10 Things Missionaries Won't Tell You

A friend posted this link the other day and it's funny how true this is! 10 Things Missionaries Won't Tell You. Here are my brief thoughts on each one:

1. THEY DON’T HAVE THE TIME OR ENERGY TO WRITE… BUT THEY DO IT FOR YOU. True. However I enjoy writing... so thankfully it's not too much trouble.

2. FACEBOOK “LIKES” DON’T PAY THE BILLS. Ha. Love this! But I do have to say I love the relationships I have with people. As a female, I need my support system of friends to encourage me and keep me going. Likes and comments are helpful. But yes, moolah is good too!

3. THEY ASK FOR MONEY BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CHOICE. Pretty much. We spent our first four years "on the mission field" by supplying most of our funds ourselves with supplementary help from a few others during that time. But now God has opened doors for us to be focused on mission work full time and gave us the green light for asking for money. It's awkward to ask friends for $ but we're trusting Him! 

4. YOU’LL NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEIR WORST DAYS. This isn't totally true for me. I am pretty honest to a fault. I know life is full of setbacks and challenges and I really admire other men and women who are honest about where they are at—it frees everyone up to be real and ask for prayer. I'm learning to be more wise with what I share, but at the end of the day, it's good to be yourself. 

5. THEY NEED A VACATION… BUT WON’T TELL YOU IF THEY TAKE ONE. This one is tricky. Yes, you feel you might be judged for having a LIFE outside of DOING works of service. But, just like every normal person, I need times of refreshing. Day to day life is exhausting, no matter who you are. I personally feel the freedom to take breaks, but I definitely do wonder if others are judging me/us when we do. I could write a whole post on this topic. 

6. HOSTING TEAMS IS A NIGHTMARE. Um, mostly. Ha! I loved what the author wrote about it. Most people don't realize the extra work having a team requires. Tip: Never send a team unless the missionaries request one or, upon being asked, assure you that it would be beneficial. Some people are well-equipped for teams and enjoy it. Others aren't. Tip for missionaries: It's good to have a system and order to how you will receive teams. We have worked out how it works for us through trial and error over time. We've interacted with some great teams, so it's not always difficult. 

7. “GOING HOME” IS A LOT OF WORK. Yes. 100% agree. It's absolutely not a vacation. Though it's nice to eat at familiar restaurants (ahem, Chipotle) and shop at familiar places (ahem, Trader Joes & Target), most of our time is spent running from person to person and having the same conversations over the over (though I have to say we LOVE everyone we see!) Add a child into the mix and it's 10 times more stressful. 

8. IT’S EASY FOR GOD TO TAKE A BACK SEAT IN THEIR LIFE. I don't particularly find this to be true. Like anyone, we too have to maintain our personal relationship with God. I would say our relationship with God has deepened while overseas, but like anyone, it requires discipline and can ebb and flow. 

9. IT’S HARD TO TRUST PEOPLE. The author who wrote this must have had some tough experiences. I get what the author is trying to say, but we don't necessarily agree with this one either. More, it's a matter of discerning the right people to work alongside by asking God for guidance. Having God's blessing or not on a partnership or network is very important to factor in when doing mission work. Don't go into anything with someone you don't have peace about.

10. THEY ARE LONELY. Yes and no. You have to go read the author's whole explanation around this one. For us, it depends on the season we are in. Very much YES when we first arrived. Yes, we get tired of being so focused and being far from home. We can feel lonely in the sense that you always feel like a stranger in a foreign land. But we are connected both with people here and back home so we don't necessarily feel fully lonely per say, but at times, we do miss traditional life back home. At home you don't have a missionary label, and are free to be "a normal person" with no expectations placed on you. I do daydream at times of being home and what life might be like when we return.