10 Lessons I am Learning as a First Year Missionary

There's a common label in education used for new teachers, "first year teachers."  They are the teachers that often have the rowdiest classes, the cutest bulletin boards, and spend the most time with the administrators asking questions and getting the help they need to survive that first year.  I remember the difficulties of being a first year teacher, I was one just a few years ago...okay, 10 years ago. My students became experts at pushing my buttons, and although my classroom was cute and I became great friends with my principal, it was a really hard year.  I cried a lot and most people were just surprised I survived it and remained in education.  Right now, I am learning, as I experience my first year as a missionary, a whole new slew of lessons once again.

1.  Despite the stereotypes, being a missionary does not mean dressing badly.  We are currently missionaries in one of the largest cities in Bolivia, the city of Cochabamba.  There are coffee shops, restaurants, stores, and neighborhood parks all over the place.  Before moving here (or ever seeing Coch), I dreamed of wearing teeshirts and elastic pants every day (dressing comfortably) with flip flops.  I very quickly realized that wouldn't work here :-)  I tried wearing my flip flops when I first got here because that was what I was used to wearing.  But, I was not used to walking uneven, rocky, and trash cluttered streets.  So, after a few months I got over it and now wear closed toe shoes every day when I leave the house.  Because most of the places we visit are in the city, I also feel the need to dress more professionally.  But, on days where I'm homeschooling the kids and have no errands to run, you can bet you'll find me in a tee shirt and elastic waist pants. 

2. City transportation is a pretty good deal.  In our first few months here, God graciously provided us with friends who have been serving here for years.  There was one common denominator among all of them that we didn't share, and that was a vehicle.  But, the longer we are here, we're finding that for now, not having a car is okay.  For less than 50 cents, our family can get to most places we need to in a trufi.  And if a taxi is needed instead, that will almost always cost less than $2.  But, we also just do a lot of walking.  I can walk to a nearby supermercado, park, school supply store, bread store, and milk store as well as the guest house Seth manages.  So, for the time being,  we'll keep saving our coins.  

3. Often living in a foreign country seems much more dangerous from the states, than when you're actually here.  Last night we were walking a friend home, and on our way back waved to the man that guards our street and the kids all yelled, "Buenas noches!" (we're still loud Americans here...hoping that will change with time.) Anyways, afterwards Carmen said, "Mom, why didn't we have a guard on our street in Lost Orchard? (in Hattiesburg)"  Well, we also didn't have bars on our windows or a wall surrounding our house in Hattiesburg.  Things are just different here.  There were dangers in Hattiesburg that we don't have here and vice versa.  Its just important to learn how to be safe in what ever part of the world you find yourself in. 

4. Be flexible. If someone is supposed to be at your house at 12, don't worry if its 12:30 and they still aren't there...they are probably just running late.  Also, plans can change quickly depending on certain things...if there is a bloqueo (road blockade due to protests), we might have to cancel our plans.  If its raining off and on all day, my clothes on the line are not going to dry. Food here is all made fresh, so when ordering at restaurants, it may either take a really long time for the food to arrive (we have waited almost 2 hours at one place), or it comes out as it is ready, so Seth might get his food 10 minutes before I do. 

5.  Choices are limited.  Before we moved here, we didn't bring a lot of clothes.  We figured, hey, they sell clothes everywhere.  And we will just bring what we like and work with that for a while.  Well, we didn't anticipate Seth losing a ton of weight (almost 40 pounds in less than 6 months here) so now all his pants are huge on him.  We bought one good replacement pair for him, but shopping for clothes is difficult for us. I can only find few things in my size (in general, Americans are just larger than Bolivians) so I am making due.  There's no Target or JCPenney either, that's for sure.  Other choices are limited as well...health supplies (deodorant, shower gel, lotion), candy, seasonings, etc.  But, other things are easier to get cheaply and in abundance...fruits, veggies, DVD's, and plants.  So, we may dress badly, but we're eating our fruits and veggies and watching the latest movies on DVD for under a dollar!  

6. Mentors are necessary. Just like I needed help as a first year teacher, Seth and I need help as first year missionaries.  We have some wonderful friends here as our team leaders and mentors.  They have helped us with housing, visas, culture shock, support raising, language learning, and getting involved in what the Lord is doing here.  We have another friend serving Christ in another city, Santa Cruz, who has been there for us providing needed prayer, encouragement, and godly wisdom.  The Lord knew we needed these believers in our life. 

7.  Humility.  In the states, we were established.  We'd been at our jobs for several years, we were respected in our professions, confident, knew what was required of us.  But here, we're the new kids.  We haven't been here long enough to speak up about the way things are done here or there, etc. We are still earning our stripes and dealing with the pride killer of not knowing everything.

8. You have to relearn how to live life.  There's not even a McDonald's in Bolivia.  So, we have learned to live completely differently.  We have a house with no hot water, no dish washer, no air conditioner, and no dryer for clothes...but its become routine to use an electric pitcher to heat water for washing dishes, use fans in our rooms, a "widow maker" for warm showers, and hang dry clothes.  We have to cook a lot more from scratch and figure out how to cook at a very high altitude (we're half a mile higher than Denver). Also, as I am still learning the language, there are many places I just can't go without Seth.  Today, I took Carmen to the dentist, and the dentist asked me if Seth can come next time instead.  It was a huge personal victory the time I managed to buy bread at the bread store all alone.  Books...I was a librarian, but didn't bring a lot of books here for my kids (we could only bring 10 suitcases and 5 carry ons), and all the books here are in Spanish. If I can't get more paperback books here soon, my 5 and 6 year olds are about to have to read kindle books more regularly as they grow as readers. 

