Since I was a kid, my dream was to be a missionary. Besides the practical part of life that kept me away from pursuing this dream when I grew up, there were other misperceptions that made me hesitate pursuing this kind of life…
Now, after having been on the field for nearly 6 months now, I’ve been privileged to stay with two missionary families that have opened my eyes…!
The misperceptions I’ve had are listed below along with my realizations about them:
Loneliness:
As a young, single lady, I always thought that going to the mission field would prove not only to be a quest in isolation, but also (in complete honesty) death to any prospects of marriage. However, I’ve learned that while living abroad, there is indeed community. And furthermore, oftentimes the relationships built abroad run deeper than those we develop in the States.
Going without:
It’s easy to think that we have everything in America and to go anywhere else is to be lacking. (In fact, I remember thinking when I moved down to Vancouver, WA that I’d better stock up at Costco because there likely weren’t any down there! hahaha… boy, was I wrong!) So far on the race, I’ve NEVER, yeah, you read that right, NEVER gone without! When I’ve needed something it’s been provided by someone else who gifted it to me, let me borrow it for a time, or there was a place to buy it. And sometimes what you are given or find is better than what you had at home!
Living in the rough:
Before heading to the field, we were prepared with our tents, outdoor gear, first aid kits, and water filtration systems in case we were ever in a remote place where we’d need these things. Even while some of our teams have camped on the Race, we were never too far from civilization. I thought even the Third-World in the 21st century still lived without electricity and running water. However, nearly every place I’ve stayed even has WiFi! (Granted, I have yet to go to Africa, but regardless, a lot of the world isn’t in the “rough” anymore.)
Safety:
In America, we hear all the time about awful things going on in the rest of the world… Bombings, wars, plane crashes, religious terrorism, terrible traffic, atrocious medical care… While these things do happen, I can honestly say, I’ve NEVER felt unsafe on the Race. People are people… Learning to cross the street or communicate effectively is an adjustment, but that’s all…
So, I just wanted to share these things as an encouragement for future Racers, for you back home, and a reminder for myself… Perceptions are not always reality! And I’m happy to have had this experience so that my eyes are opened to the humanity in the world…!
