Thursday, April 10, 2008
Joy and Smiles
It’s my youngest son’s 32nd birthday and I am on the opposite side of the world. The Internet makes it possible to send greetings. I can also purchase and send a present through this same technology. But there’s something personal missing. That’s the most difficult part of being a missionary, trying to follow God’s leading and living our lives within His will. I miss my family. I miss playing with the grandkids and having long talks with my mother. I miss going out to celebrate special events with our children and their spouses. And I miss playing water volleyball with my sister and her friends..Last week I was the city hall in our village and one of the workers and I were trying to converse. My Russian language skills are limited at their best and my Ukrainian is non-existent. She asked me a question and then she mimicked crying. She was asking if it made me sad to be here. I had to tell her that sometimes, yes, it makes me sad.
But there are many things that give joy if I watch for them. I praise God for new friends and a place to live. I praise Him for his faithfulness and the words of encouragement He sends through friends, both old and new. I look out my window and see new buds on the trees. I hear the birds singing songs of joy. I know that someday, I will have lots of time to be with my family. I know I have eternity to spend with them but I have only a short time here to perhaps make a bit of difference in this distant land. So, in spite of these temporary lapses into self pity, I forge ahead and do what I can to make someone smile.
That's not too difficult because I think a lot of the people I meet tend to think of me as a crazy American woman. I don't mind. As long as I can get a smile from them. When we walk in the afternoon, we are now getting smiles and greetings from almost everyone we see. We are beginning to feel accepted in a way. If people think of me as the crazy American I can get by without putting the correct endings on words or following the strict codes--because most of the time I am not even aware that I am breaking the rules. And I can smile.
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Then I look for things to make me smile--just smiling AT people helps me but there are little things I find to chuckle over. I love to see what the roadside vendors are displaying. Last spring, I saw a pig's head sitting on a bench in the warm spring sun. The next day it was still there but the next it was gone, probably a buyer had been found for it. It makes me laugh to see the unfamiliar. A visiting friend took the picture of the pig's head in one of the markets in Kyiv. I hope it gives you a chuckle. A couple weeks ago there were live chickens in cages with an egg displayed to show how well they produced. Another chuckle to add to my collection. I may live on the other side of the world but the people are the same, they need a good chuckle or at the very least a smile. And in the end, the homesickness is replaced by a radiant joy and my lips turn up without even trying. I recommend it. Try it. It works.
