Missionary Erin Mackenzie reflects on some of her most cherished roles and experiences with her Latin America and the Caribbean missionary connections—especially at the latest regional conference.
Vocation Situation
I might list daughter, sister, niece, aunt, goddaughter, godmother, friend, employee, church treasurer, neighbor, and more among my many vocations. Perhaps noticeably NOT listed are wife and mother. Yet my nurturing side finds expression in commemorating my godchildren’s baptismal birthdays, trying to out-spoil my nephew’s four other aunts, and holding mission trippers’ hands as they navigate situations far outside their comfort zones. I also get the pleasure of being “Tía Erin” to over forty kids that make up my Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) missionary family. There are hugs. There are knuckles and high fives. There are birthday parties. There’s a wall in my dining room covered in scribbled, stenciled, and stickered masterpieces. My pint-size lunch date and I played with Jenga blocks and plastic farm animals while I ate my ham and cheese today.
Perhaps it’s no wonder, then, that LAC’s regional conference is an annual highlight. It’s practically a family reunion. The entire region—over thirty families serving in nine countries—descends on one location for a week. Sweat, bulky backpacks, and all, we embrace giddily as peers arrive in small groups. We praise the one, true God in two languages. We wrestle with His Word in large groups and more intimate ones. We breathe deeply and let Outlook send automatic replies. There’s a familiar face at every turn for anyone who needs a friend or dinner date.
The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Missionaries
It always seems like forever until we’ll be together again, but as I’ve been absorbed more and more into the planning committee in my six years on the field, visions of late-night heart-to-hearts and pillowy king beds have begun dancing in my head earlier and earlier. We’ll start meeting weekly in the spring, and by the time you read this, I’ll be ankle-deep in lists of things to buy, print, and bring alongside the heavy hitters who are up to their knees or waists. The conference, you see, includes short-term volunteers (according to my job title, my specialty).
To best accomplish the conference’s fourfold aims—worship, study, rest, and fellowship—we’ve taken to relying on a bilingual team of a dozen dedicated individuals who love on missionary kids so their parents can fully engage in keynotes, leadership one-on-ones, and even adults-only date nights. These are my sobrinos (nephews) we’re talking about, so I’m fiercely protective of their need for all four components—in their heart language. Glorified babysitting it is not. Rather, these bright, motivated, third culture kids get to immerse themselves in a mini-VBS. CPH’s bilingual curriculums have made things easy on the region’s handpicked team leaders over the past few years, providing a wealth of teaching tools to cull from and allowing for contextual elements that fit our audience and one-of-a-kind setting.
Back to lo Básico (the Basics)
It seems we’re slowly working our way through a library of programs that span the Testaments. They’re sold digitally (on a USB or through an online portal), so there are no bulky manuals or slippery leaflets to snail mail. They’re originally written in Spanish, so we know the contingent of our kiddos who don’t hail from an Anglo background are benefiting from a top-tier product (but everything is also in English, so volunteers who can barely ask where the baño—bathroom—is are golden). They’re LCMS doctrinally reviewed, so there’s no lukewarm platitudes to weed out. The limitations we deal with—having a mere three days, only supplies that can fit in a couple of carry-ons, and a contract that stipulates we can’t hang anything on the walls—aren’t deal-breakers since the programs are designed for use in a missional context.
Due to on-site renovations, the 2024 conference is being thrown all out of whack. It Happened in Babylon is going to happen in spaces designed for other purposes that we’ll hijack and “MacGyver” to suit our purposes. It’s not about the where, though. It’s not about the volunteers, either, or how many bells, whistles, sequins, and pipe cleaners adorn the message of free and full salvation through Jesus Christ. The Event Manual expresses it succinctly:
This VBS teaches that at all times, and no matter what the circumstances, God is guiding all things so that His Word might be fulfilled and extend to the ends of the earth. (p. 7)
The hugs between colleagues with fuller hearts and renewed bonds of friendship come out again on departure day, no less sweaty but more bittersweet as we bid each other farewell. Shuttles come and shuttles go as missionaries disperse—and the Word of God goes with them to the ends of the Americas, at least!
Spanish Bibles, books, educational resources, church supplies, and other materials help share the Gospel near and far.
