What is it REALLY like to be a missionary?

I am often asked… “What is it REALLY like to be a missionary?” Well… it’s hard…BUT IT’S GOOD.

When you think of the word “missionary” what comes to mind? Images of a barefoot man running through the jungles of the Amazon with a machete in one hand and a Bible in the other? A woman so filled and surrounded by the shekinah glory of the Lord that she floats and sparkles mid-air? A perfect family of six children who never have attitudes, never misbehave, and are so Christ-like that their parents never even instruct them? Or perhaps a couple circling the globe filling their passports with stamps from foreign countries while hiking volcanoes and white water rafting on the weekends?

Sometimes... this happens

Well, SPOILER ALERT… being a missionary doesn’t look like any of those descriptions. Yes, being a missionary is hard… BUT IT’S GOOD.

It’s hard… It’s hard to find out that one of the teenage girls from your discipleship group is pregnant by a married man. Your heart breaks for her and you feel like a failure or that you could have “done something” to counsel her away from making a wrong decision. You want to be frustrated and question your own efficacy. But… IT’S GOOD… it’s good when an unexpected knock comes on the door and two of this young lady’s friends ask you to help plan the baby shower for her. When students see that you are choosing not to judge this young lady, but instead encourage and support her. It’s good when you see her friends and classmates imitating the love of Christ and rallying around her and encouraging her to continue studying and finish the school year.

It's hard… It’s hard when a family member is suffering from an illness or a personal problem and you so desperately want to be present, you want to drop everything and relocate to be near them, but you know that God is telling you to stay put. But… IT’S GOOD.. it’s good when you have missionary friends who are facing similar circumstances who can encourage you and share your burdens for your friends and family. 

Some of my favorite "littles" 

It’s hard… It’s hard when people want to see a “good return” on their investments but there is no way to measure discipleship… there is no way to measure empowerment… and there is no way to measure developing lasting relationships with the indigenous people. It’s hard because REAL LIFE CHANGE is messy, it takes time, and it comes through REAL relationships with individuals. But… IT’S GOOD… it’s good when we CAN share stories with our supporters of small successes and advances, when we CAN point to uprising community leaders who are taking leadership roles in community projects, and when we CAN share testimonies of lives changed by the Gospel.  

It’s hard… It’s hard when you are surrounded by so many needs, so many hurts, and so many opportunities to serve but you have to say no because you are only one person and you need to be healthy and focused to continue serving well. But... IT’S GOOD… it’s good when you see the fruits of your labors (however small they may be) as lives are changed by the Gospel, people begin to dream and take initiative to change their lives and communities, and people begin to apply what they are learning to their own individual lives.

It’s hard… It’s hard when indigenous people assume that you are not a reliable source of information or knowledge because “you’re not from here” or “you don’t speak the language perfectly”. It’s hard when YOU KNOW that YOU KNOW what YOU KNOW but your opinion is not solicited or reliable. But… IT’S GOOD… it’s good when the dynamic starts to change and after building relationships over a period of time people begin to see you as a source of ideas or information and begin to take into account that you may have something to bring to the conversation after all. It’s good when you begin to see and feel that they are starting to understand you or at least begin to see you as not so much as an outsider.

One of My Favorite Smiles

Being a missionary is hard… BUT IT’S GOOD. It’s not all Vacation Bible School presentations, Bible studies, and salvations. There are daily struggles, daily battles, and daily failures. But, there is also a goodness in every situation if we look just below the surface. It’s easy to get frustrated… and there are days I go lay in my bed and cry out of frustration. However, there are days that I want to jump up and down and celebrate and I can’t contain my joy. The days when the kids get it, when a heart surrenders to Christ, when I actually have a “good Spanish day”, or when a meeting with my local coworkers go well and we all “understand each other”.  The truth is, it’s hard doing life with people and entering into real relationships with people whose culture can be quite different from your own. It’s messy. It can be frustrating. But… it’s worth it. It is worth every single second. I am blessed to be living here with the precious people of this village, and despite the hardest moments… I would not change it for the world. That is what it's REALLY like to be a missionary. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate your prayers, friendship, and financial support. 

Blessings,

Meaghen