GOOD NEWS ARTICLE - August 1998
Wendy Ludovici

THE ROAD TO THE MISSION FIELD
Part Three: Early Challenges and Life on the Field

What if I get sick? What kind of bugs will I have to live with? Where will I go to the bathroom? Will I ever get a hot shower? How will I ever be able to learn the local language? WHAT IF I HATE IT?????

These questions and more filled my mind during those final weeks of preparation. My only consolation was that I hadn't committed my whole life to this, and if I didn't like it I could always come back.

Well, I did get sick - malaria, typhoid, amoebic dysentery, and boils to be exact. There were some gruesome looking insects. The bathrooms were far worse than I expected. It was months before I had a hot shower, and the local language was indeed difficult and tedious to learn. But do you know what? I LOVED IT! Once every one of my fears were realized, I found them to be nothing in comparison to the great joy I was experiencing on the mission field. Does this sound crazy? It must!

Living in a new culture has its challenges. It smells different, looks different, sounds different, tastes different and feels different. Crossing cultures is often an attack on all of the senses! This can lead to culture shock, and many people find the changes too difficult to bear and must return to their home culture. I may have had brief periods of culture shock here and there, but for the most part I was prepared for the differences as a result of my education and previous short-term experiences in countries such as Haiti and India.

Saying goodbye to loved ones for months, even years at a time is perhaps the most difficult part of missionary service. However, with e-mail, telephones and reliable postal services, communication is much better than it was for early missionaries. The geographical distance often has the effect of sweetening relationships rather than causing people to drift apart.

Life on the field is full of rewards and blessings. Everyday is a learning experience. There are so many ways of being human. Expanding our awareness of this helps us to know God better as we are all created in His image. Western culture puts a high value on technology, comfort and productivity. It's eye opening to enter a culture with a whole new set of values - usually centered on community and relationships.

Ultimately, though, if we are using our gifts for the Kingdom of God we experience depth of joy and contentment wherever we are and whatever we are involved in doing. Today's mission field is wide open for people of all backgrounds and gifting. When you pray, ask God to open the door for you to be involved in serving Him cross-culturally and see what happens!