A friend reminded me not to gloss over how I feel over hard situations because I tend to jump straight into “But I can/ought to grateful for Xxx.”
I keep telling myself that I shld be grateful the new neighbors have 2 and not 5 dogs, and that it’s barking, not a disco. Like we experienced before and is not uncommon in East Africa.
But I’m learning that I can be grateful AND still acknowledge that adjusting to so many transitions in a developing country is hard.
I can be grateful AND still accept that my body has been through a lot of trauma and I can be kind to myself not to shame or judge myself for not being a “better” or “tougher” missionary.
Someone close to me back then told me off concerning the trauma I said I’d experienced in my last long stint in East Africa that if I’d “suffered so much, perhaps I wasn’t fit to go in the first place.”
I hope no missionary will ever hear that from their mentor/leader or anyone, ever. Missions is hard, no matter who you are. Period.
I hope instead, you’ll tell yourself
• “You’re having a rough time, but you’ll make it through.”
• “You’re strong, and you can move through this pain.”
• “You’re trying hard, and you’re doing your best.”
