“Why are you so beautiful?”… “That’s the way God made me,” I would giggle.
“Why are you so smart?”… “That’s the way God made me,” I would reply.
This was the response I was taught to give to any question my dad asked of me.
Those I surrounded myself with and my past experiences have transformed me into the role of a missionary. Not in the ordinary sense where a missionary travels the world sharing the good news of our Lord. I would classify myself as a missionary in my own backyard. This is shown to others through my actions and words as I help pass what I have learned throughout my life.
Intergenerational experiences are not as central to our lives as they once were. However, growing up, I spent a lot of time as my mom’s helper. I would go to the nursing homes with her and build puzzles and talk with the residents as she finished her rounds. Through their stories, I learned great lessons for as Job 12:12 says, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” Believing in this teaching, my family spent a lot of time visiting the elders in my church and neighborhood.
In first grade, we were told to draw a picture of ourselves at one-hundred years old. Mine was radically different and I soon realized that I was socialized in a very different way as my peers. I spent more time with elders than friends my own age. While my friends drew themselves as old ladies with white hair, walking their dogs, I drew myself an old lady, missing teeth, in a wheelchair, children climbing all over, with four angels looking down at me from heaven. Reflecting on this picture now, I realize this old lady lived her life to the fullest. She had adventures, imparted her wisdom on children, and knew where she was going and where she had come from. I realized she was very similar to the neighbor that I spent the majority of my time learning from — Beegu.
Beegu (Finnish for little girl) is an affectionate nickname for an old lady who lives on a small farm down the hill from mine, in what is known as “The Valley.” Imagine a little cottage, somewhat styled like a house in a children’s bedtime story, very small and cozy, with over a dozen unwinded cuckoo clocks that go off whenever they please because there she insists the concept of time is nonlinear. Here, time is a series of moments—teaching moments about prayer, God, and the importance of sharing our faith with family and one another. There is no question that blue is her favorite color, as it is the tone of everything, down to the wooden trim on her house, the boiling kettle, and her blue woodstove. Her doors are always open, and I along with the other children in “The Valley” are frequent visitors. She calls us her “Gorgeous Meatballs” and never misses a chance to share stories from her past and impart her wisdom on the generations to come. She has led me and many other “Valley kids,” to understand true discipleship is about keeping God centered in our lives—through prayer and serving others. She is the sounding board for all of us as we try to discern our calling. All the “Valley kids” learned many lessons from Beegu that affect our mannerisms. We learned how to treat others. We learned to thank the Lord for what He provides us. We learned to pray for ourselves and others. We learned to memorize bible verses, poems, and songs. Together, us “Valley kids” became socialized in a very different way than our other friends. The norms when at Beegu’s were very different from how others acted elsewhere. But she taught us not to change who we are when in the community. She gave us a new set of values and reinforced them into our lives. She taught us how to share this with others so we could become missionaries among our friends. She taught us how to become missionaries in our own backyard.
Because of the people I surrounded myself with, the influences I had growing up, the expectation for me to go to church, and the constant reminder from my mother to “Stop being sacrilegious” or to “pray about it” when I had an issue, I learned to keep God central in my life at all times. If I hadn’t spent as much time at Beegu’s house growing up or with the other “Valley kids” I would have been socialized in a different way. I may even have completely different beliefs. I may act in very different ways. But because of my experiences, I am comfortable with keeping God first throughout life as my faith gives me direction and sets my moral compass.
The implications of this socialization for my life today have made a huge impact on my life and impacts many of my life choices. It helps me live my life to the fullest just like the old lady from my drawing in first grade as I know where I come from and now am learning where to go. I like to think of myself as a missionary as it is the way I was raised. It is what is expected of me.
I appreciate other people’s beliefs and respect them. We were all socialized in different ways and that socialization makes a huge impact on different aspects of our life including faith. However, I believe that through my love and support for others I can help enhance other’s lives through my actions. We can learn from each other and the effects of our socialization on our beliefs. My role is difficult as I know not everyone has the same beliefs as mine and I am okay with that. Even though my beliefs may challenge others, I still have an open mind to learning and modify my own beliefs when I hear input from other people. Throughout life, we are always learning from each other. It is amazing to see how the differences in the ways we are socialized can affect our lives. I have fallen into my societal roles because of the people I grew up with and the way I was socialized. One of those roles I identify myself in is being a missionary.
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