About who I chose to be
Who I am is an interesting question. I would like to define myself by what I do, but that is not accurate to who I am. Nor does what I like define who I am. So what really defines me as me? Well I am not sure. I definitely don’t have a world view of most people. But then again how I think doesn’t define me either. At it’s core, I am a child of the God of the Bible saved through Jesus his son. So now with the sole definition of my identity, I can dive into what hopefully comes out of that identity. The visual manifestation of that identity flowed out into who I chose to be.
As of right now I am working with an international organization called “Youth with a Mission” in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. My specific work is with Discipleship Training School, the entry school to get into either the organization or the university that is connected with it. DTS consists of 3 months of lectures and 2 and a half months of outreach. The goal of the school is to bring the students to an understanding of who they are and how to work out of that identity. Other things that we try to bring are a bigger world view, an understanding of how missions operates, and give an opportunity to put these things into practical application by helping others.
So that is what I do, but why do I do it? That is the real question. It is not a very glorious thing to do. I actually have to pay to do it. It’s full time so I have no way of working for income, so I rely on other people to pay my expenses. It can be hard, frustrating work being in a language and culture I don’t fully understand…at all. Really, who would voluntarily pay for solving logistical and other problems? Well, in essence, that is what I have signed up for. But despite all the challenges, I absolutely love it. I have the privilege to facilitate a life changing 6 months for many people. It is really cool to see the change in people who go through this school and go on to not only be changed but make a difference in the people around them wherever they go. There are lots of things more rewarding, but just not the same way. People are cool. They can do cool things. I get to be a part of seeing them realize some of those things. Who wouldn’t do what I do?
Missions work is obviously a high priotity with me. Everyone should go on a mission trip to anywhere not western, consumer minded. The reality is that the most of the world is barely scraping by and needs people to invest in change, not just send money…which sometimes causes more problems. Helping the world requires more than just a hand out and a hug. I also think that if every healthy family would adopt a child, our work load would be cut by 70%. But there are still millions of unadaptable orphans to do work in the field with. Even with the 70% cut, we are still under staffed on the field. So come and help!
I love photography. I am not really that good at it, I just get lucky sometimes. Someday, my goal is to show the world what the world really looks like. But to find that has been quite a challenge, so I don’t expect to take those pictures for a couple of years yet. Randomness is another hobby of mine. To be able to think deeply about something that normal people wouldn’t give a second thought about, and do it for extended periods of time, then be able to come up with something “profound” is really cool. Call it over analysis, or obsessive, I don’t care. It is still really fun. The problem then comes when I try to communicate the profoundness, people just don’t understand. So I generally shout out randomness. But anyway…
This is just a brief introduction to who I chose to be centered around my identity. I am really more random than it sounds like. But you will just have to get to know me. What do you expect, I am from Oregon. Enjoy.
Lance Roberts
