Watch out for Scorpions!

Lena has spent the last few months teaching kids in East Africa, serving a long-term team who live there.

Just a few years ago she was a student, learning about God's heart for the nations, working with international students on campus and taking various short-term mission trips. Now she's doing a placement in the desert and looking at teams that she might join.

She shares about life in the Sahara desert - a life alongside lizards, scorpions and donkeys, a life where water is scarce, electricity a luxury and the people are warm and welcoming.

Can Lena thrive in a world so different to the green and pleasant pastures of England and Wales? How will she cope with such a basic life, especially when she has very little Arabic through which to communicate with the locals?

Transcript

Lena 0:02

there were some, funny moments in there as well. And I've learned that there's a specific way here that a woman is supposed to get onto a donkey to go and fetch water. me and my friend, we went with a, pneumatic lady to go get water and we absolutely failed at getting on the donkey in the right way. And just had everybody around us laughing and they were kind of falling over, just laughing at us

Speaker 0:27

Hi guys. Welcome back to Raw Mission. As you listen to the various guests that we interview, you'll notice quite a contrast. Sometimes you'll meet Muslims. You have amazing stories of cums of Christ through dreams and visions, or gospel workers who've been imprisoned or expelled from the countries they've grown to love. But you'll also hear some very ordinary stories of folks who are plugging away learning language, starting in new places, sowing seeds. Willing to watch and wait and trust God's timing. And so today I have a guest who's been living in the eastern Sahara region of Africa for just a few months. She tells her story of how God is calling her into long-term work initially to support a family who've been serving there for many years into the desert, into the unknown, into obscurity, into a form of quiet monasticism. Lena is learning to serve and sacrifice to die to self following her Lord's teachings and example.

Matt 1:23

Well, hi Lena. It's so good to have you back on the show. It's been a couple of years, maybe two or three years I think, since we had you on when you were a student, but it's great to have you back now as yeah. Someone living and working overseas.

Lena 1:35

Yeah. Thanks for having me back, Matt. And yeah, it's probably been three years I think, and lot has happened in that time. But it's, great to be back on the.

Matt 1:44

Brilliant. On that particular episode that we did, you were on with a couple of other students, so we didn't hear much of your backstory. So let's start with where did you grow up and what kind of family did you grow up in? A large family, a believing family. Tell us that story.

Lena 1:59

Yeah, so I, grew up in England, kind of near the COTS Falls region near Oxford, and grew up in a church going family. Both my parents we're very involved and committed to our local church. I have two siblings and we're all very close, my mom's from Germany, so we have a lot of family over there who we're very close with. and they're believers. My, my British side of the family are mostly not walking with the Lord and we're, we're less close with them. but yeah, grew up in a very stable and close, close-knit, family environment, in a beautiful part of the uk.

Matt 2:33

Great. And I know you've got one brother.

Lena 2:36

Yes, you've met him. Yeah. I have an older brother and then, I also have a younger sister who's at university at the moment. And it's great to get to do life with them. They're friends as well as siblings now, which is, which is beautiful.

Matt 2:49

Good. And we first came across each other when you were a student, in South Wales, at university there. Give us a reminder in a sense of what you were studying, and how you got an interest either there or before that time in Global Mission.

Lena 3:03

Yeah. I went to a university in Wales. I studied agriculture specializing in animal science, and very much went to university, not with global missions on my mind, but with a heart of wanting to serve the Lord wherever he led me. very quickly, within the first few days of arriving at university, got plugged in with a group focused on global missions. And quite quickly after that, the Lord. Led me on a journey of, really considering and weighing up the cost of going overseas long term. And then within the first few months, I was seriously considering and pursuing, that as what I wanted to do with my life.

Matt 3:44

What were some of the key markers in those early months? Um, there was a globe cafe, wasn't there? I think you did a momentum. Yes. Course. Any other key moments that just really struck you and thought, this is for me?

Lena 3:56

Yeah, I think the momentum, yes. Course for me was key. often I think growing up in the church, you are not exposed to some of the statistics about global mission and unreached people groups isn't a, a phrase that was thrown around in my upbringing. and just kind of being faced with the reality of. much need there was, especially in the Muslim world and how few people were willing to go to places where others weren't going. really struck me, and convicted me and captivated my heart, I think. the Lord used that greatly. I had a key friend who was good at challenging me to not just settle for. Acknowledging the need, but challenged me to really step in and be one of those people, answering that call. So she was a great blessing and, a key vessel that the Lord used yes, the Globe Cafe at the university. the Lord led me into actually being part of that ministry, which is definitely not something I would've seen myself doing, was very outta my comfort zone. But being exposed to different cultures and people from different backgrounds and seeing the beauty in the diversity of God's creation and God's people and people made in his image, I think really gave me a heart for that diversity of, all the nations. and that desire to see every tribe, Toya nation, gathered that final day. that was definitely a key part. And I think often lots of the moments that I look back on and I see a significant, were very, very small, almost like mundane moments. I remember a key moment of just walking from my university campus back to my house listening to some music, kind of worship music focused on, the nations. and just really remember walking down this hill, I can picture the spot and the lyrics went. if you say go, how can I stay? And I can remember that moment of sensing the Lord speaking to me through that. And. Being aware that yes, he's calling people and yeah, how can I stay in all that I can see, and in all that I know of who God is, how can I stay? so that's a key moment lots of small moments like that I think added up to just a very strong conviction that this is a very worthwhile, path to follow and a way to walk with the Lord.

