Loud. Crowded. Smelly! I dislike going to the market.
A missionary probably is not supposed to feel this way, but the truth is the truth. I do not like squeezing my way through vegetable section aisles, climbing over tomatoes and onions to reach the lettuce. I am not a fan of being snapped at because I am only willing to pay the regular price. But, alas, we need to eat. And not only us, but also the 25 or so children who come for lunch on school days.
So every four days (that is the rhythm for market days in Benin), unless it falls on a Sabbath, I brace myself for the battle. Armed with a purse full of change, several shopping bags and my list, I approach the market. Fortunately, I do not have to fight alone. Since we need large quantities of food for our lunch project, Toussaint accompanies me to help carry our purchases.
But here comes the next challenge. We have not even entered the market area yet when I lose Toussaint. While I have my list in my hand and the way through the maze mapped out in my brain to accomplish this task as efficiently as possible, my husband has no agenda and is in no hurry whatsoever. He stops at every corner to greet a friend (he has many friends), listen to an old lady telling him that her son passed away, tell another lady that the baby on her back fell asleep and that she needs to tighten the fabric holding him, all the while keeping an eye on me to see if I am already close to boiling over.
We eventually manage to finish our shopping, but we are not yet ready to leave. Now Toussaint must learn the town news from his mechanic friend, who watched our motorcycle while we were in the market. Toussaint also needs to quickly greet the shoe seller next to the mechanic. Finally, we load all of our bags and ourselves on the motorcycle and head home.
As missionaries, we need to have goals and a plan for achieving them, and I mean more than just navigating the market. Having a to-do list for the day and a strategic plan for the year is crucial. Otherwise, we will not accomplish anything in a culture where most people never plan.
But we also need compassion for those around us. We need to be able and willing to stop whatever we are doing and take the time to listen, empathize and show an interest in people’s lives. That is what Jesus did, and He asked us to follow His example. Sometimes it is not easy to harmonize these two aspects of our work, nor to go to extremes in either direction. That is why I am so thankful for my husband, the total opposite of me in this area. He is strong where I am weak, and vice versa. We complement each other. What a privilege and blessing to serve the Lord together!
