Growth Is a Gain Not a Loss

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.