From a reader: What is your favorite aspect of missionary life? What for you is the hardest aspect of missionary life?
(If you have a “Tuesday Topic” question, please email it to me at fylliska@gmail.com. Provide your blog address if you would like to be linked to, or specify if you would like to remain anonymous. Thanks!)
This is a hard one! I think my favorite/hardest aspects change often, but here's what comes to mind today. =)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite aspect is related to Richelle's last post. I love all of the little unexpected blessings and joys of the life that I live. I've found that while I expected many of the hardships that I would face, I couldn't have imagined all of the small things that would end up being daily blessings. Some of the little things are Russian pies, kvas (a cold summer beverage), school uniforms and big white bows in my daughter's hair, the community that we have as a result of living in an apartment with a shared yard/playground, natural remedies when sick, Russian markets, cozy kitchens and the conversations they foster...
Currently my biggest dislike is living in a small space. In many ways I don't mind it at all usually. We're really used to living in close quarters and generally it doesn't feel uncomfortable, but right now I a really annoyed with the amount of stuff we have and the lack of anywhere to put it. We keep trying to get rid of stuff, but with 4 kids, we want to save a lot of things as hand-me-downs (clothes and toys, etc.) and all of those things that will save us money in the future are taking up a huge amount of our minimal storage space. We also just inherited some great things from our teammates who just moved, but regardless of how useful they are, we just have no space for them and are trying to figure out what to do. It makes my house constantly feel messy (which it is often lately anyway), which increases my stress. Not quite sure how to solve this one since we won't be living in a larger home any time soon!
Oh, Ashley, yes! I so completely understand your unfavorite part. Cramped space is one of my unfavorites, for sure. And yet, it's coming to be a favorite for me, too. I'm afraid that it's something that will bother me forever, but I've recently realized that the clutter/stuff problem that I fight non-stop is something that people in big houses have to deal with, too... except that they have MORE of it! (I'm not trying to downplay your stuggle. I hope you understand. Just trying to encourage a little. :-)
DeleteFor me I love the communal culture, the simplicity of meals with few ingredients, learning a new language (I am weird like that), and washing laundry by hand (I know I am weird like that too)
ReplyDeleteI dislike being far from family and the many hard decisions that we have to make as we try and sift truth and goodness through our cultural bias. We are in the midst of a hard season of health with our five year old and navigating healthcare systems has been my least favorite part.