You, serve? Not your average missionary.

This past weekend, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the first Global Health Conference for our organization. Conveniently enough, it was on my campus and only 2 miles from my house. Very interesting topics and heartfelt discussion took place during the 3 days. Quite frankly, attending was the best decision I've made all year; it re-ignited a spark in me for global outreach. One of the sessions I attended was entitled "Modern Day Missionaries" and the question was raised "What does a modern day missionary look like?" While the majority of the conversation centered around skill sets and the use of technology, it provoked my creativity (and some apparently some pent-up issues).

This is the very topic that came up time and time again when I was serving in Honduras. My first introduction to the hospital administrator began with her saying "I expected you to be a lot older". Another time I heard this backhanded compliment: "You're so normal and, and...cool and easy to talk to" one of my local friends told me in utter disbelief (which led me to believe they had not had similar experiences with other missionaries).   I didn't really know how to respond to these comments. The comments continued when I returned to the U.S. "You served overseas?" people would ask me incredulously, often accompanied by scrutinizing me from head to toe. "But your so..(insert laundry list of offensive stereotypes here).

Here are a few things people have commented on or found shocking:

• I'm young
• I'm single
• I believe in hair gel and other hair products (though I do wear my hair in a braid frequently)
• I stay relatively up to date with fashion trends
• I wear contact lens, not glasses
• I don't drink soy milk (gasp!)
• I'm not a strict vegetarian (blasphemy!)
• I enjoy coffee on a daily basis (double gasp!)
• I frequently wear jeans or pants
• I have my ears pierced
• Nail polish makes me happy (cover your eyes in shame!)
• I enjoy listening to a wide variety of musical artists, secular and non-secular
• Unique jewelry brings excitement into my life (the horror!)
• I have a short temper
• I'm not a nurse
• I'm not a teacher either

So then, the question remains: do these attributes make me less or more qualified to be a missionary? Are they mutually exclusive?

I would like to point out that my personal preferences take a back seat to the culture I'm in. Obviously if I'm in a place where one of these things is inappropriate, I have no qualms about leaving them at home. They are however, important parts of my personality and I make no effort to mislead anyone.

If you ask me, I think it's refreshing to see a young (relatively normal) person dedicate their life to serving. Especially if they don't "fit the mold" by all outward appearances. The more relateable we are to the population, the easier it is to do our job. We have so many opportunities today that the decision to leave your family, friends, higher paying employment opportunities, and culture behind to go into the unknown with little or no pay (certainly not enough to live on or repay loans) and often to hostile working atmosphere should be applauded. Modern day missionaries, just as the "old school" ones, don't do it for worldly gain. We do it because we're called to, because we feel compelled to, because we have a passion to be the hands and feet of Christ. So go-forth and serve, don't let anyone stop you! Even if you don't drink soy milk. Haters are always gonna hate.

Which makes me wonder, where will I be called to next? The local, often overlooked, mission field? Or somewhere far, far away? Only time and God can tell.


Quote for the day:
God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called

tina, over and out.