From East Africa to LCU: A Mosaic of Mission and Ministry
In the spring of 1980, Shawn Tyler returned from a retreat and surprised his wife, Linda, with the idea they they should accept an invitation to become overseas missionaries. By the end of that year, Shawn and Linda began the process of relocating to East Africa, where they served more than thirty years in Kitale, Kenya, and Mbale, Uganda. Multiple tribal groups populated both countries, each with unique languages and cultures. With the help of a few friends and colleagues on the mission field, they learned to navigate the culture through experience. Shawn learned many lessons the hard way as he planted churches, opened a children’s home, started schools, and built lifelong friendships with East African and American co-workers.
In the Fall 2024, Shawn published A Cultural Mosaic: Thriving in Our East African Partnerships. The lessons taught in the book are only better if one can travel to East Africa with Shawn, an opportunity that many students, colleagues, and friends have enjoyed over the years.This book represents practical yet theologically grounded scholarship that can help prepare missionaries and other international visitors for cross-cultural, missional engagement. Each chapter of the book tells a story, drawn from journals that Shawn kept through three decades in the mission field, and explores the cultural principles behind the stories.
When asked why he wrote the book, Shawn said, “I have seen so many people come over and know nothing about the culture and people; they come with good intentions and a desire to do something for the Lord, but they end up making so many mistakes, and sometimes they hurt more than help, all because they misunderstand or misinterpret the cultural cues. If I can take my own mistakes, and share them, I can save some people from some of the hurts and mistakes I made. That’s the impetus for the book. Not all the chapters are ‘look at how smart I am, how good I did’—but they are also reflections on how I messed up and hurt relationships, too.”
Like most ministers, Shawn carries the joy and pain of a life lived in Christian service, sometimes wishing he could turn back time and handle something differently. Choosing to think humbly about his time in the mission field allows him to teach students how to deal with complex and sensitive situations. Shawn says, “My dream for LCU is that MissionLink (LCU’s missions department) can help students be more missionary minded in whatever profession they pursue.” To this end, Shawn is working to fulfill a challenge from Dr. Jeff Cary, Dean of the Smith College of Biblical Studies, to redesign the Missions program to encourage all LCU students to incorporate a broader perspective, thinking missionally about everything they do.
The mission’s program has a robust curriculum and is growing in the number of students minoring in missions. Dr. Cary says, “Shawn has been a tremendous blessing to the Smith College of Biblical Studies and, increasingly, to the entire campus of LCU! His decades-long cross-cultural and missions experience on the field is a treasure trove for our students. Further, his seemingly super-human energy for a revived and broadening missions focus among our entire student body has been infectious. We want all LCU students to leave with a sense that God can use them in profound and unique ways to leaven the world in ways that reflect his advancing Kingdom of grace and genuine peace. Shawn is playing a significant role toward that overarching goal. We are grateful for his presence among us!”
Shawn’s ministry extends beyond his current role at LCU. He frequently makes trips back to Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan, to support and encourage the national leaders carrying on the work in these regions. Shawn also speaks at mission conferences, collaborating with leadership teams and organizations in the United States and abroad. Once, the organizers of the International Conference on Missions (iCoM) requested Shawn specifically for the topic “Finding Humor in the Missions Field,” precisely because of his storytelling skills. When possible, students join Shawn at the conferences. He says, “Taking students to iCoM allows them to connect and network with missions’ organizations in the United States and worldwide.” Students return to LCU with a growing excitement for missions and possible future internships identified through the new connections.
MissionLink has also allowed Shawn to travel to Guatemala, Singapore, and Indonesia, partnering with LCU supporters and alumni, developing connection for future student internship experiences. Shawn’s reach extends into other regions of the world, as well, through Amazing Stories, twenty short children’s Bible stories, animated by Good News Productions International, and made available with additional teaching resources on the internet. These resources are now available in nine languages and has had well over one million site views.
Thinking about future scholarship, Shawn says, “What I am able to do now is facilitate partnerships in missions, a post-missionary presence, and create equal cross-cultural partnerships, even to the extent that we take our cues from the local evangelists. We ask them what they want and what they want to accomplish. We say, ‘How can we help you?’ I don’t think a lot of people are doing missions like that right now.” Shawn explained that sometimes, churches just withdraw their presence from the mission field, and other times, they stay too involved in the work for it to be successfully transitioned to the national leaders. There is a balance to be found, coming alongside in equal partnership. “These are our friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ, we don’t leave them, we just transition to being the uncle (a culturally appropriate term in East Africa) that comes for a visit and provides encouragement and support.”
Like his book title, A Cultural Mosaic, Shawn’s ministry and scholarship is itself a mosaic, held together by Christ-centered relationships, an ever-growing Christian family all over the world. We are thankful for how God is using Shawn’s time, talents, and expertise to strengthen and equip the LCU community.