serving missionaries

It caught me by surprise. I knew that God was bringing our family here, in part, to minister to the missionary community here in Chichicastenango. I knew that my primary role would be to hold services every Sunday, preach, conduct Bible studies and lead prayer sessions for the missionaries who work and serve here full time. I just never fully comprehended what strange animals missionary's are, and how much joy I would receive from being called their "Pastor," which is what everyone calls me here.
I want to share in the next 2 blogs some of the joys and concerns of serving in a missionary community. I think that there are a few things that are only issues for us, in this place, in Guatemala...but I think those issues are minor.
I want to address the major ones, which seem to be common to all missionaries serving around the world. First, the concerns:

1. Missionaries seldom work together. You would think that there would not be duplication of ministries when the most important aspect is to serve the people who are indigenous to the culture. But it happens all the time. A missionary will often see something working that can become better, and instead influencing changes to the current ministry, will simply start his/her own ministry with those changes. Some of this I think comes from the innate independence in the missionary character. But I always thought it odd.
2. Missionaries seldom do life together. Again, you would think that with such a small community of "gringos," people would come together and share in each other's joys and concerns more. But it seldom happens. Missionaries will have moments in church or Bible study where there is true authentic sharing, but most of the time we continue to do life as we knew it in The States. We all purchase our own cars, own tools, own things, and we all have our own ways to gather resources. We have different mechanics, shop at different times and stores, and would rather walk through traffic down a dangerous and crowded "calle" to a local tienda, than to ask the person next door if they could spare some flour or sugar. This strikes me as odd as well.
3. Missionaries are lonely. I guess this goes with the first 2 really, and shouldn't come as a surprise. I was called to help in this area, and I think the role of our church here has made everyone's life a bit more bearable. But still, there are few English speakers in our midst. We all live in a different culture now than what we ever would consider comfortable. The food is different. No TV. Very little outward stimulation. Darkness starting at 6pm every night. Our closest friends and family live far away from here. And there is a deep and almost unfathomable amount of isolation that you can experience in the field. The questions always seem to arise among missionaries: "Am I making a difference?" 'Is this all worth the cost of the relationships I left back home?" "Does my home church even care about me?" "Who even notices what I do?" "Where is the recognition?"
4. Missionaries are protective of their resources. We struggle here with a mindset in the Mayan community called "Limited Goods." Missionaries deal with this mindset on a daily basis. It means simply, that there are only so many good things in life. So if someone has something good happen, then that goodness must be shared. We have had communities turn down old widows from receiving a home or care if the missionaries couldn't build homes for everyone else in the community as well. Ridiculous thinking really. And yet missionaries will have their friends, supporters and mission teams come into town and only show them what they personally do, as if there are no other missionaries in town. So, for example, if a doctor comes, many missionaries would rather find their own ideas of how to use that doctor rather than allow them to serve in a ministry here that has medical facilities and needs doctors. I think the worry here among missionaries is that maybe that supporter would start giving to a different mission organization, or missionary if they connected somewhere else. My question really, has always been to the missionaries here...are we really any different than the Mayans then? It seems like we believe in "Limited Goods" as well? And although it's understandable in human terms, it's sad all the same. And one side note on this: It can happen in churches as well. Some missionaries will get upset if other missionaries are highlighted in their home church. My wife and I have considered it a blessing to know that our church values missions at all, rather than getting caught up in which one becomes more important to a church body. God knows what we need. God knows what the others need. We are all on the same team.
5. Missionaries, at times, feel lost. I don't mean spiritually lost, but lost in a way that they no longer have a home. It sounds weird, but all of us have a little bit of that deer-in-the-headlights look to us. Why? Well, we have all given up the culture we knew....the language, stores, restaurants, movie theaters, holidays, roads, houses, etc....to live in a place that is so different from all those things. We have holidays here that do not coincide with anything we know. We have to struggle speaking in a different language. Our homes are different. The weather is different. Nothing looks or smells the same. It can be really disconcerting. We have left the place we know, and yet are unable to fully enter into the place where we are called to live.
   

Well, those are some of the hurdles for me as I continue to learn and grow into my role here as the Pastor to missionaries in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Maybe you can pray for us and the missionaries here as we do our best to work through these issues in the Body? We miss our home, our church and family very much. But we feel blessed to have a ministry that keeps these dear servants in the field where they have been called to minister. In the next blog, I will share some of the special joys of serving the missionary community.