i think people get the wrong idea of the world race. they look at social media and see all the fun things we post and bring to the conclusion that we are on vacation for a year. selfishly, i kinda wish that were true. there have been countless days where we have arrived in a foreign country not knowing where we were going to sleep that night. we are constantly on the move. i.e. i’ve been in five countries in three months, with all of them speaking different languages. not sure when we will be able to eat, always looking to see when our next stop is to get off on the bus in an unknown city, looking up words on the translate app and i’m always crunching numbers wondering how in the world we are going to stay on budget with only $5 a day to live off of. we have been laughed at several times from hostels and other means of housing because of our small budget. it also doesn’t help when you don’t speak the language and people are speaking dutch or portuguese to you giving directions and you have absolutely no idea what’s going on. you don’t see those parts of the trip because no one really wants to hear about them. but, it’s reality so welcome to the world race – expedition style.
in all honesty, missionary life is hard. it’s hard living with five other people and not being able to be alone due to safety reasons. it’s hard not having a bed every night for sometimes weeks at a time. it’s hard sleeping in a hammock on an Amazon riverboat where you spend most of the night bumping into strangers’ bodies due to the waves tossing you back and forth. it’s hard being away from family and friends for almost an entire year. it’s hard always hurrying up to wait for transportation or other people because you don’t have a means to get places. it’s hard waking up and choosing a “yes” in my spirit to love my team and always be willing to serve, especially when you’re sick. it’s hard being ok showering with thirty crickets hopping around or flushing the toilet and having frogs jump out at you or only having two pots and stove top to cook meals for six people with no running water or not having air conditioning when it’s a zillion degrees out and the dress code makes you wear clothes you wouldn’t dare buy if you were in the states.
don’t get me wrong, there are some really precious moments. God is unbelievably good and has His hand of favor over us, but it’s not always glamorous. so don’t let the Instagram pics fool you. it’s hard living in the unknown. maybe it has a lot to say about our American way of life. always controlling every aspect of every day. to be honest, i miss that. i miss being comfortable and content. but that’s not what God asks of us. He doesn’t want us to be complacent. He wants us to die to ourselves everyday – love Him and love others. we worked alongside project amazon [american] missionaries and the wife talked about how living in brazil isn’t comfortable but it doesn’t matter long term. we have to think eternally. it reminded me of how my “uncomfortable” life isn’t really that uncomfortable. i’m still alive. i’m healthy. i have food and water. we always find a place to sleep, even if it’s on the floor of someone’s kitchen. God is teaching me how to rely on Him during every moment of every day. i wake up saying, “Lord, what do you have for me today? let me be a vessel. show me what you have in store for me.” it’s a much different mindset than i had back in the states, but it’s definitely one i’m going to bring back with me. He is definitely refining my fleshly desires. so what i’ve learned these last couple of weeks is that dying to yourself is painful but it brings kingdom and that’s huge because that’s eternal.
logistics update: we will be leaving santarem thursday to take a two day boat ride to manaus. please keep my team and i in your prayers as we travel. i fly out the first of november to kansas for my dental interview on the third. prayers for my interview are greatly appreciated!
we made a short video about our time on the boat as well!
peace and blessings.
sj