Matt 6:13

Yeah, that's really powerful. Yeah. There are key choices in our lives, aren't there? Crossroads, we come to you. We say, yes, I'm willing to pursue that, or no, I can't. Yeah. That's special. Yeah. I know the role of your key friend there quite well If I remember rightly, also, you came across South Koreans and others from Southeast Asia in the Globe Cafe. Did you come across many Muslims at university or was it only when you went off on a short-term mission trip that you came across Muslims personally?

Lena 6:41

Yes, I did. We had quite a connection, to the Malaysian society in my university, and that's probably the place I really first connected with Muslims and built friendships with them and, went to some of their events, celebrated Eid with them, that really captured my heart. And that led me to going to Southeast Asia and going to Malaysia on a, on a short term trip.

Matt 7:04

What impact did Malaysia have on you then

Lena 7:07

I mean, that was my first short term trip visiting, teams with frontiers. it really impacted me actually. I, I look back, we were in Malaysia and then we were also in South Thailand and getting to meet the teams there, getting to see the culture, I just, I fell in love with the culture, to be honest. Just the food and the, vibrancy and the warmth of the people. And I remember just asking the Lord to give me a piece of his heart for that culture. And really saw him answer that prayer. And, seeing the love of the people that gone there to serve the Lord and the teams there, their love for the people, their love for the place, their hunger and desire to see God's kingdom come there, even if there was no fruit at that time. Some of the teams we'd met. Had been overseas for decades and had seen very little fruit, but they were just so sure that that was where the Lord wanted them. And they had this faith that I found so inspiring, and they just had so much wisdom, and I was, greatly impacted and inspired by them. And even now, I look back and there are conversations I had with them that are very deeply rooted now that have taught me a lot and that I go back to, in different situations.

Matt 8:14

So was that during your university time? The end of your first year. End of your second year, and, and did you do another short term trip before ending up where you are now?

Lena 8:22

Yes, yes. That was at the end of my second year and actually maybe quite uniquely throughout my universe years, I ended up going on a short term trip every summer. So I've been on four and Now here I kind of launching out for the long term. yeah, and I look back and each of them had different lessons and different things that the Lord taught me and showed me, but very much pieced together. I think the Lord me a lot in a very short space of time through those. I think, bless me greatly by getting to meet and be poured into by, workers and people that have served for decades. I think it's quite rare really intentional time with so many different, people in different parts of the Muslim world. So I feel very blessed and, yeah, grateful for how the Lord worked out together.

Matt 9:10

So talk us through the other short term trips that you had. Were they all amazing experiences? Were there any tough times and also how did that work into your own discernment process of going somewhere?

Lena 9:22

Yeah, that's a good question. Um, I think partly because throughout my journey with the Lord of considering overseas mission, um, I've never sensed the Lord really give me a certain part of Muslim world or a certain people group. Have very much been. And I've prayed that the Lord would give me a place where people and, seen that he's led me in different ways. but yeah, I've spent some time in the, Balkan region and that was, a really time meeting a team that taught me a lot about using prayer and spiritual gifts as a ministry tool was Blessed and influenced by spending time with them and really seeing how was the kind of center point of all that they did. And they had, a prayer center where people on the team would come most days, there'd be someone there spending time in prayer and worship, and they saw that as a way of all the ministry that they did is having that intentional time connecting with the Lord, which definitely. Taught me a lot and inspired me that also taught me, quite a lot about team dynamics overseas. It was quite a hard trip terms of just. Some of the, team dynamics, whether that was with, the people I was on the trip with or some of the people that we were visiting, I think it helped me learn that there are different personalities and, some team structures are maybe easier to, join and, there's some wisdom in, thinking through the people that you're going to be doing ministry with and the people on the team that you're joining. So I think it taught me quite a lot about that. And then I also did a short term trip to the caucuses region and that was great. I think when I went on that trip, I was considering that part of the world for long term potentially. And definitely went on that trip with very specific set of expectations and very much saw those expectations not be met. And came away with some disappointments and, some things I had to work through with the Lord, which taught me a lot about myself, I think. And just, you often realize you have expectations of something until go unmet or until they're not. Yeah. Something clashes there. but yeah, I learned a lot on that trip as well, just seeing some amazing ministry going on of, we were in the mountains of one country. And there was a team whose ministry was to drive out to these really remote villages where kind of no one had been. And they would just go and they'd pray they were almost ticking them off just to wanna cover each of these villages in prayer. so we got to join them on one of those and go to this village and, meet some of the locals who had seen people like us and kind of were a bit always scared at first, We were kind of praying to meet a person of peace, and ended up meeting someone who was a lot more open and, someone on the team we were visiting ended up getting to pray with him and, give him some scriptures. And was just a really, amazing opportunity to get to be a part of that and see that see how different teams really using such a variety of ministry tools in order to, reach people. Just make connections and build relationships and there's no one size fits all. It's very much the Lord leads in so many different ways, depending on your personality and your giftings and the place where you are. I think all of these trips have given me such a, bigger view of God and has broken a lot of boxes that I think I've put in and. What I pictured overseas mission to be like. And actually there's so many different ways that it can play out and look like and be fruitful.

