The very worst missionary (by Jamie Wright)

(Amazon UK link)

Years ago, I used to follow a blog called ‘Jamie: the very worst missionary’. It was honest, refreshing and extremely well-written. About a year ago I realised I had not seen any new posts from it, and discovered that it had been deactivated. But I also discovered that the author, Jamie Wright, had published a book of the same title. So I added it to my wishlist, and was given it for my birthday a few months ago. 

I had seen reviews saying that this book was ruined by foul language, so I was slightly nervous about starting it. I don’t like bad language, and rarely hear any. It’s not as if I’m living amongst extremely pious or holy people. We have a lot of visitors from all around the world, and I don’t recall the last time I heard a strong expletive from any of them. 

However, I was pre-warned, and decided I would read the book anyway. I was immediately hooked! The author opens by saying it’s a terrible book, and also says she’s a compulsive apologiser. I get that. It’s far too easy for me to apologise for things I have done or made, even when there’s nothing wrong with them. It’s perhaps a kind of false humility, but there’s also a sense of feeling somewhat inadequate, and not wanting folk to be disappointed.

So I was already on Jamie Wright’s side, rooting for her, before I had even finished the introduction. She writes in a fluent but informal way; it’s as if she’s chatting, but with every word thought through. And yes, she includes some ‘strong’ language. And yes, at times, it jars. But it was nowhere near as much as I had expected based on the negative reviews.

The book starts by describing the author and her family travelling to Costa Rica as missionaries. Her sons were 13, 9 and 7 and she says that she messed up their lives horribly by taking them abroad. It wasn’t the wonderful cultural experience that others expect. Then she gives an overview of the difficulties acquiring language, and a detailed description of finding a gecko in a place where one really doesn’t want to find a reptile. 

And while the situation for me in Cyprus isn’t exactly the same - and I’ve been here for over twenty-five years now - I could totally relate. 

After this first chapter, the story goes back to the author’s childhood. The subtitle of the book is, 'a memoir or whatever', and that's a good description. It's roughly biographical, including relevant parts of her background. She grew up Jewish, in quite an orthodox environment at first. Then her parents became more liberal, and as a teenager she adopted a leather jacket and a sassy attitude. She was quite promiscuous, and - as she says - about as far from a typical missionary as could be imagined. 

Time moves forward; she’s married to the wonderful Steve who could have had any girl but chose Jamie. And she finds herself a young mother, with unexpected responsibilities and little idea how to cope. And that’s where she meets Christians for the first time, and makes some friends. She acknowledges that meeting other young mothers gave her a lifeline, and that, at first, she was happy to go along with Christian thinking. She modified her language, even picking up some jargon, and found her own relationship with God. 

But she’s always a bit cynical - and, once again, I could relate. She listens, and responds, but has a lot of questions. She wonders why so many people accept the status quo, and follow not just biblical principles but church politics and the demands of the leaders. She challenges someone over a book about submission, and suddenly people see her as rather a rebel.

Nonetheless, after some ‘short-term’ mission trips to Costa Rica, without their sons, she and her husband both believe they are called there as missionaries. They stay for five years, and in that time learn a lot about culture and language; they learn to adapt and adjust, and they make a lot of friends. Her husband slots right in, using his skills and experience to teach and help the locals, while Jamie feels more and more of an outcast. Then she starts writing her blog…

There’s so much in this book, as the author challenges many of the western (and particularly North American) ideas about missionaries. She sees how some of the short-term work is condescending and unhelpful, and how locals will volunteer to be ‘saved’ year after year, to encourage teams to return with more gifts. She realises eventually that her ‘call’ wasn’t so much to evangelise or even just to be hospitable and care for those around, but to point out the flaws in the mission world at the time, and possibly work towards change.

I found it all quite encouraging as well thought-provoking. It was also poignant, as I knew from the perspective of seven years after publication that the author’s marriage - and life - pretty much fell apart in subsequent years. But when she wrote it, she was quite upbeat about her experiences, and the way God can work to bring something positive, even through the worst situations. 

So, while I know some people won’t like this due to the bad language, I would recommend it anyway. I think it’s well worth persevering and seeing beyond the pain, the anger and the feelings of inadequacy. 

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