The
most common misperception about missioning work is that it is a process of
privation- giving things up and even enduring an amount of suffering. I find
that nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly, there is a fair amount
of adaptation - new culture, language, food, etc., but these things tend to add
to personal growth after the initial ‘shock’ upon arrival. Growth is a gain,
not a loss, after all. Many of those things that we grow to believe are
‘necessities’ are really conditioned comforts in most cases and often hinder
spiritual growth, especially when we mistakenly believe they are responsible
for our happiness.
I
am fortunate in my capacity in helping to manage the restaurant, bar and
guesthouse that I am able to meet and befriend such a wide variety of people,
including all of the wonderful younger people that I work with. While many of
them have desires for the things that we take for granted in the West, I rarely
get the feeling that they are complaining about their individual situations.
While
there is a universality in the way all people perceive the world, we all want
the same basic things- security, health, purpose and love-, it is our
uniqueness which spurs our spiritual growth and perceptions. There is no
shortage of unique people here. There is Lazarus, the talented young
German-trained electrician who patiently helps me navigate a very different
electrical grid; Richard, who is my own age, alternately working as a plumber
and chicken farmer. He is always able to provide sage cultural advice and good
humor; Moses, the nursing school instructor, who is well versed in so many
diverse spiritual practices, not least of which are those ancient African tribal
traditions; Gifty and William, the stationary/boutique/plumbing supply
proprietors, who stop by a few nights per week to share their delicious
homemade cuisine with me; there is Mathias, also known as ‘Zero Minutes’
because he is always busy and willing to quickly lend a hand to whatever job
needs being done; conversely, there is Dennis the tailor, aptly named ‘Come
Tomorrow’ who I gave a pair of pants to refit and regrettably told him I was in
no hurry to have them back. He returned them 8 months later! These are just a
few examples. It seems each day brings new personalities and thus opportunities
to grow into my life.
Yes, I miss
certain things from my home, especially my grown children, but none of these
things even close to the point of distraction. It is true that I don’t have a
grocery store here with mile-long aisles of cereals, meats, fruits and
vegetables. There’s no McDonalds, Starbucks or 12 lane highways either.
However, I do have a local market where the food is farm-to-table, lacking any
injections of chemical preservatives that most of us cannot pronounce and even
fewer of us want to know why they are ‘necessary’; and I do know how to cook.
Travel is slower, but, like most people here, I’m in no hurry. There’s a lack
of heavy industry and its inherent pollution.
The electricity goes out sporadically and the internet can be spotty at
times, but I stopped watching TV years ago and I don’t depend on the web so
much. So, I’m lacking processed and fast food, faster cars, heavy industry, and
gourmet coffee. Necessities? Hmmm… Yes, it can be a bit warm here (ha-ha), but
my physical health has never been better and my inner peace is flourishing.
Life is far from perfect for the people in Damongo of which I am now one, yet I
am always struck by the fact that they seem far more happy and less anxious on
the whole with what appears to be so much less than the culture I was raised
in. Perhaps we’ve gotten the whole ‘mission thing’ wrong. Perhaps it is places
like Ghana that should be sending their missioners to places like America.
