The World Is An Unsafe Expensive Place.
#missionarylifeproblems
The longer I’m living the missionary life, the more I feel the lack of any sort of income. Especially since hitting Rwanda, which is such an expensive place to live. Our daily food budget only accounts for a few pieces of pineapple, bread and butter in the mornings (sometimes we get a quarter of a fried egg omelette), noodles and peas in the afternoon, and potatoes, rice, and a little meat at night. Drinking water runs out and we have to wait to get it filled again (as was the case this morning… so no water today), so the thirteen of us ration our water. Not fun. Even living in Kigali, any trips we want to take to the center of town for internet (which most usually also costs money everywhere in the world), coffee, or food costs around a dollar round-trip Per trip, but it takes an hour to get there, an hour and a half to get back, and also entails a 20-30 minute power walk from the bus stop to the coffee shop. And the coffee shop (which is amazing and it’s been so long) is the most expensive place we’ve been to thus far on the trip. An iced latte is over $4 and a milkshake is $6. Yikes.
But it’s not just the treats that get you as a missionary. Buying shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste every few months is an ordeal in and of itself. Unfortunately all three of those things ran out this month in Rwanda, so I had to buy them here. Want to know how much I spent? The cheapest shampoo we found was over $6 and conditioner was almost that amount, too. It’s almost not worth having hair, especially as long as mine is.
I’m not complaining. Living off the goodness and generosity of others and the sole provision of the Lord has taught me an enormous amount. There is absolutely no way to earn extra money on the race, so I’ve learned patience and trust in the Lord. I’ve learned humility and dependence on community. I have learned the value of money and the sacrifice it really is for others to give financially; these are hard times and people really practice abandonment in supporting others. I’ve learned the joy of depending on the Lord for my every need. Yes, it’s pretty darn stressful to have a financial deadline or a bill come up and I’m waiting until the day of to provide for them… but you learn a lot about the Lord’s sovereignty when you’re asked to wait.
There are a lot of beautiful things that come with living the missionary life. There are eternal rewards that won’t be experienced until earth meets heaven (like a sloppy wet kiss)(haha). There are relationships that are built, lives that are changed, and hearts that are mended. There are entire communities that we impact, and that impact us.
However, there are some hardships along the way as well. The Lord says, “Ask and you shall receive,” and I am convinced that we miss out on an awful lot of blessing because we are too afraid or too proud to ask. So I’m going to ask, both the Lord and you, my readers, family, friends, loved ones, a question. It’s up to you to answer. Would you be interested in helping support my personal budget for the next three months? My incredibly self-sacrificial mother has single-handedly taken care of my budget for the last 9 months. It would be lovely to give her a rest from the burden of making sure my personal needs are met. I have set up a paypal account (http://www.paypal.com) and you can go there, and under the heading "Transfer" click on “Send Someone Money," and type in my email address ([email protected]). That’s all there is to it, but there are some pretty huge ways you can impact me, too.
Here are some ways you can have a significant impact on my life:
*Medical Bills: I have had to pay for doctors (and one physical therapist) on every continent so far, as well as several overnight clinic stays (thanks, malaria). I now have a cavity that has come to haunt me, and it is desperate to be filled (although I am definitely waiting until China…African dentists make me slightly nervous)
*Food: I would love the chance to buy extra food to supplement our meager diet this month (that third plate of dry noodles per day really dampens the spirit). And sometimes a girl just really needs a bar of chocolate, amirite?
*Travel: I would really love to visit the Rwandan Genocide Museum and the Great Wall of China.
***Home: I need to buy a plane ticket home. As awesome as this trip has been, it unfortunately (and officially) ends when we land in Los Angeles. We have to find our own ways home after that. For me, that entails a plane ticket from LA to somewhere near Lexington, KY. As we are about 90 days from returning to home soil, this is the prime time to try and find a plane ticket that is relatively cheap which are, as of today, between $250-$450).
*Personal Needs: I will need to buy toothpaste and a toothbrush in the next month, as well as deodorant, soap, laundry soap, and other personal items.
*Personal Wants: To be honest, it’s nice to be able to buy souvenirs: postcards, yarn (I’m planning to make a World Race blanket on arriving home with yarn from each country visited), a dress when we have to wear them but I didn’t bring any skirts, jewelry made by the women I’m ministering to (it’s nice to support them, too). These things aren’t needs by any means, but they are very, very nice sometimes.
Anyway, you can see that there are tons of ways to support a little ol’ missionary. My trip has been fully funded since July 1 (thank you, thank you to all who gave so lovingly). But now comes the stretch of the race where my personal account is stretched thin and gasping for air, and I would be more than grateful and blessed if you wished to support in these ways as well. Thank you for your time, your consideration, your support over the last 9 months (in so many, many ways), and your love. I feel it so deeply.
Thank you!