Matt 12:51

Yeah, can you give us some examples of some preconceived ideas you might have had that were challenged in the different locations you went to?'cause Yeah, certainly Malaysia is very different to the Balkans or to the caucuses. And again, we will find out where you are now in a minute.

Lena 13:07

yes. Maybe one of the preconceptions I had was just the idea that to be overseas is, long term and doing mission is to always be talking about Jesus. And that's all you ever do. And like that's the only reason you build relationships with people is to, talk about Jesus. And I think I was just quite humbled and, being reminded That, no, wherever we are in the world, wherever the Lord leads us, we're there to love people and want to befriend them and love them and do life with them. And obviously the greatest way we can love them is to introduce them to that has saved us and to want them to find that fullness of life that we've found or that we've been invited into. but I think that. very narrow minded preconception I had of we've got work to do and actually it was quite an unloving mindset to have. So I think the Lord's that down and, reminded me that we do life wherever we are. It's not just go, go, go and always about Jesus. I mean, language learning. That's definitely been something I've had to learn. It's just. The first few years, realistically, you are, having to learn language and it can, yeah. You are realistically not gonna be doing anything fruitful if, you wanna use that word, because you are, you are learning language and you are kind of like a baby in this new culture where you don't understand how things work and you don't know how to do things yourself. And that just is so contrary to the, very productivity driven mindset. and something I just don't think I realized until in that moment, having, like in Thailand we had a crash course in language. We had like a two hours intensive language lesson, and then we were thrown out into this like, food market and we were just told like, go get some food with like no help. Like, we're not gonna help you, just, you have to go and do it. And ties a tonal language, and it went so badly wrong, and I think I had a bit of a meltdown. but it was just a good to, yeah. those small things that you don't think about as maybe a part of, going overseas for mission is those day-to-day life things that are gonna be really hard to start with.

Matt 15:10

Yeah, I think that's right.'cause E, even listening to the podcast, you could get the wrong impression that it's either all amazing conversations about Jesus or praying for people or maybe even. Dangerous and difficult things happening, but actually 90% of global mission is just mundane. You're just learning language. You're going to work, are shopping, It's very normal actually, isn't it? A lot of it. That's good. That's a good reminder And that can be humbling. It's humbling. If we go in thinking, oh, I'm gonna be doing amazing stuff every day, then it's a bit humbling, perhaps disappointing, but I hope it's also freeing as well and releasing, because it also means if you can be a very ordinary person doing ordinary things in an ordinary job in this part of the world, then you probably can do that in Malaysia, in the caucuses in Africa. so it's actually quite releasing too, that you don't have to be. Constantly on some spiritual high or constantly evangelizing actually, yeah. We live our normal lives and we're loving Jesus and we're loving others around us and he'll use that. And we're on a team. Yes, we are purposeful and we're intentional, but it's not, all on steroids.

Lena 16:17

yeah. Hundred percent. he uses ordinary people to do. things, and I think that's a beautiful thing, that we're broken and we're weak and we're super aware of that, in a way we're almost initially less productive than we would be if we just stayed in the uk. and the Lord

Matt 16:35

Yeah.

Lena 16:35

that and he is using that to shape us as well. I think there's so much that he uses in that time to make us more, um, into his image and make us. Better, disciples and witnesses in the way that we've become more loving and more dependent on him and yeah, he's got his hand over all those small things doesn't.

Matt 16:53

Definitely. Yeah. And we do see other aspects of God as we travel into different cultures and have different experiences and go through different hardships. yeah, very much so. Okay. So you were learning about yourself, you were learning about mission as you were doing some of these short-term trips. Is there one we haven't covered so far

Lena 17:10

The one we probably haven't touched on was my very first one to West Africa, that was my first

Matt 17:15

Hmm.

Lena 17:15

to another culture and overseas mission in general. And, the Lord used that to really confirm that desire in me to want to pursue long term mission. Probably it was the trips afterwards, which most narrowed in and taught me a lot about what that actually looks like.

Matt 17:32

Okay, so continue with how it develops and how you ended up where you are now.

