So, in honor of trying to not always be so negative, here's a list of my favorite things about life as a missionary in a malaria-ridden 3rd world country on the edge of the earth, 1500 miles from the nearest Starbucks. :)
- Papaya! I never knew such a great fruit existed; if we ever returned to the US permanently, I think we would all starve to death... my boys (particularly Ezra) live on the stuff. In addition to papaya, fresh pineapple - we have tons growing in our front yard; 50 million types of bananas; fresh spices and coffee, fresh fish, coconut.... you name it, there are definitely some great culinary advantages to living on the equator. :)
- Beaches... we do not publish many pictures of the beaches here.... I think our support would drop drastically if we did. :) There are the beautiful, empty, tropical beaches that people in the States pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to go vacation at... beautiful clear water; snorkeling like on "Finding Nemo"... starfish so brightly colored they look fake.... Of course, I won't talk about the lack of bathrooms and the horrible roads to get to them (don't want you to get too jealous, plus am just being positive!)
- Great spas and restaurants... this one is a little harder here - on our previous island, there were restaurants and spas that literally looked like they came out of some palace on "Anna and the King" We could go get a facial, full body massage, hair treatment, etc - for less than $10 at a place that looked like it should charge $250 an hour in the States. Restaurants served grilled salmon or feta and basil stuffed chicken for $5. Here, we don't have as many nice places like that... but it's nice to know that they still exist in country if we ever need a vacation. :)
- All the new skills I've learned... being fluent in another language, driving a motorcycle, lighting a cigarette lighter, washing laundry by hand, making tons of food from scratch and cooking "ethnic food" :) ...things I would have never learned in the States.
- Great family time... Brant's schedule is so much more flexible here than if he had a 9-5 type job in the States; and it's definitely been a benefit for our family. If one of them needs a little extra dad time, he can go along to the airport or storeroom or hardware store or one of the myriad of places Brant goes in a day to shop. If I'm sick or loosing it with the kids, Brant can usually come right home and take over... sometimes I forget how great it is for our family that he is around so much.
- Being able to live here... I will confess that as we got ready to come over here the first time, (3 years ago today!!!) I was scared to death with this thought "Am I really going to be able to live in another country as a missionary?" I didn't know if I would be able to handle it... and yet here I am! :) There is a huge sense of accomplishment knowing that I can survive - and even thrive - here. Not taking credit though - God has given so much grace through a lot of really hard spots, and we have so many people praying for us and encouraging us - couldn't be here on my own, that's for sure.
- Seeing God's grace in so many real ways in my life... This is by far my favorite thing about the type of lifestyle we live... we have seen God work and provide for us and give grace in ways we never had before. Moving into another culture strips all your comforts and familiar routines - even going to the grocery store requires a lot of prayer some days! :) God has taken us through so much these past 3+ years and though we have had a lot of really rough spots, the lessons I've learned and the ways I have seen God work have been worth every tear. We have seen God provide financially, work circumstances out in ways we'd never imagine, give strength in really tough spots... just amazing stuff; and it has been very refining in the process. :)
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