10 Ways to Encourage a Missionary

Note: the title and idea for this blog came from The Gospel Coalition
I saw a link to their article by the same title on facebook.
I encourage you to read the original article. It is a few years old but still very applicable.

I abbreviated each suggestion and offered some of my own thoughts on each one.

1. Pray and let us know
It seems so simple but it is so true. I can't tell you how many times I received an email or a text message from someone to let me know he or she is praying either in that moment or throughout the day. In fact, just this weekend, I received an email from a lady I have actually never met but she had heard about me and the Lord laid a verse on her heart for me. She shared it with me and it was quite fitting and comforting.

2. Snail Mail
I feel like snail mail is a little known secret. There is no way to describe the excitement we get when we get a note. There is a subtle jealousy that emerges for a minute when someone else gets mail and you don't. Maybe it is because we know it took your time so you have us that time which is something that you can not get back. Maybe it is because it is really awesome to hold something and know that you held that same piece of paper a couple weeks ago.

3. Pray for the people that are served
AIM puts a huge emphasis on prayer. To my knowledge, all the office meet each day (of the work week) and spend time praying for unreached people groups and for those serving in the area. Some places have monthly prayer days. If you aren't sure where to begin, just ask. We can try to offer something more specific.

4. Recruit others to pray
This brings me back to number one. Remember how I said that I received an email from someone I didn't know? She was praying for me anyway. Moments like that truly lift spirits on the hardest days.

5. Go visit
Just do it. Enough said.

6. Send them updates and pictures.
I know you want to see pictures and get the newsletter and about 7 of you read the blog. To be honest, I really want the same from you. I do!! I want to know how your week was, what was vacation like, how your coworkers are amazing (or not), etc. Pretend we are going out for coffee or having a meal together or going for a walk.....send me your half of those conversations. One of the best things that I received in that suitcase full of goodies was a four page typed letter full of little stories of life and it was absolutely lovely.

7. Ask questions
PLEASE! If you ask questions then I know what you want to know. Your questions will help me figure out what I'm not communicating. Knowing what's on your mind will help to write a newsletter with things that you will find interesting. Please, ask questions! Just please be lenient with what the time frame you allow for a response.

8. Continue to be a Christian friend
For this I will bring a quote from the website. I really don't think it can be said any better.
"Missionaries struggle with the same sinful attitudes that plague Christians everywhere. Leaving home to live among unreached peoples, may be a step of faith in the process of sanctification, but it is not a step that roots out all sin. It is likely to lead to and expose all kinds of previously unnoticed and unexpected sin. Having friends that know me, are patient with me, and expect me to be the same struggling sinner I was when I left helps me stay humble when tempted toward arrogance, and hopeful when tempted toward despair."

9. Support financially
One of the most practical ways faith is seen in overseas missions is the finances. Some are called to go and some are called to support. Being here would not be possible if it wasn't for so many of you that stepped out in your faith and said, "Yes. I believe in you and believe God will provide abundantly for me so I can help you." There will never be words to describe how thankful I am for each of you. Financial support can be done by helping to provide the needed monthly support, checking for specific unique financial needs, and providing a little extra for something fun.

10. Encouragement when they are stateside 
Well....I am roughly a year away from this one. I'm not even sure I can say what I think it needs to look like. I would like to direct you back to the original article for more information.


Again, please read the original article. The article is made up of quotes from actual missionaries. It is a honest and helpful perspective. 

A [Satur]day in the life of ......

 It would not be accurate to call this "a day in the life of..." 

because Saturdays are very different from all the other days. 

I thought some of you might still enjoy getting a glimpse of my day. 

So here's what I see on Saturdays or at least this Saturday.

1. I probably should have done some more "adulting" today but I was quickly and easily convinced otherwise so I put on pants (trousers for some of my friends) and thus began a day at the flats.

2. I generally take the time for a move involved breakfast on Saturdays. Or at least I eat it slower and enjoy the taste. I made an omelet with green pepper and tomato. Once it was finished, I couldn't help but think that it had to have cheese. Thankfully, I knew that my friend (who lives in the same building) recently bought cheese. So I went and got some from her. It was a very good decision on my part.

