This Missionary MythBuster is a not-so-serious one. It’s the idea that missionaries eat weird food—and the crazier and grosser the food, the better the missionary. I’ve rubbed shoulders with many missionaries over the years at countless conferences, and some of their gut-wrenching stories of what they’ve eaten sound too good to be true—and often it seems their purpose is to make the audience gag. Of course, they are just showing off a bit, but the problem is this does a disservice to those listening, especially kids, who think to themselves, “I can’t be a missionary—I don’t even eat broccoli!”
Here are two things to consider regarding this missionary myth. First, it goes without saying there are a great variety of foods in the world, and there are many new foods to discover that are delightful. But it’s also true there is food you really enjoy—and enjoy often—that someone from another culture would find completely disgusting. And vice versa. For example, years ago, I was traveling by train across China with my son, and I wrote the following in my journal:
The Xinjiang train rumbles along through the northern Gansu. Dusk hangs over the brown expanse that slips by, and everyone in our crowded train is settling in for the night. My bed on the top of a six-bunk compartment is coffin-like—just two feet high and wide. Fortunately, it is open at the end so my feet can stick into the aisle, which is filled with people eating strange, pungent foods. One man near me is eating something that resembles nightcrawlers and washing them down with beer. Tim Jr. and I made up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and were savoring every bite, having been away from such fine fare for several weeks. However, we looked up to find passengers gathered around staring with curiosity and horror at what pale people eat!
Which brings me to my second point. There is in these stories of eating weird things an implication that if the missionary declines to eat whatever is set before him or her, then the host will refuse the Gospel and be lost forever. This is usually based on Luke 10:7-8, “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.” These are instructions given to the disciples when taking the Gospel from village to village. What Jesus was teaching is that the messenger should be shown hospitality—and that the messenger should not take advantage of the hospitality they are shown. The problem with the “Monkey Brains” myth is that it takes a reasonably understood passage and applies it to rare and extreme occasions.
It’s true the Gospel worker must live in community among those he or she has been sent to so that barriers of custom, cuisine, and language are minimized as much as possible in order that the life-giving Gospel may be communicated as clearly as possible. And crossing cultures means trying new things—and food is a big part of that because it’s a daily part of community and hospitality. But adapting to a different diet is no different than adapting to a different language or climate. It takes a bit of time and effort, but over time, strange things become familiar (and even enjoyed). The truth is no missionary consistently eats—by choice or by circumstance—food that is revolting.
“Don’t be stopped by fear of all the uncertainties ahead.”
So, kids (and adults!) take heart. You don’t have to eat monkey brains—or even broccoli—in order to be an effective missionary. Also remember, don’t be stopped by fear of all the uncertainties ahead. Instead, be confident in Jesus’ promise that He will be with you and will give all that you need in abundance as you follow Him.