I recently visited the Latin American country where I studied abroad during college, and it reminded me of some of the challenges I faced there and anticipate in Southeast Asia. Here are some of them:
1. Atmosphere
Mosquitoes. Unrelenting heat and humidity (okay, I know we think we have it bad in Mississippi, but when your house is open air and there’s no air conditioning, you cannot escape it). Sometimes I took a cold shower and then as soon as I got out, I was sweating again. Fans became my best friends (good for heat and mosquitoes!), until the electricity went out without warning.
2. Loneliness
This was a big one for me. I am not a super outgoing person to begin with, but being in a different culture than my own, immersed in a language that I cannot speak fluently (especially with all the colloquialisms), I tended to keep to myself. I felt out of the loop and like no one understood me or knew me. Most people already had their established group of friends, and I didn't see where I could fit. I struggled with the thought, “I don’t belong here” a lot.
3. Cultural Differences
I didn’t realize how American my values are until I left…I prioritize productivity, efficiency, and planning. This made it difficult for me to adjust to flexible plans and relative start/end times. Also, apparently my direct communication style can be interpreted as rude...oops.
4. Exhaustion
When I first moved to Latin America, I was always tired – not for lack of sleep, but because my brain was working overtime to perform even the simplest tasks in a different place and language. In the US, if I have a question in class, I will take a moment to phrase the question in my mind before I ask it aloud. But there, if I had a question, I would take several minutes, phrasing and rephrasing the question in Spanish, debating its grammatical accuracy and whether it sounded natural, until I finally decided the question was not that important and just sat through the rest of class confused and trying to figure out what I had missed during all that time I spent phrasing the question I was too scared to ask. I eventually learned to accept that mistakes are just part of the process and got more comfortable speaking, but it still took a few months before I was not in a constant state of exhaustion.
5. Unknowns
Every place is different. I have never been to Southeast Asia, and I know there will be challenges that I cannot foresee. If the last year and a half taught me anything, it’s that I am not in control. I do not know the future. Right now, I do not even know when I will get to go to Southeast Asia because of the pandemic.
Sometimes when I think about voluntarily facing these challenges, I feel as silly as Michael Scott saying, “I’m ready to get hurt again.” I could easily get a high-paying engineering job close to home where I am known, loved, comfortable, and understood. It seems crazy to turn that down for something so hard. But I am not living for comfort. I am living for God’s kingdom, which includes people from every nation and tongue. And God has made his call clear, that at least for the next two years, I get to watch his kingdom advance to communities where Christ is not known (Romans 15:20). Jesus has also promised to be with me (Matthew 28:20). Even though there are many uncertainties, my hope and trust are in the one who never changes and is in control.
Even though there are many uncertainties, my hope and trust are in the one who never changes and is in control.
God also showed me through my experience in Latin America what joy can come out of facing challenges. I adjusted after a few months and came to love living there. I made lifelong friends and found that I could be known and loved there too. During my recent visit, I got to visit my old church, and I cannot express how full my heart was to see and worship alongside that body of believers. I imagine that was only a glimpse of the joy we will experience when we worship King Jesus as one body comprised of every nation in his eternal kingdom. With that end in sight, every challenge will absolutely be worth it.