Re-Entry Program

Thanks to the Anglican Church’s Outreach Program I’ve just completed a one-week re-entry seminar at the Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries. This was a bookend matching a three-week orientation held in July 2005. This time I was joined by returnees from China, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Peru. Together we were challenged to look back at our time overseas and forward to what God might be calling us to, all the while trying to get a firmer grasp on where each one of us is at this particular moment.

Not surprisingly our experiences were very varied, with terms of service ranging from one to thirteen years and reactions to that time ranging from very positive to very negative. I love to visit Toronto (YES!) and really enjoyed the opportunities to be out on the town. We ate out a few times, visited Harbourfront, walked the Trinity Church labyrinth (picture), and I got to a Blue Jay game! But I also appreciated the opportunity to encourage, challenge and learn from the other participants and facilitators. Three of the five returnees had been together for the orientation and being together again was a special bonus. Here we are, rather blurry, perhaps after a late night, with our chief facilitator, Jonathan Schmidt and