"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good."
-Storypeople
In the past, missionaries were often known as people who would go into different communities with an agenda: to convert as many people to Christianity as possible. This was often done in a way that brought little respect or even thought towards "the other's" cultural or religious background. This caused many people to have the view that to be a missionary is to be a bad thing. This is why the ELCA is trying to change the view of missionaries through having a model of accompaniment for global mission.
Accompaniment, in basic terms, means to walk alongside, to work together, to grow together, to learn from one another. Unlike going in with an agenda, someone who is a missionary through the ELCA or a missionary with the model of accompaniment in mind will enter a situation in hopes of learning from and growing with other individuals. We must recognize that we will need others within the community to help us and show us the way. This is accompaniment and the model I will be and have been living since being in Edinburgh.
For example: In Edinburgh, I came into the situation knowing basically no one and had no idea where anything was. This can be very daunting to someone. Believe me. Thankfully, though, some of my fellow co-workers have been gracious enough to walk me around town, to invite me to church activities, and to invite me to church. That is just the start. Without my willingness to let go of my pride (extremely difficult) to say, "I don't know where I'm going" or "Can you show me?" I would be continually lost and this is where accompaniment comes in. Instead of being the all-knowing American I am more often than not the person who has no idea what they're doing or where to find something without asking for help from a co-worker or someone on the street who lives here.
Another example is at my placement. I work at a homeless hostile. Often times, there is a bit of down time throughout the day since my role as a volunteer is support. This means I'm in the office sitting and enjoying the company of fellow staff or helping doing random things around the office or in the building. Basically, I help where I'm needed and if that means getting tea and biscuits ready for afternoon tea, window checks, or taking referrals then that is what I do. This also can mean that I go to the zoo with residents or get a coffee with them. It may not seem like work, but it is what the work here is about: building relationships. The quote above is my all time favorite quote. I find that it embodies the very idea of accompaniment and how we should be as humans towards one another.
It doesn't matter what we do. What matters is being. Being a human, a friend, a comfort, a source of hope, and so on. Accompaniment does not focus on doing anything, really. When I was applying for YAGM many people asked, "but what are you doing there?" My answer was often that I didn't know exactly. Of course there are small tasks that I have, but really my day can change from hour to hour and some days I won't "do" anything. My time here is about being. It is about learning to be in a world that is focused on doing. Accompaniment is a helpful model for this.
God calls us to love and be loved. He calls us to serve and be served. He calls us to this is whatever way. If that means through just sitting, talking, and laughing together, then alright.
Take care.
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