It's Monday night and I'm at home after a long day at work. In two days I'll be on a plane with my wife, mother-in-law, and mission director flying to Lisbon, Portugal. Under normal circumstances, traveling to Portugal is one of our highlights but this trip is different, it's all about business. Don't get me wrong, this is not a whingy blog post about the trip looking for sympathy about having to travel to one of the most beautiful places on earth. But this trip unlike others is not for pleasure, it's for mission prep.

There is a misconception among American christians that missionary work is a permanent vacation. In fact many workers in global missions present their work as permanent vacations unintentionally. Always presenting our work as wonderful, always highlighting the good stuff, always showing the beautiful pictures and the smiling faces... who wouldn't wonder if it's actually Margaritaville behind the missions curtain? Not everyone does this but too many do. The truth is that mission work is hard, not every day is a good day, and sometimes people aren't smiling, the sun isn't shining, and no one wants to hear about Jesus.

Trips like the one we're taking are a part of the harder, necessary side of missionary life. We're changing time zones for three days of meetings, trying to get citizenship paperwork done in one, while trying to meet people who we hope to meld our lives with for the Gospel. My mother-in-law has donated her time, our mission director has donated his, and we're taking no-pay time off from work and paying our own way to get this stuff done. (Not to mention the people we’re meeting with who have taken time out of their schedules.) And none of what I've said is for our glory or fame! Here’s the problem, speaking this way can be interpreted as whining or arrogance so many missionaries don’t even bother. Why tell people how difficult things are when it’s turned back on you as being weak, complaining, or pride? Because they need to know. Our people need to hear this stuff because it’s the truth and it’s what adds to the satisfaction of both goers and senders. Most importantly, it makes missions real and shows that we’re serious about Jesus.

Mission work: Not always easy but always satisfying.

Tags: Missionary Life, Missions