A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

Fresno, Calif., has commented on the lopsided relationships that can develop in the missions setting. While deeply appre- ciating the missionaries who brought the gospel to her peo- ple, she is also aware of how the hardships her people en- dured have affected their functioning in the church. Most of them are poor and without educational opportunities. They 274 MISSIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF CHANGE have been oppressed by dictators and have little experience with showing initiative in many aspects of life, including the church. They have had little opportunity to assume responsi- bilities and respond to the challenge of leadership. The missionaries, she recalls, came into this milieu with a mindset of power and control. They had money. They de- manded a higher lifestyle than the local people. Nationals chosen to help were paid a small fraction of what missionar- ies received. When the missionaries start to open their eyes and per- ceive the underlying realities for what it means to live in an oppressed country, they will be able to understand and respect the suffering and revolt behind the passivity ex- pressed by the national leadership. It's a silent suffering, hopeless cry and expectation for the "better." It's not an invitation for more invasion and control. It's a cry for help, for sharing knowledge, experience and faith. When Americans understand their roles as enablers and not as rulers, and step out of their comfortable thrones, they will be able to hear the cry, feel the feelings, and work together as brothers and sisters without the fear of being misunderstood in their purpose as missionaries.54 Similar sentiments are expressed by Hugo Zorrilla, for years a member of the Mennonite Brethren Church in Colom- bia. Educated at the Mennonite Brethren school there, he lat- er earned a doctorate from the Pontifical University of Sala- manca in Spain. For five years he served as a missionary in Spain under Mennonite Brethren Missions/Services. For sev- eral years he has taught at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary and Fresno Pacific College. He writes that few mis- sionaries, despite their good motives, come with a humble at- titude ready to learn the behavior and values of the culture that is adopting them. The "incarnation," the "being born 275 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH again" into another culture after the model of Christ, Is often lacking. Nationals find it difficult to accept the lifestyle of mission- aries, Zorrilla says. While the nationals work long hours for bare necessities, the missionaries live in relative ease. Their ch