Mission the greatest time of your life?

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by 8ballrollin

Are there pockets in The Netherlands where people are very religious? I was on a business trip there a few years back and while at dinner with our vendor (who is based there), the senior manager of the group bowed his head and offered a prayer before our meal. Many people in the company would get very red-faced if we asked them (jokingly, of course ) about what types of entertainment we could find in Amsterdam.

That's true. There are a few like that, mostly in rural areas. Most of the country is either Dutch Reformed, Catholic in the south, or nothing. The Dutch Reformed has various sects, some liberal and a few very conservative. It's from the Calvinist tradition, like the puritans, so some of the conservative strains are extremely conservative. Supposedly there are some who still dress in the traditional Dutch dress and are almost like the amish.

[JohnnyLingo]

I like to think I had a somewhat different mission experience. Madagascar wasn't Europe, but it wasn't South America, either. Sometimes the mission had two or three baptisms a month per companionship, and sometimes we had zero for the whole month for the mission.

And I spent four months tracting the white areas in South Africa. Once tracted an entire neighborhood of over 400 homes without teaching a single first discussion.

I'm not going to lie, the times when I was teaching families and things were going well I was much happier than when absolutely nothing was going on. It's something I struggled with... shouldn't I have been happy doing the work regardless of the result?

But that's just not how it works. Sometimes I just had to put my head down and keep slogging. Sucked and honestly, the Spirit wasn't constantly there to buoy me up through those times.

I believe that's one the lessons I was supposed to learn. Life is often hard, and sometimes we need to rely on our own strength to get through.

[8ballrollin]

Originally Posted by BlueK

That's true. There are a few like that, mostly in rural areas. Most of the country is either Dutch Reformed, Catholic in the south, or nothing. The Dutch Reformed has various sects, some liberal and a few very conservative. It's from the Calvinist tradition, like the puritans, so some of the conservative strains are extremely conservative. Supposedly there are some who still dress in the traditional Dutch dress and are almost like the amish.

Not to thread hijack, but your post had me do a search and you're correct about them being Dutch Reformed...

"The Baan organization was very closely tied to the Dutch Reformed Church. For a while, corporate policy dictated that no employees would be compensated for traveling on a Sunday: if an employee had a meeting off-site on Monday morning, he or she was expected to travel on Saturday if Monday travel was not possible. There was no customer support offered on Sundays. Women were required to wear skirts, as trousers were considered inappropriate for women. Swearing was forbidden.[2]. When President Jan Baan stepped down after the company had difficulties, he sent an email to all the employees saying "First of all, I have taken my decision Coram Deo, before the face of God.".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baan

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

For many years after my mission I would have two recurring dreams:

In dream A, I would find myself back in Japan as a tourist visiting my favorite places, eating favorite foods, and visiting old friends. Always a happy dream.

In dream B, I would find myself back in Japan (or somewhere else) as a missionary. I would thinking to myself: "Whoa! This isn't fair. I have already paid my dues." I would have a feeling of dread and therefore have a tough time mustering any enthusiasm to work like I did on my real mission. Then I would feel guilty. Not a happy dream.

I am not sure what all of this means. Anybody else have such dreams?

I've had dream B several times, although not so often anymore. Like you I think, "Hey, I shouldn't be here, I've already punched this ticket." Then I wake up and am very, very happy. My mission keeps giving the joy.

I loved my mission but was very happy to go home. I have little desire to do it all over again, but I'm sure Mrs. myboynoah will drag me out (going overseas again would make the prospect more appealing).

Aside from the many wonderful things and growth I experienced during those two years, I think I felt a greater impact post mission. My vocation and my wife and kids can all be tied directly back to my missionary experience. The Lord truly blessed this servant.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

Once tracted an entire neighborhood of over 400 homes without teaching a single first discussion.

That was an average day for me.

[JohnnyLingo]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

That was an average day for me.

Yeah, I know that's a standard week for tons of missionaries. Just saying I experienced it in a small way for a few months.