TO GO BOLDLY...

A missionary would not feel out of place on the starship, Enterprise. The crew of the enterprise led by captain James T. Kirk, were sent to observe and learn about the different life forms in other planets. Too a certain extent missionaries also observe and sttudy the cultures of the people they serve.

 Developing a feeling for the different personalities in the team commanded by Kirk was a key feature in the science fiction TV series Star Trek in the 60's. Kirk, together with "Spock" (L. Nimoy), his vulcan science officer,  "Bones" (De Forrest Kelly), the ship's doctor, "Scotty", the ships engineer, were some of the main characters of  the show.

Star Trek ran for only 3 seasons  before it was cancelled. My appreciation for Star Trek grew over a period of time as I slowly worked through all the episodes from the 3 seasons in Bolivia. Many of the episodes were absolute gems. Some were tolerable and the rest were above average.

Although the TV series came to an end, the mythology of the show lived on through re-runs, conventions and numerous requests for a movie and the return of the show. Studio moguls and producers must have seen the commercial value of a remake of the series. Star Trek was then brought to life in the 80s and 90's through a host of movies. A new TV series Star Trek: The New Generation also got off the ground. Before long, other spin-offs, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enteprise more than kept the Star Trek franchise  alive.

Many of the episodes from these spin-offs were superior to the episodes from the original Star Trek and the The New Generation.  Recently, a new run of movies chronicling the adventures of the young captain Kirk has made its way to the big screen!

Episodes from the original series opened with the hypnotic words (you tube clip in this post) of Kirk:

 Space..the last frontier...these are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise, its 5 year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. 

And missionaries boldly go where no man has gone before! 

FROM 2010 TO 2012

In 3 months, 2011 will make way for 2012. "Time" as the saying goes, waits for no man. Much has happened since we returned to Bolivia in December 2009.

INCULTURATION AGAIN

Michelle and I had to re-inculturate ourselves in Bolivia after two and half years in Singapore (We were in Singapore helping our son to cope with his 2 year national service obligations. During this period Raphael was assigned to work at Christ Church  parish - Diocese of Singapore).  We put aside our Singapore conditioning as we set up home once again in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It was and is not easy. Inculturation is a process. We are moving forward step by step as we find our bearings in the new situation we're in. Bolivia as well as the Diocese have gone through profound changes during our stint in Singapore. Our Bolivian colleagues and friends went through definitive life changing experiences without us. And this is a good thing although we need to rebuild our rapport with them!

The Bolivia of 2006 was not the Bolivia of 2010. A new constitution was put in place by the President and the constitutional assembly. We had read about this fundamental change in the Bolivian political landscape during our stint in Singapore. And now we were a part of this grand experiment in nation building. Bolivia  according to the new constitution is the Plurinational State of Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia). The  constitutional provisions include autonomous rights to the various indigenous groups within the framework of a centralized national entity.      

The growth in the Bolivian diocese, a blessing, has at the same time exposed our vulnerabilities: lack of trained leaders, finances, ecclesiastical structures etc.  This of course is stark contrast to the Spore diocese (which is sometimes characterized as a a well oiled machine). Working in a context where the rules and boundaries are not clearly defined is a challenge which requires lots of patience.

 BUILDING LEADERS

At the beginning of the 2010, the churches in Santa Cruz organised a successful diocesan youth camp. Participation from all the churches in the Diocese helped to contribute to the success of the camp. Michelle played a key role in the organization of the camp. The theme was seizing the kingdom.

The churches we had started and helped to build in Santa Cruz, before our move to Singapore in 2006,  learned to move on without our guidance. This was a happy development. Missionaries hand over the work  to local leadership and move onto the next phase in church development i.e leadership training and improving the quality of the churches programs. Since returning to Bolivia, I has been focusing on leadership development. I ran an intermediate course on homiletics for lay preachers. I regularly mentor pastors and meet up regularly with the leadership teams of the churches. I am currently training six couples to run a marriage enrichment program and disciple teachers in the children ministry.  Michelle continues to work in the area of the creative arts and her latest efforts in bringing banners and flags have brought lots of excitement and enthusiasm.

Michelle and I, by God's grace are the longest serving missionaries in the Bolivian Anglican Church. We've come a long way. At times discouragement sets in but we continue to trust Him in our journey to the New Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

2012 promises to be an eventful year.  My the Lord grant us the grace to move in his plan and purposes!

Keep in touch!!