My mom HATES that phrase.Why did you color the dog blue with chalk? It seemed like a good idea at the time? Why did you did you dig a trench and play World War 1 in the backyard? It seemed like a good idea at the time? Why did you bring home shark eggs in formaldehyde and put them in the bathroom right before a dinner party? It seemed like a good idea at the time? And yes these are all conversations my mom has had with my brother and me. But 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' is not exactly a good response when people ask you about why you decided to apply to the YAV program. In fact it is a very bad response. I'm not talking about the congregation or good friends or people that just get it, I'm talking about those people who don't understand. They hear 'mission' and think suits, preaching on street corners or knocking on doors and asking homeowners if they have been saved. Bible thumping. So how do you explain to people why you are going into the mission field and what exactly that means, in 30 seconds or less, thank you. How do you explain the YAV program to people who are unchurched or not Presbyterian? It's difficult, the perception of mission is rooted in history, shades of rice bowl Christianity, tempered by the specter of 'the great white burden' and imperialism. Impressions that are not easy to erase in 30 minutes, much less 30 seconds. I have the problem but no real solution except to keep listening and responding. I figure this will come up again with the communities I work with, but if anyone has any ideas I'm listening.
Pax my Friends,
Elizabeth
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