Hey friends
Today I want to share a few thoughts with you that will hopefully shine some light on a topic that’s very dear to me. I want to show you a purpose for missions beyond my story. My goal is for you to have a better idea of why I spent three years in Norway and will spend a year on the WR .
During our last teaching week in Norway, we had a team come to speak and share insight on re-entry. While life in Norway is a bit different, the biggest struggle people face when returning to their homes is the difference of leaving the base. The base has been a home to about 30 people from all different countries during this school year. It’s where we have lived, worked and learned together for the past nine months (and for others a few years). The speakers shared some of the harder obstacles we face when adjusting to “normal life” and we talked about the emotions that come along with moving on, and finally we celebrated and thanked God for all He had done in this school year! For me my biggest take away from that week was from a TED talk we watched. It’s called the tragedy of A Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She spoke about the way our opinions become defined based on one sided stories. One of her examples is that people often only speak about Africa’s poverty and the governments corruption that people don’t see anything else. As I watched this I realized that I too, was guilty of both telling single stories as much as believing them. I have judged someone based on a single person’s opinion, and I have made assumptions of cultures and people groups based on one or no experience. The single story I would like to address today is about Missions and Missionaries.
This topic obviously means different things to different people. I just want to say my purpose is not to shame, but to come with clarity and understanding on what it means to be a missionary or to be involved with missions. When I was in Norway, I realized that I believed a lot of stereotypes when it came to being a missionary. I thought they were holier than thou kind of people; that they were super Christians who all took bucket showers and ate worms in a hut in Africa. While there is usually some truth to stereotypes, there are also false perceptions. I know I can’t speak for every missionary everywhere, but all I can do is tell you a bit of what my life has looked like- hopefully you will catch the vision of what this missionary thing is all about.
Before I begin with sharing my experiences, I’d like to burst some bubbles and perceptions on what being a missionary Is and Is Not. Being a missionary is a lifestyle- a commitment to loving and blessing people and to spreading joy and hope all over the world. It is not a vacation or a means to travel, or an effort to convert as many people as possible. Finally, it is not an excuse to not have a “real” job. While I recognize there are people who go on mission trips just for a Facebook profile picture I want to challenge you to not make that the only story you hear or believe.
While I was in Norway my life was usually busy, 7 AM breakfast and I would go till about 9 pm most days. I had running water, electricity, and I could find anything I needed (except for some good hot wings). I was blessed to live on the coast with mountains and fjords surrounding my home. I could go outside and walk 10 minutes in any direction and end up on a trail. Does this make Norway any less of a sacrifice or less of a challenge than being in Cambodia, for example? Absolutely not! My challenges may look different, but it would be naive to say that they didn’t exist.
I watched a video recently that was meant to poke fun at missionary stereotypes. In the video there is a couple driving around in a new corvette convertible, eating lobster and scuba diving. They made a video for supporters talking about their day to day life while in a five-star hotel awaiting room service. Then they proceeded to ask for $10,000 monthly support. I laughed when I saw this partially because it was so far from the truth, but it also made me a bit sad because this is the way some people view mission trips and missionaries. I started to think back to my first year in Norway, I posted a bunch of pictures because I wanted to keep my supporters in the loop and show them what beauty was in Norway and Cambodia. I was disappointed and slightly shattered when I came back to Georgia and was asked about my ” vacation” and why I was planning on staying in Norway when I was living off someone else’s penny to “just have fun”. What did I do wrong? I thought I shared enough about how I was terrified of all the outdoor weeks and how this alone would be a huge stretch for me.
Maybe I should have talked more about my growth with God and all the ways He brought freedom into my life. Should I have taken more pictures of the times I was sick and had lice than of the people who touched my heart and the memories I never want to forget? I remember that feeling of frustration and confusion, why don’t people understand? How can I really show them what I am doing so they can understand? Thankfully now I don’t struggle with this as much; I see the purpose behind what I do and I know my calling.
Now its more important for me to be fully in the moment and enjoy making memories, more so than it is to take nice pictures of memories. I have learned that while it is easier to take group selfies and pictures at the beach; that is not the whole picture of the connections made and I am okay with people not always seeing the “whole picture“.
Can you imagine, if in every meaningful thing I did my priority was to get proof of these special moments? “Thanks for sharing with me how you were put in trafficking and I know this is a sad moment, but can we take a selfie, so I can post it about what “real” things I’m doing here”? I learned that there will be people who don’t read your updates or blogs, so the only thing they see is the picture of you in a hammock with a coconut in your hand. When the reality is, you have been teaching for five hours in ridiculous heat with a long skirt and no AC and this was your thirty-minute break.
I say all of this, not for a gold star or for Jesus points. I share this with you because I can’t continue to go out and meet the needs and hurts without you, I need you. My heart wants you to not send me twenty bucks because that’s the “right” thing to do, but for you to understand that this is bigger than me and you. I want the saying “live like Jesus did” to mean something in our being. Jesus was many things to many people: a healer, teacher, and friend. He met big needs as well as the small ones. He cared for the least likely people, the ones that no one wanted around. I want my life and my heart to reflect Jesus in what I do and the way I live my life. I want to make people feel loved and valued when everyone around them says otherwise. That my friends, is why I am a missionary. While being able to meet people where they are and hear about their lives and having the privilege of speaking into who they are and their callings; I also see the sacrifices that come with this lifestyle. I don’t get to be with my family often, I may not have the freedoms and the safety as I do when I’m home, and it means I must trust God and rely on others for my finances. I also see the way God has used those same sacrifices and blessed me with friends who have become my family, the freedom that God has given me that in turn I can share with others, and I see that God has never not shown up or provided for me.
Hopefully this had been insightful and that you can take at least one thing away from this post. Be blessed friends and feel free to email / text or leave a comment if you have questions or want to chat. I have included the TED talk below 
