The Blessing of Being a woman!
be a Wife and Mom
by
Nov 28. 2024
Singapore is a country with five official languages and a diverse population, which means that the missionaries there come from various backgrounds and cultures.
Many mission organizations and churches work together on numerous projects, and their openness and hospitality have made Singapore a comfortable place for many foreigners to live.
We can communicate in English anywhere, and all the signs are well-marked, making it easy for foreigners to navigate.
At that time, there were also double-decker buses.
Riding one from end to end felt like taking a scenic tour of the entire city.
The training we participated in was conducted in English, which was incredibly challenging for me due to my limited proficiency.
Every day, I had to take Tylenol to cope with the headaches caused by trying to keep up with the lectures.
Even though I couldn't fully understand the content, I was deeply moved and comforted by what I did grasp.
Having already gone through my own wilderness training, I felt emboldened, and I gained an inner strength that made me believe I could overcome any challenge.
Especially with my husband and child by my side, I felt secure, and my emotions became more stable and resilient.
One day, after finishing a lecture, I sat down to fold some freshly dried laundry.
As I carefully organized each piece of clothing, I was suddenly overwhelmed with happiness.
“I am a woman, a wife, and a mother.
How precious and joyful these roles are! ”
We were assigned a small room in the corner of the classroom.
Now since I got married, I have prepared a meal for my family in this small apartment with my daughter and ate it together.
Finally, the daughter's face caught my eyes closely, looked carefully, washed her face, and tied her hair beautifully.
I felt like I finally became a mother and a wife after running toward my goal as a missionay.
Is this perhaps a unique joy that only women can experience?
Throughout the training, my husband took care of our daughter while I attended lectures. He would entertain her and complete tasks with her, take her to the playground, and enjoy the simple joys of everyday life with me.
These ordinary things, which most mothers naturally do for their families, were new to me, and I was grateful for every moment.
Nearly every day, if I didn't focus enough, I would miss parts of the lecture.
Each time, I would feel lost and embarrassed, unsure of what was happening around me.
But I managed to blend in and follow the program as best I could, despite feeling ashamed.
sometimes I cried because I was so moved when I suddenly heard even a word of English.
On those days, I would need to take Tylenol again.
Once a week, the my leader would offer 30 minutes of counseling for me, and I need to go to meet her, armed with both an
English-Korean and a Korean-English dictionary.
We would sit across from each other at a small table, exchanging smiles with silence.
The leader would ask questions slowly and carefully, and I would painstakingly look up words in the dictionary, stumbling through my responses.
It was embarrassing, but in the sweltering Singapore heat, we would have heartfelt conversations, with me crying and laughing in equal measure.
The leader's patience and love, as she sat with me in the heat for long periods, helped my pain to fade away, replaced by their kind smile.
Did she understand everything I said? Probably not entirely.
But her questions deeply moved me.
Meeting with that leader helped revive the instincts I had suppressed as a woman during my time as a missionary, allowing me to embrace my roles as a wife, mother, and woman once again.
She taught me that while it's important to fulfill our responsibilities, it's equally vital to embrace and express the emotions and instincts we carry as human beings.
The fact that this understanding was communicated without words but through something deeper still amazes me.
The mere fact that someone was interested and empathy in
how I was living and what I was thinking was healing in itself.
