One question I got before I left for The Race was, “Do you think your tattoos will effect your ministry while you’re overseas?”. I wasn’t able to answer this at the time, mainly because I have never been overseas before this year, and partly because I didn’t want to think about my tattoos effecting ministry. But, this Friday marks the halfway point of my journey on The Race so it’s time I start answering that question from the personal experiences I’ve had.
Long before I signed up for The Race I already had acquired quite a few tattoos. Nine of them to be exact. Within the year after signing up for The Race, I decided to get two more, one being in an obvious and easily seen place. This is when the question was originally asked. My stubbornness kicked in and my mind was set that I wanted the ink done. While most of my tattoos are hidden, being on my back or ribs, there are some that are easily visible. Within my stubbornness I simply thought I would wear shoes and a long sleeve shirt or something to cover them. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.
Here are some notes and observations towards my tattoos in the six countries I’ve been to so far. Before I dive into that though, I should make a disclaimer. It can easily be a given that since we are clearly foreigners and not part of that culture we begin to think we can get away with wearing certain things or having tattoos and piercings that a local would never wear or have. However, as a missionary our goal should not be to remove ourselves further from the people we are trying to connect with. It’s with this mindset I am making these notes.
Uganda: We were in a smaller more conservative village in Uganda. In this village to walk outside the compound where we were staying, the ladies wore skirts and the gentlemen wore pants. Out of respect for the culture I wore socks and tennis shoes, or socks with my chacos (e.i. sockos). I also wore a headband around my forearm to cover one tattoo. I wore my hair down to cover the ink behind my ear. Not only was this far from flattering, it was beyond hot and uncomfortable. Though people were not looking at my tattoos, they were looking at my odd choice in fashion.
Rwanda: We traveled a lot in Rwanda and met many different groups of people in very different areas. However, in none of these areas were tattoos common. Near the end of the month, while working at Urukundo Children’s Home, all of the kids made comments about my ink. Many of them asked me why would I ever get that on my body? To my surprise, many were concerned I was going to get a disease or cancer when I was older because of the tattoos. This showed me their perception on how unnatural it is to have ink on the body. It was also noted that they did not like my nose ring and would stare at it. Overall, it was absolutely a distraction that took time to work past.
Ethiopia: While in Ethiopia, my team stayed in the capital, which is more touristy and used to foreigners. Yet, when I asked a local how tattoos were perceived their answer was, “It’s okay that you have them and are showing them because we know you’re not from here. But none of us would have them.” This is where the temptation to slip into the mindset of “It’s okay because I’m already different” almost slipped in. It was a division that I didn’t want and that didn’t help me connect with the locals any easier. I did see many women with face tattoos, however, these tattoos were associated with their tribes and culture, which did not pertain to me.
Malaysia: Tattoos are definitely more common in Southeast Asia. My team also stayed in more touristy locations throughout our month. I will say that while many of the male locals had ink, I didn’t see any female locals with any ink.
Thailand: Tattoos here are extremely common. No one batted an eye at my tattoos. I actually got another tattoo, number 12, within the first week of being there.
Cambodia: I am still figuring out how my tattoos are viewed here. We are staying in a smaller village and so far no one seems to notice or care. Even the smaller children are aloof!
This isn’t a post saying I wish I didn’t have my tattoos. I love them! And I’ll probably get more in the future. Yet I am more hesitant now as to how visible I want them to be. It all depends on where God wants me in the future.
So to answer the question, I think my tattoos gave me another hurdle to get over in reaching people, but it wasn’t an impossible hurdle. If you already have tattoos and want to come to the missionary field, it’s okay! Just be mindful of the added difference between you and the locals and be as respectful as you can. If you are thinking about coming on the mission field and are also thinking about getting a tattoo, or 12, my personal suggestion would be to wait on the ink. It’s okay to wait on that, but don’t wait on what God wants you to experience on the field. It’s way too amazing to miss out on.
**Side note: These are just personal experiences and my personal opinion in the few countries I’ve been to. I have no idea how the rest of the world would react…well not yet anyway 🙂
