There’s a very “country” song called In Color and sang by
Jamey Johnson. It tells a story of someone looking through old black and white
pictures and the singer telling the stories behind each one. The chorus after
every picture description is the same, “If it looks like we were scared to death,
like a couple of kids just trying to save each other. You should have seen it
in color…..A picture is worth a thousand words, but you can’t see what those
shades of grey keep covered….You should have seen it in color.” Here’s the link
to the song
I recently heard this song on the radio and the tears
started streaming down my face. I just kept thinking how true that is with
ministry pictures and even updates for that matter. How often pictures are
posted with plenty of smiles and the “perfect” scene. It’s the idea of putting
your best foot forward. Show only the best parts of your life to everyone. People
tell me all the time that they want to see more pictures of me and my work in
Togo. I am not one that takes many pictures. It’s not that I don’t think
pictures are important or that they don’t tell a great story. They do. But, for
me, it’s what is behind the story that is so important. It’s like the song
says, “you can’t see what those shades of grey keep covered. You should have
seen it in color.”
I have quite a few pictures that I have taken over the
months I’ve been in Togo. They are of smiling kids and fellow missionaries. Unfortunately,
what you don’t see, what is “covered” in those pictures, is that as “shocking”
as it may seem, missionaries are real people, very much still in process, flawed,
and not every day is happy and joyful. Now, that does not sound very much like
how all those pictures appear does it? I think some don’t want to see anything
but happy, smiling pictures. But, I think there’s some that really want to know
what’s going on, the struggles and
the triumphs. So why do we only tell the happy stories and gloss over the hard
ones? Why do we minimize the conflicts and focus on the joys? Is it fear? Fear
that all your supporters will stop giving? Fear that by being honest you are
not portraying the “perfect missionary” image that is expected? After all,
missionaries are not supposed to struggle with anything, right?.....
Despite all of this, I love doing what I do in Togo. I would
not be there, or keep going back, if I did not truly believe that the ministry
of the hospital is impacting that area for the kingdom. So, even though many of
the pictures taken in Mango maybe don’t show the full colors, they depict the
joy that is often found there. Just remember for every picture of a smiling
child that’s posted there are many stories that aren’t.
I would like to challenge you to ask the Lord what it means
for you to “see it in color.” Maybe it means reaching out to a missionary or
someone you know in ministry and asking to hear the real stories, the “full
color” stories. Maybe it’s asking the Lord if He has a new ministry or mission
field He wants you to serve in.
It is true that I don’t take or post a lot of pictures about
my work in Togo but I have lots of stories and experiences that I would love to
share. Please just ask and I will gladly take the time to show you all the
colors of Mango, Togo and the ministry of the Hospital of Hope.
I am actually stateside right now for a little break and
will be heading back to Mango in late July till November. After this, I will
return to the US for at least 6 months to fundraise so that I can return to
Mango to continue in ministry there. If you would like to find out more
information or how you can financially partner with me and the ministry there,
please message me.
