SHANNON’S CORNER
I remember the many times of touring the Franciscan Monastery in Lima, Peru, seeing the beautiful artwork and cathedral. One part of the tour is to go down into the catacombs. As you walk down you get this damp, musty smell that greets you. The lighting is very dim, and it is pretty solemn. As the guide is sharing about the history of the catacombs you are walking in between rows of dry bones that go three to four feet deep. Most of the bones seem to be from the arms and legs. Then you walk over to this big well-like or cistern like object and look over the edge and it is filled with skulls. I know that this was their cemetery but it just felt so strange to walk among so many bones and I know that what we saw were not all the bones that were there in the catacombs just what was on display for tourists to see.
When I read the passage in Ezekiel 37:1-14, God leads Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones. It makes me stop and wonder what Ezekiel was thinking and feeling that God would bring him to such a place. God asks Ezekiel if these dry bones can live. Ezekiel’s response to God is that only He alone knows. God had Ezekiel do a couple of things regarding these dry bones. Under the first prophecy the dry bones come together to form a body. What a sight to see. Maybe a scary or eerie sight to behold. Then you still had these bodies that looked real again yet were still lifeless. Under the second prophecy breath entered the dry bones and they came to life. What wonder and awe Ezekiel must have felt to see firsthand God’s power on display.
I helped in debriefing a missionary who had served 17 years in Jamaica. As she was sharing her story, the people she served and ministered to, how God used her giftings, and how God grew and matured her she was having difficulty in passing the baton to someone else. I could empathize with her and had compassion on her because there were sometimes when I felt the same way. The releasing of something you had toiled, sweated, and poured into is not easy. In a way it becomes your “baby”. Not knowing if the person following you will be as devoted in continuing your work. It is especially hard when there isn’t a person who will take over your ministry and so you are passing on the baton to the Holy Spirit to continue the work. Why is it harder for us to pass on the baton to the Holy Spirit than to another person? I believe not only from my own experience but also in hearing the stories of other missionaries, that it is because our identity gets so enmeshed with the work, we do that we do not think someone else or even God can do it in the same way we want it to be done. We limit God. Yet it is God’s ministry not ours.
Through the lens of this missionary leaving a ministry she so dearly loves because God is calling her to something new and yet is having a hard time letting go, we mediated on this passage from Ezekiel. What we gleaned is that even if the ministry does not continue in the way she has poured into it these last 17 years or even if it would come to a screeching halt and die that God can breathe life into it. It is His. As God tells Ezekiel that He would bring His people back to Israel and then they will know that He is God. Our ministry and work are not about us but God. It is to God’s glory not our own. So, who better to pass the baton to than the Holy Spirit?
What valley of dry bones is God leading you to in order to draw you to him, to know He is God and to give you hope?
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Debriefing at the end of service is a healthy step to be able to process your time in the host country where you served. It helps to bring closure, so you do not get stuck in the past and miss out on the present. In Isaiah 43:18-19 it says, “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Are we willing to let go and see the new thing God is doing?
Unfortunately, most mission organizations do little to no preparation for missionaries to re-enter their passport country compared to all the preparation and training that happens for the missionary to live in their host culture. There are times when a missionary is not able to plan their re-entry due to a pandemic, crisis, or not getting their VISAs, etc. Thus, making re-entry even more challenging and sometimes very lonely and isolating for the missionary. I am in the process of developing a training on re-entry in order for missionaries, mission organizations, churches, even family and friends of the missionary to be better equipped and aware of what re-entry is, how it can impact their personhood, how to care and support your missionary during this re-entry and some practical things to help for a gentler landing. Stay tuned if you’d like to know more about re-entry.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Praise the Lord for a beautiful time with debriefing a missionary at the end of her service!
Praise the Lord for Theo’s 5th birthday party!
Praise the Lord for the birth of baby Job Grandez the son of Ricardo & Karina – BCM Peru!
Pray for my broken foot (Jones fracture) – quick healing – doctor’s appointment on July 29th.
Pray for church community.
Pray for development of new trainings.
Pray for wisdom and discernment as I meet 1:1 with people.
Pray for Cherry Run Camp – July 31st to Aug. 8th.
Pray for missionary family debrief Aug 11th-13th and I will be working with their 3 children (ages 3-8).
Pray for the training I am doing with missionaries at BCM Peru on July 26th.
Shannon Eaton
5055 Stacey Drive Apt. 1604
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(724)967-1437
Email: shannon.eaton76@gmail.com
Facebook: Shannon R. Eaton
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