The Thai that Binds- a Lesson in Contextualization

Here it is-the post about the strings...

So at METE (Missionary Equipping and Training Event), we learned a lot about missiology (the study of missions). One of the main lessons was on contextualization- translating the Gospel in words and actions in a way that can be understood by a particular culture.

Sadly, missionaries in the past have been known for trying to accomplish the 3 C's- commerce (economic gain), Christianization (making the society Christian), and civilization (making the "other" more like "us"). Forcing a change in style of dress in order to attend church, restricting "church songs" to only European hymns, and forbidding native instruments in church are just a few examples of "civilization." Luckily, many Christians are now realizing that sharing the God News doesn't mean that we have to share (or force) our culture. Part of the Good News is that is for everyone, everywhere. It transcends cultures and at the same time redeems them.

Contextualization, while a new strategy for missionaries, is not new to God. In fact, we see many examples of God explaining His love to us in ways we can understand. For example, Exodus 40 tells us that the Lord instructed Moses to set up the Tabernacle- the tent of meeting. This tent was not original to the Jews, in fact it was customary during that time to set up tents for your god or gods. The God of the Bible did not shun or forbid that cultural practice, instead He took it and gave it new meaning. Not only would His tent be a place where you could meet to worship your God, it would be a place where He would meet with you too and His presence would be visible. And He would guide you and tell you where to go as opposed to the other religious tents that could be set up anywhere in an attempt to coerce the gods. God allowed the Jews to continue a cultural practice they were used to, but to do so in a new way that fostered a relationship with Him!


So back to the strings... In Thailand, a string tying ritual has been practiced for centuries by Buddhists and animists. In an effort to ward off bad spirits/omens and/or to express well wishes and bring positive energy, Thai people will tie a cotton string around each other's wrists. It is done when babies are born, when you get married, when you travel, or any important event. An event isn't an event without strings! When early missionaries came to Thailand, new believers were forced to sever ties with anything that could be associated with worshiping spirits. Literally, they had to sever the ties. No more string tying ceremonies. The missionaries thought they had been successful at getting rid of the strings, but little did they know that the new followers were worshiping in church the way the missionaries liked and still engaging in string tying outside the church. Imagine someone telling you that in order to follow Jesus, you cannot celebrate your birthday by blowing out candles. A birthday wouldn't be a birthday without making a wish- or tying strings!

The Thailand Covenant Church has adapted the string tying ceremony for use in the church. It is no longer done to conjure the spirits, it is now "used to symbolize the tying together of brothers and sisters in Christ as well as to "tie" a spoken blessing to the recipient." An event can still be an event! A Thai person can still be Thai and a Christian. Christ is relevant!

So back to METE... To end our training experience, we participated in a string tying ceremony of our own. As we tied strings on each other, we prayed over each other and blessed one another. For days, I had a physical reminder of being united with my brothers and sisters and their sweet prayers over me. It was beautiful!






More about the hand art later...

Partnering with us...

Many of you have asked how you can partner with us-through prayer and/or financially, well you can start praying now! And as far as money goes, we will be sending out our support letters soon. If you would like to know more about what we will be doing and how you can join us, please email me your address and I will make sure you get a letter!

my email- lorishinar@gmail.com

How to become a missionary- aka- A few things I learned at METE (Missionary Equipping and Training Event)

• Where Bogotá, Karawa, and Anger are in the world
• The Evangelical Covenant Church was originally called “Missions Friends” and global missions are still at the core of the denomination’s values
• My loved ones should call “Bob the negotiator” when I am kidnapped
• The difference between “relief” and “development”
• On the enneagram, I am a 9 (the “peacekeeper”) and Josh is a 3 (“the achiever”) – which makes for an interesting marriage.
• “Stealing” has different definitions in every culture. For example if someone takes something from you without your consent, it may not be considered stealing if you have more than that person does. They are just helping you learn how to share.
• We need to raise about $140,000 which seems overwhelming, but we are not “begging for money,” we are “encouraging people to do what the Church has been already called to do.”
• Missions is simply the using of the gifts God has given me in another culture. No halo needed!
• Using my left hand or showing the bottom of my foot to someone in some cultures is worse than any “yo mamma” joke!
• “The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”- Frederick Buechner
• I have so much more to learn!!!
• I need to blog more- so be on the lookout for more exciting Shinar tales! (the above picture is of a string tying ceremony which I will blog about later- so you will have to keep a look out for it- oh the suspense!)

One step closer!

Today we got an exciting email- we have officially been approved for short term mission service in Central African Republic through the Evangelical Covenant Church!! After years of dreaming and following the call, it is all becoming a reality! We completed our applications in July, filled out physical and mental health evaluation forms, had background checks, went through an interview with a selection committee from our church, had a session with two psychiatrists, our application was passed around to several people for approval, and then we waited and waited and waited! So today feels very surreal! We are missionaries! We still do not know when we will move to CAR, but we know our next step- missionary training in Chicago this July for two weeks (with a two month old!). And soon we will begin fundraising! As for baby watch 2011- 8 more days until my due date and I am trying every home remedy to get this little one out! I am ready, but then again patience has never been one of my strong points :)! Thank you for journeying with us and keeping our family in your prayers!

The more you know... and monkey tales...