9. Different isn't bad. There are obviously a lot of differences here.  But, we're learning that just because the US does it differently, doesn't mean that the system here is bad.  For example, efficiency isn't a Bolivian ideal.  There are many places where you have to get a number.  It doesn't matter if there's no one else in line, you're getting a number.  From getting a number, to traveling all over the city just to pay one bill, to waiting an hour and a half at a restaurant, relationships are valued over efficiency.  Being from a country that values efficiency over relationships, this can be frustrating, but it is a welcome frustration as we are joyfully able to love people more sincerely. 

10.  My family is amazing.  I love these four people so incredibly much.  Seth has had to do so much for us, since he was the only one who could speak Spanish when we moved here.  From having to buy feminine products for me at a tienda, to paying bills, learning the city to get us places, and so many other things, he's the best husband a missionary wife could ask for.  And these three kids.  They have my heart.  I love the way they are unafraid to make friends, even if they don't speak the same language.  They don't flinch when all five of us have to pile into the back of an old, beat up, tiny taxi, and they are glad to serve the least with us.  Lola has even begun to give a hug every Saturday to an elderly lady that begs at the market, probably the only hugs she ever gets.  They are learning new lessons too, and I sometimes forget that and lack the patience I need to have with them.  But they are such troopers, and are making the best of life in Cochabamba. 

I am thankful for each lesson I have learned in our time here.  I have really grown to love this city, the culture, and the people.  While we're here in Bolivia, pray that we can continue to become more like the people (learning to relate to them in their culture), for the sake of the gospel. 

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.  To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. 

The Great Cheese Fiasco

A while back, I mentioned an incident about an embarrassing moment buying cheese here in Bolivia. When you move to a new country and are learning a new language, a new culture, a new way of doing things, you quickly learn that you aren't quite as smart as you thought you were. You think it's just the language and the greetings that get you, but it isn't. Different cultures do different things, and sometimes those differences are really really different. For example, people buy cheese differently in Bolivia than they do in South Mississippi. Let me give you some background.

Cheddar cheese is outrageously expensive here. So it is a luxury that we only rarely have. In my hometown, if you want cheese, you go to the local grocery store and you buy your cheese. You don't have to weigh it or get someone to price it for you, it's just there, sitting on the refrigerated shelves or hanging pre-shredded in bags. Cheese can be pricey in the states, but (at least in South Mississippi), not Bolivia pricey. Here, you have to weigh your cheese. You don't buy nice little pre-packaged, pre-shredded, pre-sliced packages that are pre-priced. The grocery stores buy big blocks of cheese and you buy it based on grams. You can ask them to cut it, etc, but at most grocery stores they weigh it, put it in a bag and stick a price on it.

Now, another point I should make is that living in a new country takes time for you to adjust to the the new currency. In the states, we use dollars. In Bolivia, we use Bolivianos. And, there is about a 6.92 exchange rate - which we generally round to 7 (7 Bolivianos for each US dollar). We, 5 months later, are still getting accustomed to this new currency (way of thinking) and don't always realize at first how much something really is. That is my defense and I'm sticking to it.

Back to the cheese. We normally (meaning on the rare occasion) buy the whole block of Pil brand cheddar for about $26 (US). That is a lot of money, but it is a good bit of cheese and the most economic option we've found. It will last us about 3-4 weeks of cheesy meals to get our fix, before we do our cheese fast to save up for the next block. It's a simple occasional luxury that reminds us of home and sort of (sometimes) makes up for the fact that our house doesn't have hot water, we get shocked when taking showers, we are one of few missionaries that don't have a vehicle, and we have to hang all our clothes on the line (which is daunting considering we are approaching the rainy season).

Well, one day at the supermarket (which is also a rarity for us, we usually shop at the local outdoor markets), I decided it was time for some cheese. I went to the counter and asked for the usual (Pil Cheddar, the whole package). Only, they told me they were out of Pil brand, but that they had Bonle. I thought to myself, there can't be that much difference, cheddar is cheddar. So I told him I wanted the whole Bonle since they were out of Pil. I didn't think much of it...until the register.

Apparently Bonle is not only more expensive, but their packages are bigger... I knew the cheese seemed more expensive, but remember I'm still adjusting to this new currency. I got home and went over the receipt to help us adjust our budget and make plans for the next month of expenses. I nearly had a heart attack. I spent $56 (US) on cheese! How was that possible?! Since that day, when we do buy cheddar cheese, I only buy Pil. And, the good news is that I found their whole sale store where you can buy smaller packages for less. Cheese is still an occasional luxury, but it can now be a little more occasional than it used to be.

How often have you, in your relationship with Christ, gone into a season or circumstance and found that it cost you more than you realize? I don't think cheese is work $56, but Christ is worth all of us. "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" When Jesus taught about what it mean to be a disciple, he asked us to count the cost so we could be sure we could run the race with endurance until the end. Christ is worth it, but sometimes we forget to count the cost and resent Christ when payment is asked, whether it is circumstances, sacrifices, etc. I was angry that I paid so much for my cheese because I didn't think it was worth what I paid. But I could have counted the cost before my purchase. My encouragement is to consider what Christ is worth, and seek him with all your heart. As you face moments of frustration, of suffering, or of difficulty, remember: Christ is worth it.

Much love,
Seth