Missionary Perks

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Today I was reading a friend’s Facebook status & the comments written about it.  They are joining our mission.  The status was about how they came to this decision and what their current plans are.  And of course the comments are in response to this news.

This status, along with others (pics of crazy things like spiders, snakes or weird food) often causes (some) people to say things like, “I could never do that!”  Here’s the funny thing…neither can I!!!!  I don’t like HATE spiders & snakes.  And just to be honest, I’m kind-of a picky eater….no weird foods for me thank you!  But the truth is, God still uses me/us here.  And He loves us so much that we even have ‘perks’. Granted, there is a great deal of sacrifice.  We give up being close to our family & friends.  We have to learn to adjust to a new language & culture.  We may not get to enjoy some everyday things like AC & fast food.  But it’s not all sacrifice.

Here’s one perk that I have.  Please ignore the crazy make-up & costumes…these are the best pictures I have could find (without wasting a TON of time!) that shows a good view of my kinky, wild, crazy hair.

Note that BIG mass of black to the side of my head...that's just a little view of my hair that night!
I know. That's a CrAzY look (hair is in a ponytail now). But it was for a good cause.
See that hair?  It was kinky.  It was wild.  I could hardly tame it.  Granted, being raised by a white mother, in a mostly white town probably didn’t help.  Other than putting it up in a ponytail, I didn’t know what to do with it for the first 20 or so years.  I dreamed of going to a big city and finding someone, anyone!, who could help me figure out what to do with the wild mass of stuff on my head that I called hair.  I did try a few things…gels, straighteners (product & the heated, plug-in kind).  But the minute it got humid, started to rain or I got it wet…that was it.  It was back to crazy land!
 
So who knew that moving to Brazil to be a missionary would solve my hair issues!?!  Not me.  I was thinking I would be wearing a ponytail (or perhaps a bun once I get old) till the end of my days (amazon jungle= hot & humid!).  Not so!  Here’s what my hair looks like now.
 
My hair is NOT three times the size of my head! Love it!
Is my hair issues important?  No.  Can I live with wild, kinky hair?  Yes.  Do I want to?  No. 🙂  When I think about it, it’s kind of silly.  But at the same time, I am in awe of how much my God loves me.  I know a lot of people read way more into things than they should.  And I really try not to do that.  But this little issue just makes me thankful.  Thankful because it was something I always wanted to take care of.  God made a way…even though it’s not important.  Thankful because I’ve finally learned what it’s called in the States.  And it’s CRAZY EXPENSIVE!  But I/we can afford it here.  And last, but not least, thankful that even though we (missionaries) give up things, God gives is so much more in return…things like nice hair (at least for me), fresh fruit year round, new friends & experiences and He grows and stretches us so that we are drawn closer to Him.
 
So although it’s true, missionaries give up lots.  It’s also true that we gain a lot too.  Just thought you should know. 🙂