by Suleman John (Pakistan)

     My name is Suleman John, a graduate of St. Thomas’ Theological College, Karachi. I have been working at my alma mater as a teaching assistant and communications officer since January 10th, 2022. I have also been a lay pastoral assistant at St. Andrew’s Church, English Parish (Church of Pakistan, Diocese of Karachi and Balochistan) since 2017. I have been married for five years. God blessed us with a daughter last year, but she is now in heaven. My background has been in content writing and editing, skills that I now use in ministry and teaching students at the seminary. My articles and papers have been published locally, and I have done freelance proofreading, editing, and translations for local and international Christian organisations and content creators.

     My goals for spending a month away from home to train with AGT were primarily to learn from my neighbours who live, work, and administer in similar circumstances. I also wanted to learn from contextual scholars about how the mission of God plays out in our culture and economic circumstances. I have done modules on contextualization and missions before, but I wanted to enhance my knowledge and fill gaps. On a personal level, I wanted to test myself, whether I can “survive” adjusting to my peers and hosts, most of them not speaking my language.

     I have been blessed richly since I came here! The academic side of the training has been excellent, thanks to Dr. Benno and Dr. Berdine, whose stories and experiences have taught me some lessons I will take home with me. I was especially challenged by Dr. Joseph Kumar’s candid and bold sessions. I intend to emulate his insights in my journey. I also gleaned examples of how we can transform local capacities rather than taking a condescending approach to other religions and cultures. And fellowship with the trainers has also strengthened my resolve to give myself wholeheartedly to God’s mission.

     The personal side of AGT has been incredibly enriching, as I have made friends with brothers and sisters from many cultures and learned something about their history, culture, and language. Learning, praying, eating, travelling, and working together have caused me to check my attitudes and negative behaviours and to be more open and positive in my life. And I learned that ultimately, we are one in Christ. The cultural experience is overwhelming. Thanks to God, AGT, and AsiaCMS, I can explore a foreign land, its customs, places of worship, and food, which I couldn’t imagine doing on my own.

     Finally, being here has also strengthened my relations with my wife, family, and colleagues back home. Absence does make the heart go fonder.