For those of you who are in the mission field out there, you probably have some things that happen to you and you tell yourself this is one of those things that are a missionary's dilemma. You probably might not have a name for it but when they happen you ask yourself how things would have been different if you were back home or just somewhere else (may be a place you have been to before).
Well, here are mine.
1. The Norm - In January, I was celebrating my birthday. This year I didn't plan anything major to celebrate my birthday. Naturally I would take a day off and just have a quiet day at home. Well, when I went to ask my boss for a day off, this is what my boss said "I have never seen an African take a day off on their birthday. No you can't take a day off. You will need that day for other emergencies....." I was shocked, hurt and disappointed to say the least. It caught me so off guard that I could not even form an argument in my mind. I was dumb founded. It made me think, if I was in America or Sierra Leone this would have never not been an issue. So, the "norm" is just not always the normal. Well, I guess as a missionary I have to be flexible.
2. Singleness - If you are single like me, you expect to meet a man with the same passion for missions like you before you head out to the mission field. You postpone going to overseas missions with the hopes of getting married first and then moving overseas together. This quote I read online summarizes it all. "According to a Pioneers International report, singleness is the fourth reason appointees don't make make it to the mission field or take a long time getting there. And Patton said, "Missionaries leave the field for various reasons, but some of the biggest obstacles are financial support, team dynamics, loneliness and hopelessness for single person's desire to find a mate, getting married to a non-missionary, and leaving ministry to find a spouse." "
3. Sad News - One of the saddest things I have experienced is hearing news of a departed loved one in a far country; a brother or sister you knew very well. May be you served together in the children's ministry or in the choir while you were living in that country. I don't even know how to describe that dilemma. It is even more sad if you can't go for the burial.
Well, here are mine.
1. The Norm - In January, I was celebrating my birthday. This year I didn't plan anything major to celebrate my birthday. Naturally I would take a day off and just have a quiet day at home. Well, when I went to ask my boss for a day off, this is what my boss said "I have never seen an African take a day off on their birthday. No you can't take a day off. You will need that day for other emergencies....." I was shocked, hurt and disappointed to say the least. It caught me so off guard that I could not even form an argument in my mind. I was dumb founded. It made me think, if I was in America or Sierra Leone this would have never not been an issue. So, the "norm" is just not always the normal. Well, I guess as a missionary I have to be flexible.
2. Singleness - If you are single like me, you expect to meet a man with the same passion for missions like you before you head out to the mission field. You postpone going to overseas missions with the hopes of getting married first and then moving overseas together. This quote I read online summarizes it all. "According to a Pioneers International report, singleness is the fourth reason appointees don't make make it to the mission field or take a long time getting there. And Patton said, "Missionaries leave the field for various reasons, but some of the biggest obstacles are financial support, team dynamics, loneliness and hopelessness for single person's desire to find a mate, getting married to a non-missionary, and leaving ministry to find a spouse." "
3. Sad News - One of the saddest things I have experienced is hearing news of a departed loved one in a far country; a brother or sister you knew very well. May be you served together in the children's ministry or in the choir while you were living in that country. I don't even know how to describe that dilemma. It is even more sad if you can't go for the burial.
4. The Goodbyes - Then comes a time you have to leave. No matter how many times you have done or said the goodbyes, it never gets easier. Whether you have been with those people for two weeks, two years or 12 years it doesn't matter: It just so happens that they become your family and leaving family is not always easy. I wonder how Abraham felt when he was told to leave his people and his country to go to a place he didn't know (Genesis 12).
5. Seeds of faith - Only those akin to your calling understand the true passion that burns deep on the inside of you. Especially if they don't see the seeds bear fruit, you will have a very difficult time explaining yourself. It takes the grace of God. In June I had to leave my formal employment to pursue a full-time carrier in missions. Now try explaining that to some believers let alone non-believers.
6. Raising Ministry Support - A lot of missionaries struggle with fundraising as a ministry and that was one of the reasons I shied off from fulltime ministry. Most of what we struggle with has to do with our convictions and our old belief systems. To most, it is not so much about what the Bible says about raising ministry Support or fundraising but it is about what they were taught growing up or what the community (not excluding the church) has viewed it to be. Since I joined The Navigators two months ago, I have come to learn the joys of fundraising and to view it as a ministry like praying for the sick or evangelism. My convictions are changing and I am excited about inviting people to partner with the work God in has called me to do.
AMAZING.
ReplyDelete