Quotes on mission.. And job description!

What we would like to do is change the world- make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended for them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, of the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor in the other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw out pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing that we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor  to love our enemy as well as our friend. -Dorothy Day

In this movie, showed to us during orientation, the mission of one individual to unite the world through random dancing is a perfect example of the pebble mentioned in the quote above.

"It helps now and then, to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
     This is what we are about: We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capability.
     We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, and opportunity for the lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
     We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen."
--The words of Archbishop Oscar Romero who was martyred in San Salvador in 1980.


In Cuba I will be working as a representative of the Episcopal Church. My job title is "mission assistant" where my task is to further develop the relationship between our diocese. After orientation I realized that my real job is to be flexible, and be willing and eager to do what ever is asked of me. Another portion of my mission is to provide a fresh and largely unbiased perspective of what life is really like is Cuba, something that I take great pride in. In other words, my job is to take each and every one of you reading this now along with me. So shoot me an email! My official departure date is July 22nd so lets talk before then. Thank you all for your support.