5 Principles of Missionary Living - Part 2

 The landscape near Altamira being lit by lighting

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the first principle of missionary living, Calling.  It would be good to check that out as a prequel to this post.  Because of some changes in the server where I store my blog, I was delayed a bit in post the second part.
 
Convenience

Convenience – There is NOTHING convenient about being a missionary.  Nothing.  The weather stinks.  The bugs bug you.  The culture and language will mess with your mind.  You will be cranky, irate, and agitated.  You will have mysterious sicknesses and pains.  You will miss people, places, foods, things, and the order of society.  Mold grows where you never thought possible.  The people you came to help will steal from you. 

Nope, there is nothing convenient about missions, and even less so here in Altamira.  Here, you are just one step away from the ends of the earth and you notice it.  The cars break constantly.  The electricity goes out.  Computers burn up.  It is a struggle, and don’t be fooled, there will surely be troubles and difficulties.  Going to Brazil isn’t the same as going to heaven.  In heaven, everything is great.  On the mission field, it is tough and you must be resilient in all areas of your life to stand up to the challenge.  

Our American society is deluded and deluged with convenience.  When something is tough or difficult, we seek an easier, less painful way.  There are very few things that are easy or convenient out here.   

And it is never a convenient time to be a missionary.  There are always legitimate reasons to put off missions work.   

• We want to finish school.
• We want to start a family.
• We just want a few years of job experience.
• We want to save a bit more money before we go.
• We want to see Europe first (or travel more).
• We want to first get married.

You get the idea.  There is a large list of good reasons that stand in the way of doing that which God is calling us to do.  These are not wrong things, but they quickly become convenient reasons to avoid the mission field.

These are all appropriate things in the context of when God tells us to do them and in the order which He tells us.  But, too often we grab onto them (and other reasons) to prop up our “reasonable arguments”.  Sometimes doing the unreasonable thing is what God is putting before us.

The idea of convenience is contrary to the reality of missionary living.  This realization that missions takes us into areas out side of our comfort zone and outside of our normal routines is one of the main principles in a realistic perspective on missionary life.

Comments

[Aunt Jan]

Hi Bud & Suzanne, It's early 4th of July morning and I felt like a visit with you so opened your blog. what a wealth of information you have to share. I love the part when you tell what a life is like as a missionary. Not many conveniences listed there. You are such a great combination of both your Mom & Dad. They would most certainly be proud of how you have developed spiritually. We are having a picnic today at Joe & Staci's and then leaving for Warm Beach camp on Monday the 7th. Ruthie & Walt left for Vancouver last Tuesday where they will attend Henry Weinhardt's wedding. Then they too will go to camp. Susie is busy with her "wedding decorating business". She has a wedding this week end and one next week end too. (Abby Schlatter & Jordan Hudson). Annie & Pascal will be down sometime this afternoon. Tomorrow we have a Haring reunion. Many coming from far and near. So, life goes on. Not as exciting as yours. I love reading your blog. Keep it up. Aunt Jan