This is not a mission trip and there will be no "word of report"

Traveling with missionaries is not necessarily what you'd expect. Especially if you only know them from those funny wee cards with a photograph and a map of "their" country.


Firstly, there's not as much theology as you'd expect, except late in the evening - it must say someting about theology that it raises its ugly head at ungodly hours.

Secondly, there is more beer. Decency forbids me from divulging who was responsible - at least that's the excuse - I'm not really pleading the 5th. Honest! On the other hand, they do thank God for their meat and drink (no vegetarians these missionaries), whether eating with friends or in restaurants.

Thirdly, there are more churches - more than I could ever have imagined. To be fair, this is largely due to one particular missionary, and may not be representative of the class as a whole. It may in fact be the result of a "spiritual journey". Since the journey continues, I'm assuming that enlightenment was not found in the increasingly alternative places of worship we visited.

Finally, there is less light. This is not a metaphor - I'm typing this by the light of my organiser, so I can post it later. But that's a story for another entry...

In conclusion (since I'm talking about missionaries, I suppose I need to use the Holy Presbyterian pattern of 3-points-plus-2-conclusions) and in the interests of fairness in reporting, I should mention there was not very much more beer. There was wine though.