Orientation - The Goods from our Perspective

Okay, so now I'm healthy and can let you know about what Carl and I have been doing this past week at orientation. It's been very busy and intense, and we are only starting the second week. I'll give you a brief recall of what we've been up to.

There were 60 orientees the first week, 19 U.S/Canadian workers, and 41 international workers, which is one of the largest group they have had in a long time. There are 11 of us that are Canadian that are going on international assignment.

Our typical day would look like this

7:00 wake up
7:30 go for breakfast
8:30 devotions
9:15 session
10:30 bathroom break and back to session
12:00 lunch
2:00 session
4:00 free time or appointments with different dept.
5:30 supper
7:00 special speaker, tour, free time
8:30 kids to bed, visit around the tables, outside etc.
10:00 head to bed

We were having a little trouble getting used to rising so early, but after a while, you get used to it. I'm kind of wondering with the one hour time change if we will ever become a sleep-in family again!

Wednesday was a very good day. The morning session was a workshop on Anti-Racism. The speakers were very dynamic and gave us a lot of think about not only in our own lives as we interact with people, but how it will be played out in our assignment. I was thinking about what type of atmosphere we will be encountering where we will be going....

The afternoon had two parts. The first was an introduction into MCC's advocacy role in D.C. Ottawa and New York. I found it very interesting. Afterwards we met in our regional groups. That evening, a speaker came and gave a very entertaining narrative about the start of MCC. The kids were all invited and quietly sat in the front (some played with slinkies) and listened. I was pretty tired of sitting, and though I thoroughly enjoyed myself, was glad when the evening came to a close.

Thursday was another full day. We had a morning session on communication, then rushed to have our family pictures taken for our cards, then wolfed down lunch, then dropped off our kids to their session (I'll tell you more about that later), then went to ours on sexual harassment.....

How in the world can you process so much in so little time? I was only able to think about what was said days after the fact. Well, at least we got a ton of hand outs for me to look at afterwards (but really, who has time to do that? I'll probably just take them along, tuck them away and then pack them up and take them home again in three years).

Friday was probably the day that gave me the most to think about for two reasons 1) I was finally feeling back to health and 2) I had time to process. The session was on Theology of Service and Peacemaking.

One thing that struck me was that I have to get out of my head that I'm going somewhere to serve. How arrogant to think that I am going to give? To impart, to impress, to impact. Maybe I should look at it as a mutual transformative encounter. A quote that was shared, though I can remember what session, but it fits nicely into what I was thinking was,

If you are coming here to serve, then you are wasting your time. But if you are coming because your liberation is caught up in mine, then come, let's discover freedom together.

And then in the afternoon, we had a sending service for those that would be leaving, those that have an assignment in North America. It was touching, and gave me a reminder that those that are working on this continent, make it possible for those of us to leave to go to another.

We have met some very neat and wonderful people. Both Carl and I have enjoyed sitting around the table visiting with people, talking about how they came to the decision to work with MCC etc. And as we talk with people we realize that not only is it amazing how God orchestrates for us to be here at the same place, he totally worked out the timing. He knew that those of us going to the same region, needed each other to serve and live more fully.

So that night, we went out as a family and drove around in circles in Lancaster county....I'm not a very good navigator, oops. But it was nice to take a break from thinking and to be together as a family. This week, the kids are only with us for a brief time while eating and then off either to a kids' session or out to play.

We were so looking forward to a quiet weekend.....