The Glamorous Life of a Missionary:





For those of you who may have romanticized the idea that living on a tropical island and sharing the love of Jesus all around in the warmth of tropical breezes, sitting under the shade of the palm trees, and welcoming visitors from the US, is what our life consists of here-you may not have quite the right idea. Or as the Hertz commercial says: "Not Exactly". We have learned from TV that you can put a spin on anything and we can tell you that we live in a tropical paradise in a gated community with an ocean-front view, which is the truth-we do have a gate, we do live on a tropical island, and we can see the ocean from our property (which really does provide us with beautiful sunsets), but most of the time it does not feel like paradise.

There is the reality of ministering to the real needs of people-spiritually, emotionally, and physically, that is often more of a battleground than a paradise. It is hard, dirty, can be discouraging, and draining. Yet, because we are doing what the Lord has called us to do, there is joy in that.

There is nothing glamorous in building a 4-seater outhouse by the new youth auditorium to serve the youth's needs there, or digging worms out of a wound that is infected, or cleaning out the grease traps in the kitchen after the conference is over, but these are necessary things that we had to tackle this week. It is all part of serving 'the least of these' and anyone who is in ministry no matter where you serve, knows that these dirty jobs are part of it. Yet, if that was all we did, we could not last here. Thankfully, we have the wonderful times of sharing an evangelistic film, praying with someone, singing together at the clinic and devotions before starting the day, seeing someone kneel at the altar and give their life to the Lord. We see the smile of the child who receives a lollypop after their treatment is over and the tears have stopped (we even get special hugs sometimes!). We see the joy on faces as water comes from a well the first time, or again after it has been repaired. We share in wonderful times of worship with our Haitian brothers and sisters in the Lord and marvel at their unshakable faith in such adverse circumstances.

We have times of serious teaching and talks-both individually, and in groups, to share the truths of scripture and clear up so many misconceptions of what the Bible says about being a follower of Christ. The ministry we are building with the youth and the emphasis we are developing for building leaders and disciples is exciting. We are excited that this is where the Lord has placed us and He is growing the vision He has given us.