Missionary, hunh?!

As I’ve been enjoying my travels and some relaxation, I began to panic! Wait…this isn’t supposed to be vacation…I’m supposed to be here as a missionary! People have contributed so generously for me to be able to be here, and I don’t take that support lightly. It’s really easy to start questioning whether or not you are making any appreciable difference. Most of the people that I interact with on a regular basis are already Christians, so I haven’t knowingly converted anyone to Christianity. I’m not drilling any wells or building schools. I haven’t introduced any revolutionary agricultural practices or crops (though I’m trying to convince them to milk the goats…it hasn’t caught on yet!). So, I began to wonder, what is the advantage of me being here instead of simply donating the money that I require to live here for the year to one of them many worthy causes and drilling a well or building a school?

As I reflected on what it means to be a missionary, I remembered that during my training to become an Individual Volunteer through the United Methodist Church I formulated this definition:

I believe that mission is joining with persons of faith around the world in global partnership offering what I have to do the work of God which includes clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and setting at liberty those who are oppressed as well as working to change the conditions that perpetuate poverty and oppression.

After reading it, I breathed a partial sigh of relief. I think that while I’m in school and teaching, I’m working toward this end. However, I still questioned my purpose outside of school amongst the community of Jalingo and beyond. Through significant periods of reflection and prayer, I remembered a portion of a book I’d read a few years ago called “The Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne where he referenced Jesus talked about how important it is to be present among the poor and live in community. It was a huge relief to recognize that in my everyday errands and going about I wasn’t in any position to nor any compulsion to rescue anyone from their current plight. Instead, we are called to walk, work, and dialogue together!

Showing my friend dental floss and how to use it, learning from a stranger how to signal to a taxi which direction I want to go, sharing my cinnamon rolls with people sitting outside my compound, learning the Hausa word for “2 days after tomorrow” (that’s right…there’s a word for that!) are all examples of interactions that take place on a regular basis. I believe that these simple, daily encounters are helping to build understanding, respect, tolerance and love. Though these qualities are difficult to assess and quantify, I think that they are necessary to achieving peace and unity. Directly depositing money into a project account can’t do that.

Feelings of guilt prompted by a 4-week Christmas break initiated this line of thinking, but I feel that it produced an expanded and evolved sense of purpose for the next 8 months…only time will tell!