Lena 17:38

Coming here, me being here now is unexpected. I think if you'd asked, me 10 months ago, I could not have imagined in any option that I would be here, which is a beautiful way of seeing how clearly the Lord led. but I came off, back of my, last short term trip. And went straight from that into, one of the Frontiers training weekends, which was a great place to, process the trip. And some of the disappointments that I had off the back of that and questions I was the Lord and was just thinking that through and not quite sure what the Lord was saying, or where he was leading, I was in a place of, I'd just finished a discipleship year graduating and had been asking the Lord anyway, to do next and had been kind of praying about whether or not it was the time to start taking the next steps towards going overseas, and had continually sensed the Lord asking me to wait and not commit to anything. there had been a few different opportunities that had come up for things to do in the uk, which I loved the sound of. But then, some of them I just prayed about it Since the Lord asked me to wait. And then one of them I thought it was what the Lord was asking me to wait for. And then kind of down the line, there was some email correspondence that just went completely, radio silent. The Lord used that as well. works in many ways and it was at the end of this, training weekend that, the opportunity to come where I am now, was first brought into conversations and, it was something that everyone that I was with was, we were talking about it, talking about the family that I'm with now and just how amazing they are, how anyone who gets the opportunity to serve with them should definitely take it. And, it would be a great opportunity. And I was hearing all this and being like, oh, interesting. but wrote it off because of where in the world it is. And I wasn't considering that part of the Muslim world and then had multiple friends privately get in touch with me and just challenge me to think about it. which was quite unusual to really have such. Direct and specific, encouragement or challenge from people. So I took that, advice and encouragement and got in touch with these people. And turns out they were in the UK for a sabbatical home assignment and were living half an hour from where my parents lived and I was with my parents at the time. So I think two days after getting in touch with them, I met up with them for coffee and really hit it off and got to know them and what they're doing out here and loved the sound of it. And as conversations continued, since the Lord inviting me into this is the next thing to do, which was speeding up the process of, going overseas, compared to kind of the timeline I had in mind, but became quite sure that yeah, this is an opportunity the Lord has put in front of me and I want to say yes to that. so I quickly said yes, and then three months later hopped on a plane and have been here for the last six months, which has been amazing.

Matt 20:44

So you're in the Eastern Sahara region?

Lena 20:47

I'm, yes. Yeah.

Matt 20:49

yeah, tell us what it's like. what was it like to land there? You'd done at least one trip to Africa before, but that was West Africa and then all these other various short-term trips. But now it's very different. You're coming to live somewhere. You're coming to stay. yeah, give us some of those first emotions and feelings and things you observed around you.

Lena 21:10

Yeah. Well, I think one of the first things I noticed was it was actually my journey coming out here. I flew via Istanbul airport. And was, waiting for my flight. And there was this airport, like the airline steward who was going around checking everyone's passports and visas and everything. And he just couldn't quite get his head around the fact that I was going to the country I was going to. And he probably spent about five minutes asking me like, are you sure? Are you sure this is the right flight? Like, are you sure this is where you're going? like, why are you going, have you been before? And I said, no. And he was like, then how, why are you going? I can't understand. and yeah, I just found that quite amusing, to see from like an outside perspective, oh yeah, it doesn't really make much sense why I'm going, to him. But, yeah, found that quite amusing. And then yeah, got on the plane, met some really friendly people, which was a great start and arrived and it was. Hops and people everywhere. And, I think one of the first things I noticed was actually just like the smell in the air reminded me a lot of when I was in West Africa and there was just a sense of like, oh yeah, this brings back a lot of fond memories. And, I kind of got a sense of like, just felt at home very quickly and was very warmly welcomed in and very quickly just met a lot of amazing people. so I, first arrived in the Capitol and was there for a week or so, and then we took a, two day drive to get from the capitol to where we've been for the last six months. so that was quite the adventure of a two day drive with seven of us and all of our luggage in this car on very Interesting road conditions, lots of bumps and turns and you know, cows walking through the road and people walking through the road selling you things. And you don't quite know where to look. Like everywhere you look, there's something going on and there's people to see. And it was so colorful with everybody in there, like colorful clothes and scarves and, there's a beauty in that that's just so different to, UK just really exciting. I remember that trip being very exciting and then arriving at the small town where we were based and it was just so remote in a way that is like nowhere else. I've kind of called home, Just very beige and just sand and dirt and so few plants and trees. and that was something I was expecting to find hard. I love green and I love nature and plants, and I was aware that that might be something I would find hard coming here. but very quickly, the Lord helped me see the beauty of this place and the hills and there's beauty in this kind of the wilderness is part of the world. those are some initial things that I noticed.

Matt 23:54

Yeah, tell me more about the living environment there. It's quite a poor region, part of the world, but what does it look like as you guys for foreigners living there?

Lena 24:05

Yes. Yeah, a very poor part of the world. So for us it means, no running water. We have water delivered, every few days, which has to be dug out of the kind of dry riverbed. And then, we have solar, which allows us to have electricity, but that's very unusual. It means that we would have kind of people coming multiple times every day asking us to charge their phones for them. And that was just a system which went wrong really badly at some point. And about a month or two before we left, we finally were like, oh, maybe we should do some kind of system for knowing which phone belongs to which neighbor. which worked really well. Just a bit late in starting to implement that. but yeah, so that's the part of kind of everyday life and, We had quite a big compounds that we were staying in were quite a few buildings, which was very different to our neighbors who would have maybe one or two huts and then, mostly just live outside and, live in their yards. And we had, part of the, family I was with, part of them being allowed to live where they lived is that they had to have kind of barbed wire all around their compound walls, which I think when I first arrived just gave quite an interesting perception of, yeah, just, it obviously stands out compared to the neighbors of this is a different place. but it was meant for their safety. And, yeah, I don't think it was seen negatively by anyone, but I just thought it was quite an interesting thing to observe and to see. Yeah, very off-grid living, I suppose, which we would choose maybe to live more like that way in the uk. Whereas for them, that was the only way to live. Very, very basic, very simple, very few conveniences. And in the town where we were, there was a market two days of the week. But other than that, we couldn't get any fresh food really. So you had to make it work and very limited options for fruit and vegetables and meat that you could get. so we probably had quite a limited diet of what we ate, just to match what was available. and even the first, that was very different to the locals. just because it was poor, they would mainly eat just the grain, the millet that they would grow. And that would be every meal using millet in some way, and then a, pretty basic source. so. Even compared to that, we lived in luxury. but still a very basic level.

