How does a missionary cope with the unexpected? Much energy is given to the preparations for missionary work. In establishing a support team, in biblical training and prayer. But can you ever prepare yourself for being given only hours notice to leave the community you have been serving?
Being told to “...have your go-bag packed,” is one example Naomi Reed uses to give her readers an insight into the character of a missionary. A ‘go-bag’ is essentially the minimum belongings you would need to leave the country. The bag is kept by the door of your home in readiness for a hasty departure.
Naomi Reed spent two years interviewing and cataloguing life stories from missionaries. In this book she has grouped their experiences based on personality type.
Naomi Reed began this mammoth project when she noticed an unhelpful pattern of behaviour. Missionaries would often measure themselves against the success of others.
"I think that many of us hold up an ideal missionary picture in our heads and we berate ourselves for never achieving it."
There was a persistent need to be "looking over their shoulder." Someone else was always performing better than themselves, whether it was how quickly they mastered a new language, or how well they made connections in the community, or even how easily they engaged with the indigenous church. The author believes comparisons like this lead to negativity.
As Naomi Reed studied these collected stories she discovered a remarkable fact: people of similar personality types would describe their experiences in the exact same wording. Consequently she was able to group their stories to help illustrate each type of personality.
So what kinds of personalities are there? Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) the author explains that personality can be broken down into four basic elements. Once these are understood people are found to fall into one of sixteen combinations.
Now if, like me, the mere thought of a personality test sends shivers down your spine, fear no more. This book is not about highlighting weaknesses. Rather it is about understanding ourselves so that we can be more effective in what we do. In accepting our uniqueness we can be comfortable with our natural manner of learning and relating to others.
This is an easy to read book. Each chapter is dedicated to one personality type. So reading the whole book isn't entirely necessary. Once I realised this the first thing I did was to look up my husband's personality type. Yes that description sounds just like him! Then I went to look up my own personality type. Well, that mostly sounds like me, I thought to myself. Maybe with a few minor details changed. I wonder why I think that? Possibly because in some vain way I wish to paint myself as having a stronger character than that. Just possibly the description is really more accurate than I want to believe.
This book is a useful tool not just for mission organisations but for any Christian leader engaged in the task of sharing the gospel. Understanding how people around you respond to their environment will help you keep your teams together.
Mission organisations already know the value of understanding personalty types. It was in preparing for mission work that Naomi was first introduced to the concept. Naomi Reed is now an accredited user of the MBTI and is allowed to administer it.
How this book differs from other books is the provision of real life examples in a Christian context. Brief mention is given to the fact that mission organisations have to deal with attrition rates. Electing to become an overseas missionary is no easy task. You are taken out of your comfort zone. You are faced with constant challenges. So understanding personality types can help the sending Mission work with the individual to provide appropriate support.
So in answering the initial question "How does a missionary cope with the unexpected?" Well that answer is as unique to each person as all the stars in the sky. Naomi Reed poses a helpful observation: if ever she was asked to select a team of people to travel into outer space with her, she would choose from amongst those she has known on the Christian mission field.
"And that's because I know I could count on them. I know that they would be unswervingly devoted and highly adaptable and they would keep reminding me of our purposes in God. They might even rig up some ludicrous scheme using tin cans and bits of old Land Rovers so that we could redefine our goals on Mars via Power Point presentation. That's what they're like " outstanding."
This book is a great tool to help us each realise that we don't have to be the perfect church to be used for his glory. It is a book that should be kept on the shelf, to be referred to over and over whenever we need to give support to another Christian we care for.
