There's a book I am
in the process of reading right now, too. It's called "Through the Outhouse Floor". The thing I love about this book and the reason I am mentioning it here is that it addresses the fact that missionary life is not a popcorn candy ball with sugar coating. It's downright tough somtimes. There are days when we won't be able to tolerate the smell of garbage or the sight of hungry people any more. There are times when, on a somewhat selfish level, we won't be able to handle another mosquito bite, another bug in our house, another disease we caught. And yet, there's grace and peace in the midst of even those moments. This book covers many of those challenging aspects and advises people how to pray for missionaries. I guess when you'r understanding how to pray for missionaries, it's also probably going to help you be a better one, too. :) The cool thing about the book, and I'm realizing it about our lives as well, is that it's also not a big "complaint-fest" it's a balanced perspective. Sometimes, when the ants crawl in your chocolate frosting, you mix them in....they are brown after all. And other times, when your clothes mold, all you can do is laugh/cry/move on.
in the process of reading right now, too. It's called "Through the Outhouse Floor". The thing I love about this book and the reason I am mentioning it here is that it addresses the fact that missionary life is not a popcorn candy ball with sugar coating. It's downright tough somtimes. There are days when we won't be able to tolerate the smell of garbage or the sight of hungry people any more. There are times when, on a somewhat selfish level, we won't be able to handle another mosquito bite, another bug in our house, another disease we caught. And yet, there's grace and peace in the midst of even those moments. This book covers many of those challenging aspects and advises people how to pray for missionaries. I guess when you'r understanding how to pray for missionaries, it's also probably going to help you be a better one, too. :) The cool thing about the book, and I'm realizing it about our lives as well, is that it's also not a big "complaint-fest" it's a balanced perspective. Sometimes, when the ants crawl in your chocolate frosting, you mix them in....they are brown after all. And other times, when your clothes mold, all you can do is laugh/cry/move on. We're so excited to be at MTI. We arrived late today. We had complications with our third rabies vaccines. They are supposed to be done at a particular time, so we drove back from San Antonio in time to get the vaccines before leaving town again to go to MTI....only to find out that they sheduled us incorrectly and we didn't make the appointment. Apparently, the "African" sense of planning can occur anywhere. As we walked in the doors at MTI, we had missed Orientation completely, but no one was upset. There was a room full of people who were sitting down for dinner, and they were all talking about where they were going, how they'd been called there, the challenges and joys of fundraising, and so on. It was SO incredibly good to walk into a room FULL of people who understand where we are right now.
Being busy with work in a traditional job is something that's easy to comprehend, but being busy as a missionary is weird. You spend a lot of time with people, and when you do, you try to make sure you prioritize that time with those people. You have TONS to do, but you don't do it because your time is about people. This is a wonderful thing, and one of our favorite parts of our new job, but the funny thing is, we never look that busy to anyone. Haha. We just look like we wander around chatting with folks and having fun. Then, behind the scenes, we work like Santa's workshop. Some of you have seen it, no doubt, but hopefully not often. :)
Either way, it's both restful and restorative to be surrounded by these people who are in the same place we're in. We look forward to classes like "Keeping the Sabbath" (something we're AWFUL at).
Please pray for this to be a wonderful time of learning and growth for us. We hope to be better equipped at the end of these 3 weeks!
We're also finding that we're unique here. We're the only people being sent from a local church. It's funny because everyone we've talked to outside of here asks if we're going through a local church, but the majority of missionaries we meet are going through organizations. It's something we're really excited about. We get to walk into a country and ask the locals what they want and serve them in their area of need specifically. A lot of organizations do that as well, but we are excited to see the literal workings of it.
Thank you for being you. The thing we've been enormously aware of lately is how VERY blessed we are to have each of you. Your sincerity, love, prayers, and you sharing your lives with us as well are so important.
I've got to go to bed, but hope you sleep well and we'll give updates about MTI as we go. Thanks for providing us the funding to be prepared enough to attend a class like this. I think the training will be vital.
Oh, and if anyone is looking for reading material, "Through the Outhouse Floor" is a great book. And I'm not one to recommend books. ;)
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