Matt 26:24

What was the hardest thing for you? Was it the heat? Was it the dust? Was it the food or lack of, choice or, bugs perhaps.

Lena 26:32

Yeah. I think maybe the limitedness of foods definitely took quite a while to adjust. To adjust in not only the variety, but just also the quantity, of like fruit that's available. And in the UK it's so easy to, oh, like you want this for dinner, you just go out and buy it. Whereas you have to really think ahead there and make the most what's available. And, oh, there's cabbage in the market so you can get a cabbage, which is this really exciting thing. for other end. Yeah, there's like one. Type of meat, that's really tough. So anything you wanna do with meat, you have to pressure cook it for ages to make it not super tough and chewy. And yeah, the idea of having like chicken or mince meat or something like that's just wow, like, that's so special. so when we were able to get that in from a city, it was like, oh, what an exciting time. Let's save this for a special occasion. so that was probably one of the harder things. yeah, the bugs, I arrived at a good season where it was getting a bit cooler, so I didn't have to struggle with heat straight away. And the bugs were like, dying down. there are like lizards everywhere, which took me a little bit by surprise and just getting used to like, oh, what's that sound? Oh, it's just the lizards, running around on the roof and causing mayhem. Be careful of the scorpions. And yeah, one day I walked into my bedroom and there was this massive scorpion on my wall I didn't know what to do. I was like, oh no, what do I do? And I just stood and stared at it until I could get someone to come and help me kill it.'cause I didn't wanna kill it myself. but thankfully they move very slowly so it didn't scuttle away or anything. but yeah, just those things that you're not used to in the UK and catch you a bit off guard maybe.

Matt 28:11

yeah. Interesting. So do you have mosquito nets and things like that?

Lena 28:15

Yes, yes. So, I actually was advised to bring like a mosquito net tent, which just means that like wherever you are, if you have to, like on our journey to the town, we have to sleep somewhere overnight. And it's helpful just to have like a, tent you could pop up and know that you are sleeping safe and sound. And I think even more than the netting, it keeps you enclosed so that bugs can't fall into your bed, which is maybe the thing I would find harder. but yeah, definitely mosquito nets are essential. In my first, week, it took me a few days to realize that I had about five mosquitoes inside my mosquito net. And I was just covered in mosquito bites, and I was like, wow, what's happening? I'm sleeping in a mosquito net. and then I was having a nap one afternoon and just saw them and I was like, oh my goodness. So I spent about an hour or two, like trying to get each one, which I'm glad I did because I slept way better after that. but yeah, it's just, things that take you off guard.

Matt 29:09

Yeah. And in terms of daily life, what are you there to do? are you there long term? Are you learning language? Is that your main priority at the moment?

Lena 29:19

no, I'm here on a short term placement. With family. So I'm living as part of family life, with the main responsibility being to help with, some homeschooling to help with, childcare and just the daily running of family life. and then I've done a little bit of part-time language learning on the side, and it's also just an opportunity to really get exposed and get a taste of what long-term life overseas looks like in quite a hard part of the Muslim world to live in. so yeah, that's what day-to-day life looks like mostly is, being part of the family and helping out there.

Matt 29:53

And what about the perspective of the locals towards you? is it quite odd being stared at everywhere? Obviously you're living with this family, they've lived there for years, haven't they? So in a sense,

Lena 30:04

Yeah.

Matt 30:04

to some foreigners coming and going, but personally, how's it been to be the center of attention in some ways, everywhere you go.

Lena 30:11

Yeah, it's been interesting I think in lots of ways when you go out and about, they just always think that you are one of the other white people there. Like you just get called a name of, like a different team member. and I would always get confused with like, someone that was there a few years ago and they would be confused as to why my language is so bad. And then they have to be told like, oh no, this is a different person. she hasn't got the language yet, which I always found quite funny.'cause like you then look at a picture of the person they thought I was and they just look completely different. And you're like, how could you think I was the person? But, yeah, still happens. and yeah, I think on the whole, it's been a positive experience of people are very friendly and warm and, smiling and they wanna come and say hi and, been. Yeah, complimented and being like, oh, it's great that you are here. and been blessed to not have any negative experiences. being part of that family unit gives me almost quite an, easy way to, identify, there's a word in a local language where I was based of, I was a kind of family helper, which they would use for like a sister that would travel in to help care for the kids. And that was the word that they would use to describe me being there. And that was a way that the locals could understand what I was doing there. which I think was almost easier than if I'd shown up, as a single kind of living by myself. That would've almost probably been harder for them to wrap their heads around.

