When we chose to go on this long-term mission to Aruba, we could not have foreseen how it would go. We went with the confidence that God knew what He was calling us to do. I am still honored that He sent us out and at the same time I am so grateful that I did not know then what we would encounter. Living on a tropical island is a nice thing in itself. We regularly receive comments about this from our supporters. Several people say: “How wonderful, you can go to the beach every day.” Or they sigh: “I wish I was there and could enjoy the sun.” These are understandable comments, especially when they are made from a cold country, covered by gray clouds with more rain than sunshine. Yet it is good to realize that living in another culture is not a sunny holiday. You have to continuously adapt to different habits, crazy situations you can find yourself in, and many moments when your sense of justice is being challenged. Now you can say: “But you chose that yourself, right?” and you’re right, we did. We made the choice to go on this mission. At the same time, it is too simplistic to assume that everything will be fun when making such a choice.
Suppose you meet the man (or woman) of your dreams and you love him (her) dearly. Then you would do anything to be with that person, wouldn’t you? With making that choice, you accept everything that comes with it. But it doesn’t mean that everything will be easy, that life from then on will go smoothly always. It’s the same with missions. Yes, we live here on a sun-drenched island with a beautiful blue sea all around. But the raw reality is that what the tourist sees during those few weeks of holiday on this One Happy Island is not a reflection of what is really going on; broken relationships, serious addictions, generational abuse patterns, deep-rooted corruption, and much more. If you don’t look away at the beautiful beaches and the beautiful sea, the pain of all that brokenness can easily get under your skin. Especially if that injustice regularly enters your own life too. It is therefore a good thing that we have a Father on whom we can focus. His love is the oxygen we desperately need to continue breathing underneath the surface of this beautiful life.
Photo: Willem Poppe