are a world away from what is normal for us.  Yet, the moment our passports were stamped with our residency visas, this became our reality too.  The only way we are going to effectively navigate this new reality, is through keen observation that looks beyond the 'what' to see and understand the 'why'.  Only then can we effectively engage this new culture and really see where God is already at work.

One of the dangers for any missionary entering a foreign land is assuming the posture of an expert with all the answers.  There is no doubt that we have been appointed to this role for a reason and we bring a certain level of experience, training and knowledge into this space.  However, as cultural outsiders living and leading in this new environment we are barely students.  According to Andy Stanley, "It is next to impossible to hear the voice of wisdom if we are not really listening for it to begin with."  Therefore, the prayer of King Solomon feels very real for us right now - "so give [us] the wisdom and knowledge [we] need to lead these people."  Such wisdom and knowledge not only comes from listening to God but also listening to the people entrusted to our responsibility.  Only then can we effectively engage this new culture and really hear what God is already saying.

For the past six years I have been a part-time student of mission studies while leading in a culturally diverse community that has provided me with a real life laboratory to apply everything I have learnt.  This journey of learning does not stop with a degree.  In fact, as leaders "the learning process is ongoing" because "successful leaders are learners" (John C. Maxwell).  Every observation, every conversation, is contributing to our learning experience.  The cultural insiders here in Solomon Islands are the real experts and are our partners in mission.  Taking a learning posture enables us to filter everything we think we know through an appropriate cultural lens to ensure 'how' we lead empowers those with local knowledge.  Only then can we effectively engage this new culture and really discern where God is leading His Army in Solomon Islands.

Even in this short period of time, this posture of Looking, Listening and Learning has revealed to us an alignment of vision with the Salvationists of Honiara Corps and a shared desire to journey together to discover what The Salvation Army will look like as we, by God's grace, expand its presence and impact throughout the Solomon Islands.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip Reflection

Feeling Accomplished

One of the common critiques of short-term mission trips is around the immediate and long-term impact of the mission activity.  Some wonder if anything of lasting significance can be accomplished in a couple of weeks.  Others question if the money spent on the cost of the mission trip could be better utilised by sending it directly to the mission field.  While these are valid questions that should be given reasonable consideration, at the end of our three weeks in Indonesia I am left with the following reflective conclusions:

• We have mobilised a team of Salvationists from our Corps to actively engage in the international mission of The Salvation Army.
• We have evoked a spirit of generosity in our Corps and community to resource the vision of an overseas Corps and community.
• We have invested into the lives of 180 children and their families by helping to establish a school building more appropriate for the needs of the local community.
• We have partnered with a community by participating alongside them in a project that has laid the foundation for ongoing relationship beyond the end product.
• We have shared life with other Salvationists through local hospitality, mutual encouragement and pastoral ministry.
• We have been mutually enriched by exchanging broader perspectives of Salvationism through our respective cultural expressions and experiences.
• We have responded to unplanned ministry opportunities adding value to and alleviating stress from local leadership and discipleship initiatives.
• We have followed-up relationships established during previous trips through ministry engagement that continues to sow into the faith journey of other Salvationists.
• We have returned home better equipped with a higher level of cultural intelligence to more effectively engage cross-culturally in our Corps and community.

It is one thing to contribute to a mission by sending money but quite a different experience to commit to a mission by going and personally engaging with those on the mission field.  Both can be valuable, but approached with right attitude the latter fosters a level of engagement that puts relationships ahead of the task and helps to develop a level of cultural intelligence that can integrate into mission and ministry back home.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 1

Serving With Eyes Wide Open

12 hours, 3 flights and 2 time zones en route to our mission destination gave a lot of time to prepare my heart and mind for the next three weeks in Indonesia.  Apart from catching up on some sleep and watching a movie, I used the time to read the prescribed text "Serving With Eyes Wide Open - Doing Short-Term Missions With Cultural Intelligence" for the subject 'Intercultural Life, Work and Field Education' that I am studying this semester.  

This book critically evaluates why many short-term mission trips are ineffective and provides a very helpful framework to develop a level of cultural intelligence that will reposition short-term missions to be effective and empowering for both the sending and receiving individuals and organisations.

We are all familiar with IQ as being the measure of intellectual intelligence, and most would have heard of EQ that measures emotional intelligence.  CQ is a further tool to measure cultural intelligence and to adjust how we think and behave in various cultural situations.  David Livermore explores cultural intelligence through four CQ capabilities:

1. CQ Drive:  Your level of interest, drive, and confidence to adapt to multicultural situations
2. CQ Knowledge:  Your level of understanding about how cultures are similar and different
3. CQ Strategy:  Your level of awareness and ability to plan for multicultural interactions
4. CQ Action:  Your level of adaptability when relating and working interculturally

Over these next three weeks we will be endeavouring to increase our cultural intelligence by developing these four CQ capabilities so that our mission trip will have maximum impact for the people we will serve, our team and the kingdom of God.