May Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,
As I’ve been away for over 3 months now, something that’s been heavy on my mind is the meaning of mission work and then my role as a missionary. The word carries a lot of historical baggage and perhaps negative associations with some of the horrible atrocities done in the name of God. I didn’t really know what to expect before coming to Japan to work at the Sendai Student/Youth Center. I knew that I would be asked to fulfill the responsibilities of a missionary but there really is no concrete definition for what a missionary is. I’ve had many conversations about this with other missionaries and friends outside the mission field as well.
Missionaries do many different things all over the world. Many of them are teachers of music, language, mathematics, or theology. Others are staff for faith-based or community development organizations. Of course, there are also missionaries that serve their communities as ministers in local churches. These people come from all many different parts of Japan and the world to share in fellowship with other members of an inter-faith community. There is no one definition for what a missionary is or the work that a missionary does. One thing that I really appreciate about Global Ministries and the work of the Kyodon (United Church of Christ, Japan) is their dedication to social justice issues and standing up for the Burakumin people or protecting Article 9 in Japan’s constitution.
Last month, I gave the message at Sunday worship at Shuri Church in Okinawa. I talked about redefining what it means to be a young person, American, Christian, and a missionary through my words and actions. However, it it wasn’t as if I had any grand ideas that I would be the one to do this. The most important factor in my decision to come to Sendai was that I felt I was needed. The staff here at the Sendai Student/Youth Center asked for a Global Missions Intern to come because they needed a young person to help coordinate events for other young people; they’ve needed a young staff person for a very long time. To me, the most important aspect of the work of Global Ministries missionaries is the concept of critical presence. Critical presence means that a missionary is called to serve when and where they are most needed. Also, this has been a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the ties between Sycamore in Japan.
This conversation about mission work and missionaries is a very big topic. One that probably requires a longer discussion than I’ve started here so please don’t hesitate to write me questions, I’m still thinking through these issues myself.

With Love,
SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director of the Sendei Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

Read more at: What is Critical Presence?