Partners, not supporters

A friend was speaking to a group about preparing to move, as a family, from Melbourne to a location in the Middle East.  The preparations for this move included a call for individuals and groups to commit to stand with them in a special partnership that is achieved through pr_yer, practical concern, and financial support.

As our friend explained what is meant by this special partnership, I was confronted in my mind with the reality that a partnership is a two-way relationship.  A partnership only works if both partners are engaged in whatever is happening. 

I reflected on the little cards I have had, over the years, with family groupings of xn friends and acquaintances who are serving our L0 overseas.  The current ‘batch’ are lined up on the side of the fridge, each with a little piece of magnetic material stuck on the back to keep it in place.  There are several young families, eagerly setting out on a journey that includes both challenge and excitement.  There are other couples whose children have left the family nest, and who continue to work in remote and needy areas.  Their fields of expertise range from health professionals, to teachers, to agriculturalists.

There is nothing new in this for me, having ‘supported’ m1ssos all my life.  ‘Partnership’ is a fashionable word of today, while something else would have been used in previous generations.  I remember hearing many times, for example, “Some can go, some can give, but all can pr_y.”  I used to wonder why it felt that pr_ying was the catch-all backup position that was not as important as the previous items on the list. 

Having spent all my life in the terrain of caring about and ‘supporting’ friends who have gone overseas for professional or ministry appointments, the new thought that had been triggered in my mind by reflecting on the partnership concept was, “In what way am I demonstrating an ongoing commitment to partnership with this particular family?”

Xn workers who move from the relative safety and comforts of a home and employment in Melbourne (or wherever) to a m1ss project or appointment in (usually) a developing country face all sorts of cultural and language adjustments, health challenges, lifestyle changes, and other hurdles including home sickness.  Those who are ‘partnering’ them in Melbourne may have a picture of them on the fridge, may pr_y for them regularly, may contribute regularly to their financial needs, but have no experience of dislocation and isolation in a resource-poor setting.

The members of the partnership who are moving away from their home are usually highly disciplined in writing a letter that is distributed to all supporters – or partners, should I say?  In today’s world of electronic communication, the message is sent instantly. 

The members of the partnership who do not move, who do not face language learning, contaminated water, and all the rest, may not be as committed to writing about how they are progressing, how their work is going, or what aspects of their lives they would appreciate sharing with their friends.

The fairly obvious conclusion I reached in this moment of introspection is that if I agreed to enter a partnership with someone who is engaged in xn m1ss work, then I should also be prepared to share my life, writing letters regularly, just as the distant partner does.

Joy Johnston