Here’s a peek into my life as a missionary thus far:
· On average, we’ve been living on ~$2 a day for food (all three meals, sometimes snacks too!).
· We’ve traveled from one country to the next in <$10!
· I never knew that peanut butter was such a delicacy… so difficult to obtain and then so expensive when it’s your lucky day finding some at a supermarket!
· Collecting handmade string bracelets is a new hobby of mine.
· We helped prepare for an evangelistic event (‘crusada’) and saw a few dozen people come to Christ in three nights.
· In the middle of the night, we hear dogs, roosters, cows, cicadas, birds, radios, and snoring, among other things.
· Showering daily has become a foreign concept to me. Smell check, anyone?
· Washing clothes in a laundry machine is simply amazing. And a dryer? Well, that just made my month!
· “You just got feedbacked.” Daily World Race lingo. [Feedback = nightly occurrence of helping one another grow and improve as well as encouraging each other to continue in what we’re doing well. Calling out greatness!]
· I can’t remember the last time I’ve used a mirror. Guess that’s what happens when I don’t bring a pocket mirror! …Okay, fine, I did use my teammate’s sunglasses a few times.
· Warm showers are not an option. But then again, if it’s not icy cold and it doesn’t make you flinch upon entering, then it counts as ‘warm.’
· “No hay agua hoy” (There’s no water today) and “Se fue la luz” (The lights went out/there’s no electricity) are common phrases.
· Bodily functions have become a conversation topic of choice at the dinner table. Oh wait, there’s no table. The dinner circle!
· We truly do have to ‘choose in’ and make a conscious, intentional effort against fleshly unwillingness to be joyful and do things the Lord is asking of us.
· Getting a daily/healthy dose of fruits and veggies (especially fruit- thought it would be abundant and cheap!) is not easy…
· The Lord’s creation all around me never gets old. It’s so mesmerizing.
· 24-hour prayer/worship vigils are a new norm.
· Don’t forget to bring your water bottle with you when you brush your teeth. Pure water ftw.
· Flushing toilet paper is an absolute no-no.
· Expecting there to be toilet paper is an absolute no-no.
· Don’t be surprised if you have to bucket flush the toilet. Or if you have to poop in a bag because the toilet won’t flush such items and perform the walk of shame to the trash out front (where animals will proceed to rip open said trash and disperse it across the lawn). Sorry if that was TMI, but just being real here.
· The local Filipino children come everyday to peer in our windows, and sometimes they carol outside our door!
· We get so used to having no power that we forget to even flip the switch to see if the power is back yet.
· Feeling dry somehow equates with feeling ‘clean enough’. (Really, showers aside, you feel most gross when you’re sticky and sweaty!)
· Being dark and Asian means I often get mistaken as Filipina or as a translator for the team. 😛
· Your hear the most ridiculous and encouraging and powerful testimonies, and it seems like these people minister to you more than you do to them.
· People around the world (alright, so far just Central America and the Philippines) are so wonderfully hospitable and generous. With the little they have, they’ll welcome you in and give up their comfort and food for you.
· Headlamps have saved our butts multiple times.
· Have no expectations. Be flexible. Be prepared for anything and don’t let Satan grab a foothold anywhere. I am birthmarked ‘God’s child,’ and even though I can’t always see the mark myself, I know it’s still there.
