When I went to live in Papua New Guinea my main worry was snakes! That’s until I saw my first one, and was transfixed by how beautiful its movement was, and saw instantly that it just wanted to do its own thing. What a positive experience PNG turned out to be.
Waiting to go and serve with SIM in Ethiopia years later, the whole experience was feeling a bit unreal — until my future director emailed me for some reason and mentioned, “As I sit here I can see vultures perching in the tops of our trees on the compound and I can hear the call to prayer going out from the neighbouring mosque.” I suddenly had my bearings, looking forward expectantly. What a great experience Ethiopia turned out to be. Sure — in the former country was the only time I’ve been in a car that flipped over. In the second I had my only experience of being arrested. Yet the Lord was ‘at my elbow’ both times and everything turned out fine.
My point is that the world is full of places where people need you to come alongside of them in the work God has them doing, and it will be a fascinating place full of faith-stretching experiences, that you will look back on as one of the best things you ever did.

For example, in PNG right now the Christian Leaders Training College urgently someone with management or business leadership experience.  They say, “We want a full-time Chief Operations Officer, but could use someone short-term that has business leadership experience particularly in either farming or building/engineering. Is that someone you, or someone you know?

In Ethiopia, Bingham Academy — a multicultural school — needs a primary school teacher. Is that you or someone you know?

If you are ready to join the staff at either place, we would love to hear from you.  Get in touch for a chat at nz.personnel@sim.org.

— Zoë Cromwell