Matt 31:33

Yeah, has it been lonely at all or because you live with the family? There's plenty of kids and around, and so it hasn't been too bad.

Lena 31:43

Yeah, I think it's just been probably an adjustment mostly because of, switching from living with people your age to most of your day. Being talking with children, it's just quite a different community. and yeah, the language barrier has definitely meant that it's been hard to, to build relationships with locals. but by God's grace, loneliness hasn't been a, big problem. I'm very thankful for technology and the idea that, 50 years ago people that went overseas, it was so much harder for them to stay in touch with family and friends back in the UK or their sending countries. makes me very grateful for how, I can still stay in touch with my family and friends. But yeah, thankfully loneliness hasn't been a big problem. The Lord's really blessed me.

Matt 32:26

Yeah, that's great. So even though you're quite remote. You're in quite a poor country. patchy, and water is sort of brought in. from

Lena 32:35

Yes.

Matt 32:36

time, I mean, now you're not in this small town, you're down in the main city, but even in the small town, there was some kind of internet connection where you could just use WhatsApp and message people, I suppose.

Lena 32:47

yes. Yeah, it was patchy and you had to figure out the times of day where it was better and sometimes, it would go maybe a day or two that I just couldn't get any connection. yeah, I think previously, in other years it's been a lot worse. And actually this year it's really improved. so I've probably had a slightly different experience if I'd been there five years ago or even two years ago, connection, and they, could go. without having a stable internet connection then. but no, recently it's been okay. It's been manageable.

Matt 34:06

one thing we haven't talked about so far is just some of your interactions with locals there that been, especially with the language challenges.

Lena 34:14

Yes. So, we've had two ladies especially who, come and. Workers are house helpers. So I interact with them on a almost daily basis. And, them, along with my language helper, who I would see multiple times a week are probably the women that I've had the most interactions with. and I've just been really, touched I think by their. It's patience and their graciousness of you know, I'm sure they've told me different words for things so many times, and yet still I give them a very confused blank face, they're just very patient and, gently try and help me figure out what it is that we're trying to communicate. So there's definitely a lot of hand signals that have been used for us to. Get messages across, and definitely some miscommunication as well. I remember even in the last few months, one of our house helpers, she, needed some help to carry like a big bowl of water that she'd used to do some washing of dishes, and she wanted me to help her pick it up and put it on her head. And I totally misread the situation and thought she wanted me to put it on my head. So like I bent down to help her pick it up and then kind of lent in to put it on my head. And we totally just bashed four heads. And yeah, it was a funny moment, which was a little bit awkward, but she, she laughed and yeah, I think it's just a reminder of. How, we think one thing and you just have to laugh off situations like that. And, yeah. The people that you get to know best are just very gracious. And I found that with all the locals that I've interacted with, all of our neighbors, and the visits I go on where I just mainly sit there and listen. cause I can't communicate as much as I'd like to. they're just very gracious and smiley and wanna communicate with me. And, I'm really grateful for that. And just how they have still taken an interest in me, even when they quickly realize I can't necessarily, talk openly about myself with them or ask them questions. I've been really blessed by those interactions and my language helper as well. I was able to go and visit her at her home multiple times, which was great, and meet her family. I definitely had a lot of interactions where. would meet local people and their first question would be, oh, why don't you speak the local language? And then, whoever I'm with from the team will, explain that only just arrived or I haven't been here very long and I'm learning a little bit of Arabic, but, I'm not learning the local heart language. And then they'll say, oh, it's so easy. you could learn it in a day, You should come back tomorrow speaking it. And we always walk away from those interactions with, the team members turning to me and being like, don't believe them. This language has, it is taken years and years and years to get anywhere with learning it. but. It definitely helped me see that. Yeah, even learning Arabic kind of, it's the heart language that people want to communicate in. yeah, it's, was a barrier to relationships, my lack of language definitely.

Matt 37:15

And was that frustrating for you? Just all those hours just sitting, waiting, learning and you can't do so much, is when you're in the west, like, tick these things off the list. Go, go, go. Achieve, achieve, achieve. And you've lost that for months now.

Lena 37:29

Yeah, that's so true and it is frustrating, I think, especially as you spend time with, people and you get to see a bit of their heart and there are so many questions that I wanna ask and so many things I want to, learn about them and I wanna build like a deep relationship. And that inability to do that, is frustrating. And also just when you are on a visit. I feel like I have to be very aware of my facial expression. Like I

Matt 37:55

To everybody.

Lena 37:55

out because I wanna make sure that I'm smiling because that's the best way. In lots of situations I can communicate that I, I wanna be there and I'm really interested and, I wanna show that I really value and appreciate them. And if I don't have language, then I wanna be aware of my body language and how I am interacting with that. after an hour or so of language that you don't understand, it's very easy to just zone out and go into my own thoughts. But I often have to just bring myself back in and try and listen intently to try and pick out any words that I recognize, which is, a kind of game to play or try and practice language a little bit in that. but it is frustrating. a reminder that you're playing the long game, that you're in it for, the long haul, and trusting that, language will come when you're there for the long term. And those relationships can start without the language and then just deepen when language comes.