The more you know…

So as a nesting mama-to-be, the unknown has been getting to me- especially in regards to our missions endeavors. Today we talked to a Covenant representative and asked her a bunch of questions. We got some great information about what the future may look like. The next step in the application process is to meet with a mental health professional to ensure we are “fit.” Only for God’s grace will we get through this part! . After we “pass the test,” our application will be passed on to the director of missions and then to the Africa missions directors for their approval which usually takes a few weeks. So we should know for sure by the end of the year. We also learned that the missionaries in Central African Republic have already been contacted concerning us and were “excited for us to come.” So this told us two things: our assignment will be CAR and we have their blessing! Once we have officially been approved, we can start fundraising. The Covenant person gave us a very rough figure- about $100,000 for the two of us for two years. This includes all of our traveling expenses, health insurance, housing, etc. The figure is actually half of what we thought it would be- so that is nice. In order for us to start our two year journey, we will have to have 85% raised through either upfront gifts or pledges. If we don’t raise it all, we will have to continue fundraising from another country. I am praying for 100% so that way we can focus on our training. Speaking of training, looks like our first training session will be in June in Chicago. This is Covenant annual training for all missionaries. I look forward to meeting people like us going all around the world and to getting prepared for our mission, but it shall be interesting with a 2 month old! Our training will continue probably in either France or Belgium for French language school for 3-4 months. Then a few more months of language study in CAR. Then the real work begins. Looks like the earliest we would leave for language school would be Fall/Winter 2011. I would like to push it back a few more months to January 2012 so that we can spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with family- especially since it will be the first Christmas with the new baby! But I pray that I will be content with God’s timing- whenever that may be!

Monkey tales…
As for the little monkey- I am 16 weeks and feeling great. I have felt the baby move a little bit. It feels like tickling, but from the inside. It is kind of weird and exciting at the same time. We will find out in 1 ½ weeks whether we are having a boy or a girl! We have also started the process of getting the baby room ready. We are converting my office to the nursery which means I have done a lot of rearranging of my stuff into other rooms of the house and also letting a lot of stuff go (putting it into boxes for a yard sale). Which has made me realize how much junk we have and how little we will be able to take with us which is a little sad, but mostly freeing. Today, Josh set up the crib! That made having a baby that much more real!

A little monkey on the safari!

As you probably know by now, we are pregnant! I am 16 weeks and feeling great! One of the first questions people ask when we tell them our good news is, “Are you still going to Africa?” Most people, Christians included, are surprised to hear that this little monkey was all part of the Africa plans. Have you met my engineering husband? We Shinars plan things! We found out we were pregnant a week after we mailed our missions application into the Covenant office!

Yes, that is right- we have officially applied to be missionaries! So far, we have completed the in depth application, background checks, health screenings, and integrity questioning. The application questions included: “Please tell us about your Christian conversion and Christian experience,” “How have you participated in the church?” “What plan do you follow in maintaining your devotional life?” “What is your position on alcohol, tobacco, and drugs?” “What motivated your missionary concern?” in addition to questions about how much debt we have, school grades, and work experience. Then there was the health screening which included crazy detailed questions like “Do you floss twice a day?” “Have you ever had a sunburn?” and at least 20 questions on our sex life! There are definitely no qualms about asking personal questions. The integrity questionnaire asked if we had ever had an affair with someone in our church, if we have ever sexually harassed anyone, if we have been fired from a church for sexual reasons, if we have ever been arrested, if we are attracted to people of the same sex, opposite sex, or both. I see that these are all important questions, but I was just surprised and saddened that they had to ask them. So now you know the preliminary questions to being a missionary!

The next step on our journey is a church interview. A small group of people from our church need to ask us some questions, give us their blessing, and recommend us to the mission board. The person heading the interview has already told us that it will be more of a time of affirming our call and praying for us rather than raking us against the coals.

What happens after that? Well, we are not too sure yet. There are still many unknown steps on our journey to Africa. I feel like Peter stepping out of the boat. Jesus has called and I am responsible for making the first step. What happens after that is up to the Lord! But to be honest, not knowing all the details can be a little frustrating for a mommy-to-be in the early phases of nesting mode! Here is where the trust part comes in!

We would appreciate your prayers in the following areas:
- for the health of the baby
- trust in God during the process towards becoming missionaries
- peace in the unknown
- that we will have plenty of time in the States after the baby is born to recover, get used to parenthood, and spend time with family
- for the preparation of us to spread God’s love
- that God would prepare the hearts of the people we will encounter

One step closer to reality!

One small envelope for the postman and one giant milestone for the Shinars!





We sent in our application to the Evangelical Covenant Church to be real missionaries! Finally!

And what a humbling process that was! The first few questions were easy- name, birthday, address, and that kind of stuff and then height and weight (ouch). I guess they have to make sure you can fit in an airplane or boat. Then the meaty questions (here are some of them):
- Give a statement of your conversion experience and your Christian experience.
- How have you participated in the life of the church?
- List your practical experience in Christian work.
- What plan do you follow in maintaining your devotional life?
- Explain your personal position and practice regarding the use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and narcotics (unless prescribed by a doctor).
- How does your life style differ from the life style of the world?
- Are you willing to give up personal habits or attitudes which might irritate or offend fellow missionaries or national Christians and which might lessen your influence as a missionary in certain situations?
- What influences have led you to consider overseas involvement in the mission of the church?
- What motivates your missionary concern?
- What is the extent of your financial indebtedness, including school loans?
- How are you planning to meet this obligation while you are abroad?

So we have completed the first step of many! What’s the next step you might ask? Well, our application will get reviewed. If we meet all of the requirements, we will have further interviews, psychological and health testing, and then we would need an invitation from the host country (the mission already established in the country). The ECC is working in 7 counties in Africa- Burkino Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, South Africa, and Sudan. Hopefully God will lead us to one of these! Once we have a destination, we need to raise money and have orientation. With the ECC, we will work for the first 2-3 years as “short term missionaries” or “project missionaries.” After that time, we can be considered for positions as “career missionaries.” That is our goal- we want one way tickets!