You Know You’re A Missionary When..

Some of the team mates and I came up with this list over the last few weeks:

You know you’re a missionary in Guatemala when..

You can count the number of showers you’ve had in the last month on one hand

You’re unrecognizable with makeup on

You wear cargo shorts more than should ever be fashionably acceptable

Wearing the same shirt four days in a row is normal

Face sweat is a daily struggle – starting the second you roll out of bed

You always hurry up to get somewhere and then wait for the locals to be “fashionably” an hour late

Your mode of transportation doesn’t include seats or seat belts – and you’ve made squeezing 25 people into an 8 passenger van an art

Not shaving for weeks is just fine

Your water bottle is an extension of your body

It rains at least once a day and few shelters actually protect you from it

Every meal involves rice, beans, and tortillas cooked in different ways – and dinner is usually the leftovers from lunch stuffed into a fried tortilla

Your legs look like you have the chicken pox from all of the bug bites

Talking about your irregular bowel movements is totally acceptable

Air conditioning is a blessing from heaven received once a week if you’re lucky

Power outages are normal

$15 fans change your life

Playing frogger across the street every time you need to go to the store

Saying hi to children on the streets isn’t creepy – it’s expected

Choco bananas are an essential part of your diet

Children hug you before they know you’re name

A cold coca-cola is like manna from Heaven

Bug spray is perfume

People expect you to be a missionary just because you’re white

The language barrier isn’t actually a barrier at all because smiles, laughter, and love are the same in all languages

The amount of hugs and kisses you receive is enough to last a life time

Performing a hip-hop choreographed dance on the sidewalk of the market is required

You’re surrounded by an incredible team of people that provide a safe community to take risks and to be challenged in Christ

You try to limit the number of pictures you post with children because you don’t want to seem cliché

When you’re arms and legs are super tan but everything else is pasty white

Building relationships is more valuable than staying on schedule

Bubbles and braids can change a child’s life

A smile from a shy kid feels like a million bucks

You hesitate to take pictures of scenery because it’s just not the same on camera

Asking strangers if you can pray for them is totally acceptable, normal, and non-offensive

You’re heart will always be split between your home country and the country where you encountered God in unimaginable ways.