Model-Assist-Watch-Letter/Love/Leave MAWL
MAWL-Model-Assist-Watch-Love/Letter/Leave At Ground Zero
Dear
DMM/CPM practitioner,
It
is vitally important that we, as foreign instigators of the launch of DMMs/CPMs
in our given UPG, understand the significance of the need to model all that we
want to see launched. To assume that the national (either near culture) or
indigenous target person “does it more effectively” is erroneous.
We
don’t know what we don’t know. We also don’t tend to reproduce what has not
been modeled to us as we desire to live out these DMM/CPM essential elements.
The Persons of Peace among the UUPGs/UPGs (Unengaged Unreached People
Groups/Unreached People Groups) are waiting to be found.
The importance of
modeling.
As
a western foreigner enters into an Asian cross-cultural context there is so
much that needs to be monitored. Ethnocentrism, cultural expectations and
norms, an American or western mindset which predisposes one to “grab the steer
by the horns”, can inhibit one’s desire to be effective. Humility is always a great choice, no matter what our cultural orientation. The
below story has been submitted by a colleague who is newly trained in the
implementation of DMM/CPM in a multiple Muslim UUPGs/UPGs area of our country
of service.
“The
following experience has given me a bit of deeper perspective in the importance
of the role of modeling in the implementation of DMM/CPM.
I
attended the first official meeting of a group of college students who had
completed training in DMM/CPM. They committed to meet weekly for accountability
to practice the principles they had learned. Twice monthly they planned to go
out in search of Persons of Peace together. The weeks in between they would
gather together in order to share, sharpen, and pray as they engaged in the
desire to see a CPM launched on their campus among Muslim UPGs.
In
this meeting it seemed like everything was all set up and I just needed to stay
out of the way as they were ready to “do it on there own”. We decided we
would break up into groups of two and go out POP hunting. I was paired
with El, the president of the Christian fellowship for his major.
He has been a believer since a young age. El also was the one in
charge of organizing this meeting of students.
Admittedly,
I had assumptions that I would go wherever he led and we would talk with people whom we met. However, many of these assumptions were
quickly unraveled. El, when asked, said he had “no idea” where Muslims
gathered or lived in the campus area. I knew of an apartment complex of Muslim
students in my neighborhood and suggested going there. El agreed.
As
we approached the apartments El expressed nervous laughter. “ There
is a mosque across the street”, he stated. “Are we just going to walk in
and talk to people?” In some disbelief that this was actually happening,
he again said, “We are going in there?” I assured him that we would be
fine and would share that we were out walking around and looking for new friends.
As we entered the area near the mosque we met a man named Azim.
Embarassingly so, Azim had not yet chosen to put on pants past his boxer
shorts. That definitely comically broke the ice for the start of conversation. Azim
quickly asked if he could go put on his pants and then come back to talk with
us. We had no complaints with his request.
As El and I sat in the front room of his small home, waiting for Azim to
return, I encouraged him to feel free to use spiritual statements as he felt
led in order to open up spiritual conversation and to identify ourselves as people
who are interested in spiritual things. El replied with a hesitant
OK. After a bit of conversation we were asked about our religious
background. I stated that I was a follower of Isa Al-Masih (Jesus).
Immediately, this opened up a door for some further conversation. Azim
turned and asked El as to what religion he belonged. In a lowered voice
with clear nervousness he stated, “ I’m the same….the same as him, follower of
Isa Al-masih”. I was hoping for El to further engage Azim with
the trained tools from the DMM/CPM equipping. That didn’t happen. We chatted
about the stories of Isa Al-Masih in the Quran. I asked Azim if he had read these
passages about Isa? We continued for an hour and a half of enjoyable
conversation and laughter. As we left we exchanged numbers and planned to
get back together.
After
excusing ourselves to leave, El was again laughing to himself. I
asked what caused the laughter. He stated that he couldn’t believe how
normally I talked with those students, how I just spoke about my faith to them
in a relaxed and normal manner. It was a new paradigm for him to be able
to speak to those “on the other side” as if they were friends or normal.
Often
times we cannot see how to shift our paradigm unless we observe a new one in
action.
After
this experience it made me rethink my role in working with these students.
I realized we had quite a long ways to go to get these students
comfortable in a conversation with people they feel convicted to reach out to.
Modeling a new norm for these students is going to be a key piece in
order to see their paradigm shift. I have since decided to go out with
every single guy at least once to help shift their understanding and give them
a model to emulate.”-experience of a DMM/CPM
