So here you are—almost "on your way". Probably you're planning what and how to pack, looking ahead to the unknown and exciting adventure you're facing. Naturally you have dreams and expectations of what you'll encounter when you get "over there" (wherever that may be) dreams that are based on many things. When I was a kid I read lots of mission stories and made up my mind at age 9 that I wanted to be a missionary. My dreams of mission began a very long time ago. What about you? When did you begin to develop missionary dreams? Like me, you may have read stories that whetted your appetite for mission. Maybe you listened to missionaries on furlough or student missionaries who came to your home church or academy. Maybe your interest is more recent, stemming from the urging of a friend or the urging of the Holy Spirit in your devotions or in a meeting. No matter where they began, however, now you're getting ready to turn those dreams into reality. Praise the Lord!

Having dreams is valuable, actually indispensable, for a missionary. But dreams have to be balanced by reality or they can end up disappointing—even mocking us—leading to dissatisfaction and ultimate disillusionment. So, let's take a look at a few areas that we'll face in what we'll call a "reality check".

The Place

Going to a new place, we naturally have certain ideas about what it will be like, how it will look, etc. Without really thinking too much about it, many of us expect all mission fields to look kind of alike—tropical paradises with white sand and palm trees, simple thatch and bamboo houses nestled in an exotic jungle, and of course dugout canoes for transportation. Sound familiar? We may know better, but this mental image lingers on.

The reality is that mission fields come in all sizes and shapes. And in today's world, because the majority of the world's population live in mega-cities, this of course means that the greatest mission fields are the world's cities. And cities are much the same the world over—big, crowded, dirty, and (by some standards, at least) ugly. They may be tropical and we may see a few palm trees, but somehow cities just don't fit our "mission field" stereotype. The question we have to ask ourselves, then, as we look at reality is: Are cities less of a mission field than jungles? Is a modern suburb full of people who have no knowledge of Jesus less in need of the gospel than an isolated village? The obvious answer is no! But ending up in a sprawling city with its inherent challenges just doesn't initially fit our dream of what a mission field is. The first reality is that a mission field is anywhere that people need to know the Lord—even a city!

Ourselves

A second area to look at is ourselves as "real missionaries". As a kid, my stereotyped "real missionary" was the pith-helmet-clad semi-saint with a tattered picture roll permanently tucked under his or her arm, perpetually hiking through jungles. The reality is that today's missionaries have probably never seen a pith helmet and would laugh at the thought of being semi-saints. Missionaries are ordinary people who happen to be working in cross-cultural settings far from home.

Naturally, most missionaries would aspire to be new, improved versions of their former selves, but unfortunately, becoming a missionary doesn't necessarily make us any different. We will almost certainly have the same basic personality traits—good and bad—we've always had. We'll have similar temptations and struggles, strengths and weaknesses. We don't suddenly become immune to the challenges of life just because we move to a new place as missionaries. The reality is that one of the beauties of God's plan is that He takes us just as we are (warts and all) and uses us in His service. Oh, He definitely works on us along the way, as we let Him, but we shouldn't be shocked or disillusioned if we find that we are still basically the same person we've always been when we arrive in the mission field, not some super- (or even semi-super) saint. God won't be surprised. Neither should we! That's the second reality.

The Work and People

The third area to consider is the work and the people to which we are called. Again we have those images in our dreams from the pastrows of adoring children hanging on our every word; droves of people welcoming us with open arms; ourselves teaching or baptizing throngs of eager new converts. Of course, such events do still take place in mission today; and I can guarantee you that you will meet and make friends with some of the most wonderful people on earthpeople that you will grow to love; people you will miss immensely when you have to leave.

However, your encounters will be somewhat different from that stereotyped image you may have. Much of what we will do may be in areas where the work has been going for many years and is already well-established. We frequently serve in a supportive role, working in an already-established institution or organization. Unfortunately we may also inherit some challenges that have grown out of misunderstandings from the past. Remember, the people where you will serve have already had many encounters with Westernersmissionaries and othersbefore you arrived on the scene. Some of these encounters have been positive. Unfortunately, others have not. The scars left from some of these not-so-positive past encounters frequently cause attitudes of distrust and even dislike for foreigners today. We therefore may at times face (or at least sense) caution, distrust, antagonism, and occasionally, outright hatred. In addition, nationalism may at times cause people to have an anti-Western spirit which may lead to a "Yankee go home!" attitude.

