s
erving in a CAN? That sounds peculiar one might say. That is because we are living in a generation where ministry and creativity are merging—a
generation where we must be active in thinking about ways to reach those that are seemingly beyond our reach. One of the most frequently asked questions that came to our attention while on the field was, “Why did you choose to come here?” We, of course, had our well- rehearsed “creative” answer, even if our souls were longing to tell them the real reason we were there. That, indeed, they were the reason we were there…because of our love for them, and even more than that, Christ’s love for them. We could not tell them how we, in fact, did not choose this dark place. After all, it’s not exactly on our lists of “top 100 vacation spots,” or besides that, even an ideal place to embark on any kind of mission—no conversion by the masses, people who are sometimes not the most lovable. You see, this past year my friends and I were called by God to serve Him in a CAN. Yes, a CAN: A Creative Access Nation. We couldn’t tell them the real reason we were there, but what we could do was creatively serve on the field while living out our lives authentically.
What exactly is a CAN, anyway? A Creative
Access Nation is one that is closed to the Gospel or mission work, therefore must be accessed creatively. There are many ways in which to do this, and for every CAN, there are wide ranges of opportunities and needs for a creative entry. For us, our creative means of entry was as university students. In the CAN, we enrolled as college students wishing to study the national language. We attended classes, ate in the school cafeterias, and lived in the dorms on campus. To the on-looking world, we were basically living a “normal” college life. It was by creatively embracing this “norm,” that we were able to minister in the CAN. For those of you with lingering questions,
I understand that ministry in a CAN may come with some assumptions, fears as well as misconceptions. It is true that living in a CAN did come with some restrictions. Obviously, we could not proclaim our beliefs from the rooftops or on the street corners. But what we were able to do was live out loud. While we had to be discerning and dependant on Him in all things, truthfully, we didn’t have to live in fear where He had placed us. Instead, what we were doing there was simply trying to remain His servants and allow Him to work
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BY AN OPERATION NEW GENERATION
STUDENT MISSIONARY
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