Matt 38:49

Yeah, that's good. Very good tips. Have you had to dress pretty conservatively out there?

Lena 38:54

Yes. Yeah, I have, and there's kind of a big. Scarf or bit of fabric that women just wrap around their whole body, which makes it quite easy'cause it doesn't matter what you wear.'cause when you leave just always put on the same big scarf. sometimes it's strange to then be like, oh wow, my hair. Like I can, when you're in a situation where you don't have to dress conservatively, you realize, oh, it does feel a bit exposing. But generally, yeah. have to dress modestly and, just think about that in day-to-day situations.

Matt 39:26

Has it been hard just adjusting to so much heat all the time.

Lena 39:29

Yes. heat and then When it's windy and you've got this big head scarf that's wrapped around and it's flying off and you're trying to readjust it as you're walking. you know, I think I've definitely had many times where I think I look like a complete fool walking down the street trying to figure out how to wrap this fabric around myself. I'm sure I've just given locals a good smile and a good chuckle from time to time.

Matt 39:54

Yeah, and it's so dry. There's not a lot of greenery there, right?

Lena 39:58

Yes. Yeah, very dry. there's some trees and some shrubs. I'm sad not to be able to see rainy season when everything bursts into life. but no, it's very dry. But recently moving back to the capital, we've spent some time a retreat center and, they've managed to kind of cultivate the. there so that there's actually grass. And we were there recently and just grass for the first time and like six months just ugh, was so good. Felt like a real gift from God, especially as someone who, studied agriculture. And that's something that I know so much about. And yeah, just feel like there's been a, a lack there. So I was joyfully spending time on the grass.

Matt 40:40

I remember coming back to England and promising myself I'd never complain about rain again.'cause it's such a gift. Anything else as we finished in terms of the culture

Lena 40:50

Yeah, I think the personal space and the interruptability of the culture here is something that just had to adjust to with the idea that, when you have visitors, you never turn visitors away. You always welcome them in. You, you bring them food and water and you, you sit with them for a bit, even if you have no language. And yeah, the amount of times that. Maybe I've been, I had an idea of like, oh, I'm gonna spend my afternoon doing this. but then there's a knock at the gate and I'm the only adult around for whatever reason, and I have to welcome in these people that I don't necessarily recognize and I don't dunno how to communicate with them. I dunno if they're here for a purpose but then you just have to lay aside whatever you were wanting to do. And, interact with them and host them, yeah, has been something that I think has been challenging at times. Just being willing to have that flexibility. but I think it's also a beautiful aspect of the culture that, I really love and have fallen in love with, is just that and visiting culture that people just want. time at other people's houses, and you don't even have to be there the whole time. You can greet them and sit with them, bring them food and water, and then go off and do, what you were doing beforehand, and they'll just happily sit there for a little bit. and I

Matt 42:08

Wow.

Lena 42:08

very different to the western culture of when you host somebody, you have to give them your full attention for their whole visit. so that's been something to adjust to, to not feel like I need to. Always be there, but also wanting to not, be completely absent. So there's a balance there, which, I think I've had to gradually learn and pick up on.

Matt 42:27

That's really interesting. Yeah, it's something we miss being back in the west actually. Just, yeah, that ease of visiting and people dropping in and here everything has to be planned. Programmed. yeah, it's quite an adjustment the other way around. Coming back, uh.

Lena 42:41

Yes,

Matt 42:41

Yeah. Good. any final stories you want to share with us? funny stories. Crazy stories? Difficult stories, or if you want maybe some scriptures that have sustained you or a worship song or something. give us an encouragement to our listeners maybe who just a thinking, gosh, could I ever do what Lena is doing out there?

Lena 43:00

Yeah, I think I've learned a lot, I think a lot about the passage in Ecclesiastes is just about seasons and how, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the sun and. There's a season for language learning and not necessarily being able to build relationships as deeply as you wanted to. And there's a season for a more hidden lifestyle of, serving a family and, not necessarily always doing ministry as you would picture ministry to be. but trusting that there's a time for that and that season will come to an end and the Lord will lead you into. season of fruitfulness. But he's with us in each season and his timing is perfect for how long season is. And he meets us there and he provides what we need to carry the load that he's got for us there. And I think I've really seen that be true and seen how the Lord has enabled me to, Be present and to be able to, do what there is to do in this season. like this, just the lifestyle of the last six months being flexible and being able to do. Whatever the day holds has been so key. And I would not say that's a, quality trait that I've always had, but it seems like the Lord has gifted me with that for this season. and I'm very grateful for that and would glorify him for that. so I'd say that's, been a key theme. and I've been able to visit some, nomadic people groups, while I've been here, which has been really interesting just to get to see that and actually see how their lifestyle is probably so similar to, how we see Abraham and the people of, the Old Testament when they were wandering like they lived a very pneumatic lifestyle. and it's been a real joy in. yeah. Privilege to get to enter into their world and spend some time with them and see how hard life is. And that, I think that's really made reading those stories come to life of Jacob had to go and dig a well. And I've gone with people as they've gone and had to dig for water and it's so hard and they have to travel long distances to go and get water and, Just reflecting on that and remembering that wants these people to be his people, just like he wanted Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and their descendants to be his people. and that's been really precious. yeah, there were some, funny moments in there as well. and I've learned that there's a specific way here that a woman is supposed to get onto a donkey to go and fetch water. me and my friend, we went with a, pneumatic lady to go get water and we absolutely failed at getting on the donkey in the right way. And just had everybody around us laughing and they were kind of falling over, just laughing at us

Matt 45:40

Describe that. What's, what's the correct way to get on a donkey?