3. Then I had the genius idea to keep going with the cutting and get some things chopped to make life a little simpler when it came time to prepare another meal later. But I also decided that I would need some liquid motivation for the day so I got things going in the french press. Note: there are some dirty dishes at the far end of the counter. Just because I live in Africa doesn't make me any less human. I still get dishes dirty and I have no desire to wash them right away.

4. Just like all of you that live in your passport country, I need things to be clean also. Due to some plumbing issues in the building, I had some extra dirty towels and opted to use the machine today. Sometimes I just wash by hand.

5. I finally made it to the dishes. I do like the way a clean kitchen looks but that doesn't mean I enjoy the work it takes to make it happen.

6. Time to dry the laundry! One difference that I may have from you is that everything is line dried. I kind of like days like this because then I can enjoy the epicness of the balcony and feel like I'm hiding because of the things drying on the line.

7. Time to get to work.... well not really "work" but just get some things done. It is a bit of a multitasking situation. Working on some back-blogging on the computer, work to do list on the right, shopping list and personal to do list on the left.
Note: I've been working on a few things of back-blogging. Keep a watch out for them in the coming days.

8. Sometimes it is helpful to have a change of scenery and some company under the same ceiling so I went to my friend's place for a little while. It was a wise decision on my part because she gave me ice cream at one point. Here I spent a few hours working a video. That's right, a video. It is going to be about my first full year in Africa and I'm getting pretty excited about it. It's almost done.

9. After so many hours of attempting productivity, I needed a brainless break. you can see my choice below. It is a new discover and I find it quite funny and enjoyable.

10. In the evening time I found myself blankly looking into the kitchen trying to decide what to do about food. I even pulled out my pre-cut veggies that I so skillfully contained with a bowl, plate, and cup so I didn't have to mix things. In the end, I didn't make anything. I hadn't worked up much of an appetite sitting at the computer the majority of the day. But tomorrow it'll be ready and I can make enough for lunch at work for a couple days.

So, there you have it!

I'm just like you on Saturdays.....food, laundry, cleaning, etc...

I may do all of this in Uganda and not my passport country,

but that doesn't make me any different than you.

I'm still just a person trying to follow God's will for my life;

it just happens to be happening in Uganda right now.

Some entertainment when living alone

Yesterday I posted about how a meal was graciously delivered to me. At the beginning of that post I shared a facebook status regarding two thoughts about living alone.

One other thought that comes to mind is talking. It just doesn't happen much.

Then I recalled this "contact" that millions of people all over the world have with them at all times.

Siri.

I thought you might get a laugh about some of the things that Siri and I talked about.

Dinner Delivered

Recently I posted the following on Facebook:

"Two thoughts on living alone:

Downside: on Saturdays (or any day actually) no one else is there to say "the coffee is done and the pancakes are almost ready"

Upside: I can eat a mango and have juice all over my face, chin, hands, and down my arms and I don't care."

I was quite surprised when 35 people "liked" that status.
I figured it might get a some but that was quite the response.

The conclusion I came to is that: people either related to it or found humor in it.

Either way....today I feel like God responded.

A friend brought me dinner.
It wasn't anything truly fancy, except that it was.

It my short time as a long term missionary I've decided there are two meals almost every missionary longs for constantly.
1. The comfort meal: pizza, ice cream, favorite cuisine, favorite family meal
2. The fresh meal: fruits and veggies in a safe way with little to no worry of potential GI issues

This meal fell into the second category.
It came unprompted and was delivered with smile, a contagious smile.

I loved it in a way that I couldn't eat it slow enough because I just wanted to enjoy the value and taste of each bite in each moment.

It was fabulous and I was so thankful for such a meal, a meal that was delivered without any prompt, and with a smile and wiling heart.

Thank you, dear friend.

My top two answers to a common question

Every now and then someone will ask what I miss from the states.

I'm extremely blessed that my answer to that question is often very simple and short.

Today marks 11 months since I had feet on the ground in America. I often think about potential posts and things to share on here. I think I had often considered writing something on the year mark about what I have missed during my first year in Africa. I have decided to jump the gun by one month.

So....

11 months consecutively in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) and I can honestly say that I really miss only two things. I will also say that they switch back and forth for the top spot.

