I hate to disappoint those people, but this just happens to be where I spent my day. (Click to see it bigger.) I relaxed on a blue-cushioned chair next to the pool. I sipped on ice-cold Coke (the kind from the glass bottle, which tastes better than anything else in the world) and chatted with one of my best friends from Liberia who has finally come back to the ship to work alongside me again after a long outreach apart in Benin. When our rumbling stomachs told us it was time for dinner, we packed up and headed home along the sandy path next to the road. The air was quickly losing the day's heat, and a cool breeze brushed against our faces while we stared around us at the palm trees and flowers and children waving a shy hello.It's not always like this, but sometimes this is actually what it looks like to suffer for Jesus. And because all this also comes as the side order to a healthy dose of those little brown babies who need to be loved on, I'm not sure I ever want to stop all my 'suffering.'
I don't care if it was in good humour. And as for this being your private space, I think that sentence totally undermined the lovely writing I had come to read of a regular basis.
Others may praise your for your honesty. I just found the post insincere and disgusting. I don't expect you'll post this but I was compelled to say something about the sick notion of maintaining suffering the Western good.
When I read the original "suffering for Jesus" post, I could sort of see where Lorna was coming from - even if her thoughts were phrased in a slightly harsh manner.
But it took courage to post that comment even it also means that Lorna's annoyance is on public display (hopefully people will see the understandable passion of a misunderstanding rather than an attack for the sake of it).
I'm sure that if you'd said what you'd written, the tongue-in-cheek humour would have been clear. The trouble with text is that no matter how many exclaimation marks and smileys we use, only our voices and faces can convey the true meaning.
Have a lovely day - and please continue writing!
Many missionaries turn to humor to handle the heart break and irony that they face on a daily basis! And I'm glad that you got a respite, glad you got to catch up with a friend and feel the sun on your face. God is in the good moments, and the blessings as much as he is in the moments where you minister to the suffering!