Lena 45:43

yeah, they kind of come up next to it. They like put their arms behind them and they just very, very gracefully kind of hop up and their legs are exactly in the right position straight away with these big barrels for the water, over the sides of the donkey. And like in the uk I've done horse riding before and you get up a horse by like swinging your leg over the side. But that is not an okay way to do it here. and also I'm slightly shorter and some of these donkeys are quite tall and it was, yeah, just needing like a leg up or needing to find something to like on in order to get up. Yeah, it was just entertainment. I'm glad that I was able to provide some entertainment, at my own expense, but I think being able to laugh at yourself a bit is an important trait to have when coming to new places and new cultures.

Matt 46:31

Yeah. Definitely is. Yeah. Thank you. That's great. I love that. I can really see, see that being played out in my imagination. That's really funny. yeah, and your point about. That season of hiddenness, that's really worth thinking about because there are many seasons in, our lives where we're yeah, a little bit hidden or not doing what we think we want to do because of, well, it might be family commitments, caring for an older person, all sorts of reasons why, you know, for, my wife being pregnant and looking after young ones, careers put aside. And I think there's something very powerful about that. a season of being a bit hidden. but seeing. A beauty in it and seeing what God's up to in that. also even reminded me, I've been listening to a little bit this season of Lent about the desert Fathers and mothers, and of course they stepped out and away into the desert to get away from the busyness and the chaos and the, yeah. The speed of normal life, I suppose, to seek God more. And, in a sense that's what you've done. you've stepped out into a very slow. Desert life and you are looking after kids out there and yeah, it's challenging, but it's in a sense refining and stripping things back from your normal life that makes you think, yeah, what is contentment and who am I and all these important questions. Who is God in the midst of this and where do I see this in scripture? I love it. That's really helpful. I can't remember, did you say your assignment out there is for a certain length of time, but I know there is a transition coming up where the family themselves are moving.

Lena 47:59

Yes. Yes. So my commitment to being here, is a commitment to this family that I'm with and, they're transitioning to a new location and I'm most likely transitioning with them to their new location. so we're coming to the end of our time here. We've got. About two months left here in the capital where we are, and then we're going to be transitioning together. so it's been quite a unique, season really to see this family that have been serving here for over a decade actually packing up their lives and saying goodbyes to all these relationships and leaving, and the emotions that come with that, and them having to really have wisdom in how to leave relationships well and how to navigate, selling and getting rid of all the things that they've got in a way that's blessing the community but not causing problems for the other team members. just lots of things there and how to engage well in the community and how to steward, the resources that they have, has been really. interesting and things that you don't have to think about when you're first going to the field. Really. You don't think about how would I leave? Well, so it's been quite an unusual thing to be a part of, but have learned a lot and, yeah. So if the Lord ever relocates me while I'm on the field, I've definitely learned some things from getting to be part of their journey in that.

Matt 49:19

Yeah. And so you have to start all over again in a sense, or at

Lena 49:23

Yeah.

Matt 49:24

is similar, but you're heading to a neighboring country. You're heading to a large city this time, which will have its own challenges. Will any of the language be similar over there?

Lena 49:33

Yes. The language will be similar, just a different dialect, but I think the dialect is different enough that, even for the family that I'm with, they're going to have to reenter the language learning season. which will be very different. but yeah, going from probably one of the most or more remote locations of how you could serve in the Muslim world to the complete opposite end of the spectrum to a really big city is just gonna be very, very different. And how ministry looks will be very different and building relationships and how you meet people. it's gonna be a very big transition and change.

Matt 50:07

Well, we'll be praying here at this end that you'll be finding the next steps for yourself, maybe a team to join long-term whether it's in that region or somewhere else. but it's obviously been a great learning experience for you and we've learned a lot by listening to you. So thank you so much for being with us, Selena, and God bless you.

Lena 50:23

It's been a joy. Thank you, Matt. Speak soon.

Speaker 50:27

Thanks so much for joining us today, guys. Do get in touch if you want to share how God is speaking to you through the podcast, or if you want to partner with us in raising up more workers for the harvest. You can email me personally, matt@frontiers.org.uk and here's a challenging quote to end with from Jim Elliot. Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those eye contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road. Make me a fork that men may turn one way or another on facing Christ in me. Have a great week and do join us next time to hear from more ordinary people serving our extraordinary God in some of the toughest parts of the world.