Delinquency

     When you're on a mission, the first thing you have to do is to forget everything you've learned from the place where you received instructions for before leaving.  The rules outlined in a handbook are simply just "guidelines" to the missionaries.  It'll make life extremely difficult if you want to follow the rules-- you'll be labeled as a "goody-do-er," "not fun," "tattle-tale," and just negative labels-- it makes missionary work pretty hard.

     For the past year or so, it was like that-- constantly being picked on for being too upright about standards.  It got worse being around the missionaries who have been called English-speaking*-- no discipline and rampant rowdiness all over the place.  It was like walking midst middle-schoolers.  Now I understand that they haven't quite got the fact that the rules are in place for precautionary rather than for restrictive purposes; but to blatantly rebel against it was just unacceptable!  These people don't act like missionaries, period.

     Lock me up in a looney bin-- coat me with a strait jacket, too.  I've been going insane with so much hypocrisy going on.  Dying.  Decaying.  My mental state was deteriorating frighteningly fast.

     To those of you at work or even here in the mission field, it's stressful dealing with non-compliant people-- they don't follow the standards set in place.  Even worse, they think they're quite the chivalrous bunch-- they can't find fault in themselves, finding it for others!  Gossips spread fast, too.  So let me give you some pointers that'll help with such a seemingly hopeless situation:

You might be a perfectionist.

     I learned that the hard way-- this makes life unnecessarily difficult to those who want to do things by the books.  Although it says, many times, that perfection is to be sought for, perfectionism is to be avoided.  That comes from progressing yourself while looking back at others behind you in scorn.  

     "<sigh> I guess I'll have to clean up their mess."

     "Could you be any more stupid?"

     "Grow up!"

     "Why would you do that?"

     Let reality come back to you-- you're dealing with people who can make their own decisions.  This is something that isn't under anyone's control-- not even God.  Sure, God knows what his children will do long before they themselves, but He has no control over it.  One cannot dictate how another person should live his or her life-- coercion was never a principle preached by any religionist and moralist in good standing with society.

     Paul says that "his strength is made perfect in weakness" as he talks about the Atonement Jesus made for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).  We have to humble ourselves-- know that "there is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any of us to talk about the rest of us."

     As soon as you know this, feel free to sulk around a little bit, swallow some pride, and start reaching out-- lovingly.  These people may be below us when it comes to maturity or understanding, but the things will work out.  The path to perfection isn't a solo road-- it's a group effort!  Remember: look back and reach out.  These kids-- these people-- won't understand why certain principles have to be followed, but through kind and loving example, they can be made right-- an invitation to do good.  Waiting for them to change without doing anything on your part will only make life more miserable.