If something like this should happen, does that mean that we misunderstood our call? Does it mean we should respond in kind? Obviously not. We can frequently be agents of peace and good will, binding up the wounds from the past and bringing healing to broken relationships.

The Four H's of Reality

Having looked at the realities about our place of service, ourselves, and the work we will do, let's now turn to four additional areas of reality in our personal lives that we need to consider.

It's Not Home
No matter how wonderful the place you are going to serve is, it won't be home—at least not initially. Home is a place that is familiar, where we feel comfortable, accepted, understood, tolerated, loved, and supported. It's where we belong. Instead, in a new place we initially feel like a stranger. We quickly realize that we are weird. Different. Alien. We are the foreigners! The way we talk, dress, eat, and act are all strange. We may be touched, stared at and even laughed at. At times we may feel on trial and misunderstood. And because we don't know the language or understand the culture, we frequently feel left out—conversations buzz around us, people laugh or cry, look worried or happy, and we don't feel a part of it. That's part of the reality that may lead us to do some strange things. We develop homesickness and miss things we scarcely even liked "back home" (blizzards, registration lines at college, even cafeteria food!)

It's Not a Haven
In addition, going to the mission field is not a haven. It's not a place to run in order to escape—problems, work, school, responsibility, rules and authority, even bad habits, friends, or temptations. The reality is that we will discover the same challenges in the mission field that we hoped to leave behind. Temptations abound. Problems are everywhere. We still have to work and carry responsibilities, and we may discover that the rules and authority of another culture are even more difficult to cope with than our own. It's true, "You can run, but you can't hide."

It's Not Heaven
Besides not being home or a haven, the mission field is also not heaven. What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that we won't automatically become deeply spiritual people. Flying over salt water (or driving to another country) won't bring us closer to God. We won't automatically want to get up at 4 a.m. to pray and read our Bibles. We won't automatically get holy just because we are now missionaries.

The reality is that staying close to God in many ways is as difficult overseas as it is at home. But because we are cutting ourselves off from our normal support systems and are putting ourselves "out on a limb" with God, there will certainly be increased opportunities to "taste and see that the Lord is good" if we choose to face our challenges with Him (instead of alone).

It's Not Hell
Lastly, the mission field is not hell. The day comes when that initial excitement has worn off, the bubble bursts, and we wake up one morning and say, "What in the world am I doing here? Why did I think this was a good idea?" Looking longingly at a calendar, time seems to stretch endlessly into the future and we wonder if we can survive another day, let alone five more months! What happened to our sense of well-being and the wonderful joy we anticipated in our dreams of mission service? What kind of reality is this? Is it worth it? The discomfort we feel is a reality we don't enjoy.

So What Do I Do?

Having looked briefly now at the four H's of reality, let's now discuss how to handle them. To begin with it is important that we expect reality to be different from our dreams and anticipation. Just being forewarned is helpful, at least it helps us avoid the unpleasant surprise of the unexpected. Along with that, we need to begin to actually expect (and enjoy) the unexpected. We frequently discover a new reality that is vastly different and even better than the one we originally expected.

Above all, start a collection of memories. Even on the darkest days when the reality seems overwhelming, there are memories to be made and remembered. After all, this truly is an adventure—possibly the greatest adventure you've had to date. Make the most of it. Lastly, keep your eyes on Jesus—the first volunteer missionary in the Christian era. Can you imagine what it was like for Him to cope with the realities of this earth? We really can't even imagine, can we? He made it, and He's promised to be with us always, so we can make it too.

In conclusion, remember that no matter how much discomfort this experience may at times bring you, you will be much closer to true reality during this next weeks and months than you are today. Your hometown or college are NOT reality. You are going to be reaching out to the real world where you will encounter life in all its reality—diversity, need, pain, joy, hope and fear—to a degree you've never known it. And as a result, your reality will be forever changed. Go in peace!

1. What are some ideas you have about mission and missionaries that are probably unreal stereotypes?

2. Can you think of some things you could do to develop a more realistic view?