Derek Drenth's Blog (10)

Oh man. This whole experience has been so awesome. I don’t know really what I should say now that it looks like its over for good. I guess I just hope that the trip wasn’t a one-time thing. Not that we’re all going to keep going on trips like this, but I just hope that for all of us, it was just one small piece in our ongoing walks with God and how we serve Him. (I think one of the orientation materials called it our “missional journey”?) anyway, I am very grateful for the chance to have done th… Continue

I don’t know anyone who got back recently from a trip but I know someone who is leaving soon... Rereading journals is fun and cool to see what was all written. One major lesson: that is impossible there are too many. Mission statement: I want to be committed to being the hands and feet of God in loving the world through providing materially, emotionally, and spiritually for others. My mentor and I concluded that God is constant in every culture and does the same things but can work in different… Continue

The parts of the experience that I remember the most are: -worshipping in Ugandan churches -visiting vulnerable people -visiting the hospital in Kabale -seeing genocide memorials -working with Ugandan team members These memories tell me that I enjoy and benefit from working and worshipping with people that are different from me and that I have a heart of compassion for the oppressed. I hope to be able to use these gifts to further God’s Kingdom, but in all honesty, I have no idea what I should… Continue

1. Major observation: service learning trip where we worked on projects, experienced, and lived the local lifestyle and shared God’s love with the community 2. What I would do differently: longer trip, different country (so that it is more of a cross-cultural experience for the Ugandan youth as well) 3. What went well: EVERYTHING. Enough said. 4. What I benefited: interdependency, selflessness, strengthened relationship with God, value of community and friends, God is in control, listening, adva… Continue

What I am worried about in preparations: that I will forget or neglect something What I am worried about during the trip: that I will make cultural blunders, that I will become sick, that I may offend someone from a different culture, and that I will shy away from cross cultural interactions Why am I worried? Because theyre things I don’t want to happen but I see the possibility that they will happen In what situations will I need to be strong and courageous? When I am out of my comfort zone in… Continue

The friends of the sick man set an example of perseverance, love, and faith. Not only do they work hard to get their friend to Jesus, they risk offending people when they destroy the roof and come through the ceiling. I admire their boldness, and I constantly struggle to be that perseverant. Doing something like that would be very difficult. I would probably do it for a friend, but not for a stranger. Jesus’ first concern is the man’s sin, which is different from what the friends expected. As u… Continue

I think the most prevalent factors of poverty around where I live are misfortune and a culture of poverty. I think the government does enough to support the homeless in my area, and not everyone who is in poverty is necessarily lazy. In the case of global poverty, I think corrupt government plays a large role in poverty. The disparities between North America and southeast Africa could be caused by tribal conflicts, bad climate, and a long history of poverty and poor education in Africa. A part o… Continue

Some cultures I don’t know a lot about: Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Oriental, African, Latin American. I would probably be afraid to live in the Middle East because of the violence that occurs there. A few practices/perspectives that are particular to my culture: eating lots of fast food, individualism taken to an extreme, and rationalism/situation ethics. They could be offensive to cultures that are more community-oriented or less individualistic. Some cultural biases that I have that cou… Continue

Pause moment 1: I pictured this person as a youngish white female. Pause moment 2: I guess i would probably either avoid eye contact or give him some change to appease my conscience. Pause moment 3: I would probably be suspicious. The whole scene looks fishy. If she needed it cashed so bad, why was she in a restaurant? Plus its Vegas. So yeah, i probably wouldn’t do it. I have and image of a young white woman. Leadership development activity White male: middle class, lives in suburbs, Christian… Continue

Okay first blog entry thingy. Good stuff “Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. Love until it hurts, and then love more.” -Mother Theresa “Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.” To me, that means that the Christian walk, while not “complicated”, is difficult in practice. As compared to other religions, as Christians we are not called to: • Pray while facing a specific direction. • Have ugly statues in our homes. • Or wear a turban (thankfully haha) To follow Christ, all we have to do is… Continue