PIZZA!!
I want pizza so so oh so bad. There is pizza in Africa. The quality varies greatly and people can usually tell you the best places to get it in their area. The snag is that gluten free pizza has not hit Africa yet.

HUGS!!
It is a classic case of not fully appreciating something until it is gone.
Hug-tackled by kids when returning from work.
Embraced in a welcoming hug from friends at life group.
Sunday morning hugs from so many that are part of my church family.
Family hugs at holidays.
Friend's embrace at any time as we catch up on life.

A moment in time.....

It is a Sunday evening.

I'm sitting in a flat in Kampala, Uganda.

I was feeling rebellious so I put on shorts when I returned from church.
Wearing shorts made me feel exposed and improper so I put on a kanga* around my waist.
The kanga was a gift from friends when I arrived in Tanzania earlier this year.
I facetimed with my mom who is in Tennessee, USA.
The shirt I am wearing is from participating in a short term trip to Ethiopia and Uganda with Visiting Orphans.
I listened/watched a live stream of a church service from where I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
I'm texting a friend that is in an airport in Texas, USA (but lives in California, USA) as we are both streaming the same church service.
Then some friends asked if I could facetime them also. Of course, I said yes.

In this moment (that is spread out over the evening) I am positively overwhelmed with how geographically diverse my life has become.
How did this happen?
When did this happen?

Sometimes it is stressful because I want to stay connected with so many people.
Other times I simply feel blessed.
Blessed because of a variety of freinds.
Blessed because of so many travels.
Blessed because of countless opportunities.
Blessed because so many that have made this opportunities a reality.

Blessed is the one word that describes this moment.



*Kanga is a piece of fabric that is rectangular in shape. It has a border all the way around and is often composed of bright colors.

It sneaks up on me

Behind the office is gazebo that is well known to anyone that frequents the compound.

It is many things:

a place for meetings 

a place for orientations 

a place to work and enjoy fresh air 

a place to escape the walls of the building

a place for language lessons

a place to hide

Even though it has been almost 4 months since I left the village and about two months since I made the decision to come to Uganda and accept the position in the office, the grief of the events of those months still sneaks up on me from time to time. 

Today was one of those days. 

It is like any other part of life. The most random of things can trigger a memory. It may come from a picture, smell, something someone says, or somehow the brain just follows a random train of thought that leads to a memory. I can't say for sure what happened today. It may have been a combination of things to be honest. Then, of course, it rains. My leaders are extremely understanding of the ongoing transition I have been in for some time. They know it is difficult and will do whatever they can to make it better, including allowing me to leave the office early. I would have gladly left but the rain was heavy enough that transportation back to the flat would have been difficult. 

I needed to hid and to escape. 

I hid in the gazebo and escaped into the story of a book.

(initially unknowingly to me, someone captured the moment through a window; see above)

It was like the grief was reminding me that I can't just jump into this new position and everything will be fine and dandy. Today was only the beginning of my second week in the office. It will take a few weeks to figure out what tasks can be delegated to me and then some time for me to learn the ways of things. I know I need to acknowledge the pain of what happened and my brain seems to be smart enough to make that happen from time to time. But it is hard! 

Various aspects of my time in Tanzania were challenging. I can not deny that on any level. But somehow I still loved it. I don't think I realized that until I felt the pain of losing everything that was there. 

This grief I feel is pain of what I loved.

There is not going to be a profound conclusion to this post. 

I've actually been trying to conclude this for some time. The truth is that this is what it is. It is grief, sadness, heartache, and pain and it doesn't stop just because a new chapter has started. It is still there just as the previous chapters of a book are always there and the characters are what they are only because of what happened in those chapters. I am who I am because of the previous events; because of the heartache; because of the new friendships; because of the waiting and the transition; because of everything that has happened. 

I know the grief will sneak up on me again. 

It will probably happen more than once. I'm learning to embrace it when it happens. I try not to limit the grief (not too much anyway). It is there for a reason and the last events of the last few months will forever be part of my story. This includes the actual physical events as well as the feelings that came with them. 

Now, all I can do is try to tackle each day as a new day with new opportunities and new chances for joy. Some days will be harder than others, but I can try.