So ‘The honest missionary’ sounds like a weird title for a blog. What am I saying? Do missionaries generally lie? Well, missionaries wouldn’t be very good missionaries with such a major character flaw, but missionaries do tend to omit details when writing newsletters. There are topics which are ‘taboo’ and even if a burst of honest feeling comes forth the delete button swiftly rectifies the problem.
Why is honesty an issue?
Everyone wants to know how life is going on the mission field but what do they really want to know? It seems that the ‘fruit’ is something everyone wants to know about and it brings great excitement and congratulations. The ‘labour’ however isn’t so popular.
Everyone wants to know how life is going on the mission field but what do they really want to know? It seems that the ‘fruit’ is something everyone wants to know about and it brings great excitement and congratulations. The ‘labour’ however isn’t so popular.
Spare Me the Gory Details!
Bump number 3 (17 years ago)
Roy and I have 3 children. When I went into labour with each of the children most people were not interested in the labour, they were interested in the outcome. “Let us know when he/she has arrived”. Those who were interested in the labour were those who had been through it. They wanted to compare experiences, to know the gory details and to compare levels of discomfort and pain. In addition, they wanted to talk about pain relief and how to cope during labour.
So missionaries have a tendency to tell you what you might be interested in rather than burden you with the labour stories. Newsletters are used to share good news so the pain is omitted. So missionaries don’t generally lie but do struggle to tell the whole truth and this is why I decided to write.
‘The Honest Missionary’ is for anyone who really wants to get an insider view of what it is like on the mission field. It may be that you have a heart for missions or are considering going on the mission field, it is equally likely you are already there and want to compare notes.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Lainey
Hey Lainey!
I wanted to let you know about this organization that supports missionary women in many ways. Their articles are written by women on the field and are always very honest. This might be a good platform for you to express yourself to a wider audience. I attended a writer’s workshop at their retreat I attended a couple of years ago and they are always looking for submissions. Have a look around! http://thriveministry.org/
I’m definitely entering a transition phase with pre-menopause and empty nest coming up in the fall. I’m ready to lighten my ministry load and give myself a year of rest and grace as I change seasons, giving myself permission to do things I’ve always dreamed of doing…
Thanks Angela, I didn’t know about the organization you mentioned. I will check it out! I think it is so necessary to support one another on the field. Perhaps you and David should consider coming to visit us in Hungary sometime during your year of ‘rest and grace’. We will probably be going through the empty nest stage one year from now it seems wise to approach it the way you are.