Before I was a missionary

This was inspired from something we read from a church bulletin for a mission conference. The one we saw was only a few short statements. But I had to make it personal, and once I got started, well....
This is in no way to be taken as whining or complaining...it's just our life as we live it here in the Dominican....

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Before I was a missionary - I never knew what it felt like to be a race car driver. I never imagined that if we obey and acknowledge the policemen on the side of the road when they lean on the side of their car and half-heartedly gesture for us to pull over, we will just be adding to their corruption. I never realized that stop lights were only suggestions.

Before I was a missionary - I never realized that traffic actually flows easier when everyone pretty much disregards the lights, signs and laws. I had never known the real value of being able to ask for directions --- derecho and derecha are NOT the same (straight and to the right)

Before I was a missionary - I had never panted between songs to keep cool while worshiping in church. I did not know that all creatures great and small visited church services. (goats, dogs, chickens, roosters, along with mosquitoes and wasps )

Before I was a missionary - I never knew the real value of window screens. I never had to plan how I should kill the taratula at the back door or the cockroach scampering across the floor. Crabs were at the beach; NOT scurrying out of my bathroom. The same could be said of frogs! (By the way, frogs stink when they decide to jump down the bathtub drain and then proceed to die! And, it take days for them to clear!)

Before I was a missionary - I never suspected that I could almost cease to be bothered by vehicles coming at me on the wrong side of the road. I just make allowances for them. The next time I'm on that same road, I may be traveling in the wrong direction, and they'll make allowances for me.

Before I was a missionary - I suspected that the U.S. used far too many orange construction barrels. 1-3 small cones 10 feet away is more than enough warning for any and all road changes; and they only need to stick a branch in a really deep pothole if it has filled up during a rain storm.

Before I was a missionary - I never knew that headlights and taillights are luxury items. CD's serve well as reflectors on the front or back of any vehicle. Spare tires on the other hand are a necessity, and several can be stored on top of a vehicle.

Before I was a missionary - Learning to cook from scratch never seemed a necessity of life. (That's what take-out was for) I drank water out of the tap and did not worry about the ice in restaurants. At the market, I never had to choose my spices by smell alone. I did not know that what I threw away would later be gone through and eaten.

Before I was a missionary - I never knew how many pieces a chicken could be cut into. I never thought to cut the chicken breast into 3 pieces. I never knew how many ways rice could be part of a meal. I thought that *supersize* was just a regular size portion.

Before I was a missionary - I never thought I would use my mini-Dreml to remove the rust from my kitchen knives, serving utensils, and my graters and sieves. I never imagined having to periodically wash my wooden spoons in bleach to remove the mold caused by high humidity. Or, that upon returning from the States after two months, I would have to wash ALL of the clothes left in our apartment to rid them of the smell of mildew.

Before I was a missionary - I never thought I would be telling my guests: "We love lizards! Lizards are our friends. Lizards eat mosquitoes. Please don't chase or in any way attempt to harm that lizard. He is valuable. I want him in my apartment!"

Before I was a missionary - I never knew how much I would look forward to *Mail Day*. I never imagined how important the Internet would become. Or, how precious an envelope filled with family pictures. Any and all Christmas family newsletters are worth their weight in gold! (And when they include pictures of the family---even better!)

Before I was a missionary - I never knew that a rat could climb up the side of a frig. Or, that the same rat could drag a loaf of bread across the top of that frig, and then devour a large portion of that loaf of bread. I never knew that if I trap and kill the rat, I should discover first if it is a mama-rat; and, if so, where she has lft her nest of babies. I never knew how much 3 very small baby rats could stink up a sewing room once they die and go undetected for 2 weeks.

Before I was a missionary - I never knew how blessed and encourged I could be while worshiping in a church service where, at most, I understood 25% of what was said. I never knew that "Surely the presence of the LORD is in this place" could be so real! I never knew how much it would mean in the middle of a sermon to have the Dominican pastor stop, turn to us and in English say: "Do you understand? I was just saying...." and then go on to give us a brief sysnopsis of his message up to that point.

Before I was a missionary - I never knew how real "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the LORD" would really become. I never really comprehended the power and love behind "Mi hermana en Cristo"

Before I was a missionary - I had never seen love expressed through actions when words could not be shared.
I never completely understood the sacrifice Jesus made leaving His home in heaven.
I had never known it was possible to be so homesick and at the same time be so content knowing I am serving the LORD in a foreign country that -- though it is far different from what I am used to --also feels like home!

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Have a great one!