ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Mission Network) – Mission assignments don’t always turn out as anticipated. But sometimes a detour can make the journey even more fulfilling.
David and Anita Breckbill, who are scheduled to return home to Lincoln, Neb., June 9, are nearing the end of their five-month assignment at Union Biblical Seminary in Pune, India, with the support of Mennonite Mission Network.
On sabbatical from their jobs in higher education, the Breckbills arrived in India via Mumbai, where they enjoyed a day of sightseeing amid the gracefully chaotic scene of vehicles, humans and animals navigating the city’s downtown streets. Then they traveled to Pune and the seminary, which occupies beautiful grounds atop a hill in the middle of the city.
David Breckbill, a music professor at Doane College (Crete, Neb.), had initially thought he might help by teaching music, but the semester was half completed and students too busy to add another course. His wife, Anita Breckbill, a librarian at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, had planned to help the library at USB switch from one online catalog to another. The preparations weren’t far enough along for her to be helpful.
What do you do when expectations hit a roadblock? The Breckbills followed God’s leading into other paths of service, like helping to edit students’ writing assignments and using their musical gifts to perform for a thousand children at an elementary school assembly.
“It’s safe to say that there are always some adjustments between what one anticipates and what one needs to do once one reaches a service location,” said David.
He delivered a few sermons and audited a class. Both activities provided him with opportunities for discussions and the chance to interact with students and faculty members more intimately, he said.
“We turned our attention to other needs in the library: inventory, sorting gift collections, cataloging, and cleaning up the catalog in preparation for a future move,” said Anita. “Libraries always have an unending supply of work.”
The Breckbills were eager to serve during their sabbatical. During previous sabbaticals, they had pursued academic career enrichment activities. They both had traveled overseas and served before, but neither of them had been in India previously, nor was visiting the South Asian nation on their bucket lists.
“When Dave and I attended a regional Mennonite conference, Mennonite Mission Network had a booth, and the word ‘sabbatical’ on their poster caught my eye,” said Anita. “We talked further with Mission Network, telling them our skills and interests, and they were able to match us with Union Biblical Seminary in Pune.”
The seminary trains men and women to become effective ministers and leaders in churches throughout India, a country in which about 2 percent (24 million) of the population is Christian. Hinduism is the overwhelming majority faith.
Eventually, the Breckbills discovered they did have important connections to India. Anita’s parents, Edward and Mildred Stoltzfus of Harrisonburg, Va., had served at UBS while on a sabbatical in the early 1990s. Sri Mayasandra, an old friend from Nebraska, now works for Mennonite Central Committee in Pune. The Breckbills soon became convinced that India was in God’s plan for them.
As musicians (David is a pianist and Anita is a flutist), the Breckbills perform together often. In India they ministered musically at the Kline Memorial School assembly, and at the seminary’s chapel services. The foreigners became minor celebrities.
“Kids point us out to each other when we see them on the street, and greet us with smiles,” Anita said. “The opportunity to give sermons and devotionals, and to participate in discussions, has come to both Dave and me, and it has been both a challenge and a pleasure to share in these ways.”
One of David’s sermons dealt with his lifelong attempt to understand his musical gifts and interests in light of his Christian commitments. Johnson Thomaskutty, editor of the Union Biblical Seminary Journal, asked if he could publish the sermon.
These activities helped the Breckbills to share intimate moments with local people, they said. Considering their short-term status, it’s possible that the unexpected shift in focus provided them with more time to fellowship and to participate in the life of the seminary community.
“We have accepted all invitations—whether to dinner, to tea, to church, or to tours of charities, and have learned to know people and their concerns,” Anita said. “Tea time in the library gives a venue for lots of cultural discussion.”
“Visiting India had not been a long-standing dream for us, but we’re extremely grateful to have had this opportunity,” David said.
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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact news@mennonitemission.net.