My whole first term was a constant learning curve, learning things I would never even have thought of learning before.
My first term on the field as a career missionary was 2 ½ years long, and next January I will begin my second term of the same length. Before I went to Africa, I expected certain things of that first term. I expected I’d learn the language well, that I’d make great progress in the ministry I was in, that I’d learn the culture and learn to thrive, and that I’d come home for my first home assignment with flying colors. What I learned, however, was that I had to lose those expectations. I thought I’d dive right in and accomplish so much. I did accomplish much, but they weren’t the things I expected. Here’s some of my “accomplishments”:
We arrived at the camp to find everyone in a subdued mood. The rain had been pretty bad and some of the tents had failed and a lot of the mattresses were wet. We had to resort to plan B. All the guys were thrown out of their tents to make way for the girls and then the guys had to make do with whatever shelter they could make. Some re-fashioned the shelters that were there while others went back and slept in the vehicles that were in the village. See the 
At the start of April a team of eight westerners, including myself, and six Nigerians headed ten hours north to the Nigeria/Niger border for a week long outreach. We spent six days in three different villages on the fringe of the Sahara desert. We shared the love of Christ and offered free medical care, played with a ton of children and showed evangelistic films. It was an unusual experience to be watched by hundreds of big, curious eyes for 24 hours. They were fighting over who had the best spot to stare through the church windows as we ate in the church. ...
