You make it sound like missionaries aren’t good for anything else after a while! Of course, if that’s the way it needs to be that’s fine. But I tend to think the “Twilight Zone” is a great place to learn.

Great points, though. And I think this concept of “self-actualization” is not only gringo, but Canadian too, though maybe to a lesser degree.

Greg and Andrew – thanks to you too! Good to know that people are thinking and talking about these things. Which EMQ were you reading?

There are a lot of questions in your comment, Patricia. I think a big question is, why wouldn’t God make things more “clear”? One answer may be that He wants to share His will in relationship – with Him and His people.

Of course, when people get married they don’t hand each other a comprehensive and permanent list of everything they want out of the marriage. Marriage is a relationship – growing, and learning to serve the other person out of love. I think finding God’s will is a similar thing.

Maybe I should write a whole other post on knowing God’s will. “Books have been written” as the saying goes. But in the context of what I wrote here, I think an important part of knowing God’s will is finding it together in a community of committed, Bible believing Christians. That may mean putting aside, at times, what we think is best for ourselves, and working together with a group.

Another thing to remember is that, if we’re studying and learning God’s Word in the community, and obeying what we know, we’re probably going to be fine. It’s not like 10% of God’s will is in His Word and the rest we have to guess on. If we’re following His Word, I don’t think we’re going to really blow it. Of course part of that is the Great Commission, and I think often times we do blow it – all of us.

Long comment! I’ll reply to the rest in another comment.

Also, after being out of your culture for years you begin to not be so savvy about your own culture. Even with the internet and all the means of communication we still aren’t current on all the latest sayings, new words, lingo, styles, fashions, etc. You see the contrast most starkly when you host teams – it becomes very clear that you’ve now caught between two cultures. Forever separated from the host culture (because, face it, we’re NOT Latinos) and at the same time strangely alienated from our own culture. Welcome to the Twilight Zone!

Before setting out to cross the seven seas Missionaries should really prepare themselves in all areas of their lives. Frontier missionaries have to face tough conditions.

I ‘ve seen some leave as they couldn ‘t it, others just couldn ‘t leave, they stayed on, even their children.

Thank you for sending me the photo graphics link.