Missionaries

(This is an entry that I've contemplated for many weeks--I just hope I'm able to make it clear and understandable.) 

In many ways the life of a missionary is very different from any other way of living. You live day to day with someone else's agenda, spending someone else's money, and quite often, living in someone else's country.  Everything you do points to a specific goal which you buy into, but you depend completely upon circumstances, people, and opportunities that you cannot control.  If the citizens you live among are closed to your approaches, you make no impact on them.  If the funding does not come in (and ours has abundantly--thank you!), you cannot attend to your own basic needs.  If the host country doesn't let you in, you cannot live there.  The life of a missionary is one of dependence, patience, humility, and service. 

Yet, in many regards, missionary living can be just the same as living a life without all of those constraints.  Missionaries can just as easily live as if their 'fate is in their own hands'; as if they are the masters of their own destiny.  They don't naturally live patiently, humbly, and with a servant's heart. Those qualities have to be sought, honed, and maintained.  If you don't actively pursue them, then reckless living--living as if you've come in to rescue the indigenous folks--results and completely mars the very work you're trying to do.  You, in the end, become your own worst enemy.

Sadly, this rescuer mentality is the default mode.  We Americans (or Westerners for that matter) believe so strongly in ourselves and our way of accomplishing things, that we are convinced we've cornered the market on finances, technology, education, and a multitude of other things.  We dominate in so many things and have infinitely more benefits in our lives than just about anyone else around. As an American I too am proud of our advances and would want to have come from no other place.

And that's the rub:  When we enter any environment, our American ways naturally kick in and we see the circumstance through American eyes.  We notice the messes, the errors, the lack, the shortcomings.  We assess with a critical eye, troubleshoot how things could be improved, and then proceed to enact our plan of action.  In essence, we're going to ride in on a white horse and rescue the poor souls that so greatly need us.  Honestly, if we're not careful, that could somewhat be the undercurrent in all we do here.  We live to make an impact, a lasting one in fact.  We want to leave these people changed.  And we have a good idea of what that change looks like. 

But the old adage, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is as wise as wise can be.  As long as it's not offensive, unlawful, or immoral, one should attempt to live as those who he or she lives among.  It's how we walk in their shoes, build lasting connections, and grow in esteem in their eyes.  In the Bible, Paul even mentions that he changes himself to be more like those he's living among. To the Jews he's a Jew, and to the gentiles he lives more as a gentile.

The best example, however, is Jesus Himself. Unlike us, Jesus moves into a new place and sees people, not tasks to be done.  He sees devastation, disease, heartache, and civil unrest.  He must have been overwhelmed by the carnage around Him, yet He didn't take up the cause of everyone He encountered.  Instead, He waited for others to approach Him and He frequently asked them what they would like Him to do.  Yes, He knew all the answers and He possessed all the cures; He did not take over and dispense His solutions, much to the chagrin of those around Him. 

Unsurprisingly, Jesus is the best example of missionary living I can find.  He knew that connecting with the people was the utmost priority; the task was so very secondary.  It was not about the Sabbath, the Law, the Traditions.  It was about the people.  That's why He healed on the Sabbath, spoke about loving as the basis of law, ignored a number of the traditions, and ate with sinners.  He was completely set on drawing people to Himself but in their environment, not in His own.  The Bible even tells us that He left heaven above to come to us, and while here on earth, the Good Book never of speaks of Jesus having a home as an adult.  He didn't have one.  He always went to the poor, needy, unloved.  He always met them on their turf.  He always saw them where they lived and met them in their need.  He never pushed Himself on anyone.  And that is the best thing we could do here. 

I wish I would have known this from the beginning--this not to ride in on a white horse.  I wish I would have realized that my own rescuer mentality was fully in operation when we arrived.  I wish I would have remained quiet in a number of instances.  And I wish I would have simply been present and available when needs arose and new friends asked for help.  That would have been so much better. 

Thankfully, at Casa de Fe, I've done that very thing.  I've been supportive and greatly silent about the multitude of things that I would change if I were in charge.  I've encouraged, served, and loved--not because I planned it that way, but mainly because I was overwhelmed by the environment and unsure of the right words to use.  Praise God that He knew I needed to be put in a lowly position (pre-school helper in the classroom where no one else would ask to be placed) to teach me this lesson.

God is good.  He can use even the worst of our mistakes and reach people in spite of ourselves.  Thanks for reading.  Blessings, kim