i suppose the picture of the missionary is glorified (perhaps romanticized?) to some extent...going to foreign countries, sacrificing family and comfort, helping communities to grow and thrive.
and so i feel a bit disappointed when i take a step back and review what i've been doing the last months.
because i'm just busy with work. seriously, every evening this week i've been at work. and when i'm not at work i'm doing something where i get frustrated with language and having to learn a new culture. today i walked for an hour because i missed the only available bus back home and i was outside the city, and during my annoying walk i just got more frustrated with all the boundaries i have right now. then i went to work for a couple hours.
so there's my little, boxed-in picture of my pity-me-self.
the big picture is that i've only been here six (or seven?) weeks, my schedule will be settling down, and i won't just be working. the big picture is that part of my ministry is to my flatmate (failing at that one), the family that has blessed us so much, the students that i teach and prepare lessons for, and the church that i am a part of and that God loves.
thankfully the bigger picture is that God is greater than any of my frustrations or annoyances. i didn't expect most of what's happened here, but God did. he's got this one covered.
reveling in the knowledge that my burdens are not my own.
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