Happier Abroad Forum Community

This seems a better place for an introduction. Now, where to start?...

As an older millennial, I've finally realized that I'll never make it here. I am thought of as my peers and yet I've always been light years ahead, waiting on people to catch up. They're not and likely never will, and it's lonely here.

I gave my heart over to Jesus a little over seven years ago and can say that Alexis de Tocqueville was right:

I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors...; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.

Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

America is no longer good.

Even in churches the plagues of feminism, worship of money, lust, hypocrisy, and so-forth reign. (I've got my own issues, too. I'm hardly perfect.) With all this pent-up dissatisfaction, I'm just feeling more and more secluded and unable to deeply connect outside of a one-on-one scenario with a select few. And don't even get me started on dating and relationships. Women stopped being women and became counterfeit men. Self-centered, selfish, coarse, corrupt, oblivious to reality due to a pampered, protected, and artificially elevated position. It's not every man and woman that's twisting this country into ruin... but enough of them are.

What finally pushes me over the edge is that I'm stepping forward to answer the call of being a missionary. When you separate my faith from the mistakes man has made with it, it really is the most beautiful message of acceptance and hope. And so I want to help people, I want to love on those who are hurting, and I want to spend the rest of my life in that pursuit. I just think I'll also be able to find my wife in doing so.

Fortunately, it's a pretty straightforward process. Selling what I've got and either renting or selling my house would put me at a distinct financial advantage in the countries I want to go. I don't have to make as much and/or raise near as much support if I buy a house and am living debt free over there. By connecting with other missionaries in the field, I have a support, culture, and language training network I can build off of.

A year from now I earn another three weeks vacation. At that point I'll turn in my notice, set my final financial affairs in this country in order, and hop a one-way flight to my new home (looking like Ukraine right now.) I'm excited at the sheer unknown of it all; the adventure, the adversity, and the pursuit of a life... happier abroad.

-Ben

Welcome to the forum Ben. Your right, even in the churches feminism has reared it's ugly head.

2 Timothy 3 speaks on this. It is the rise of narcissism.

Women stopped being women and became counterfeit men. Self-centered, selfish, coarse, corrupt, oblivious to reality due to a pampered, protected, and artificially elevated position.

Women have risen out of their place. They want to be the man's boss. They have ascended out of their dwelling place, and have assumed powers (they call them privileges) which God has not ordained for them, which has destroyed the eternal destiny for many women. That's what happens: That happened to one third of the angels, to Adam and Eve and to every reprobate that dares to rebel (Like Korah/Core), who delights in the rewards of wickedness (like Balaam), or who is a murderer (similar to Cain).

Do they still need missionaries to go to Ukraine?

Yeah, screw that prosperity gospel horse manure. I'll happily call them out when I run across them in the field. It infuriates me when missionaries are really spreading the gospel of 'Murica! We have our own problems, these other cultures don't need ours, too.

As far as "need" goes, that's going to depend on your point of view. Ukraine is strongly Orthodox in the sense that it's part of their cultural identity. It's very much a "Christian" nation in the same way America is, if not more so. But realize that America is considered one of the five largest mission fields in the world.

From an evangelical point of view, it's ripe for harvest. I don't personally care what church people go to, so as long as I help people find a deeper and personal connection with faith that they act on. I'm still open for what kind of ministry I would be doing there and will figure it out later. The missionaries I'm in communication with say there's pleeeenty of work to be done where they're at.

For now, it's enough to learn Russian/Ukrainian and go to one of the local bible colleges that've been planted there. It'll take several years to be proficient in the language before I could effectively preach.

I'm currently in the position you are in. I'm in the exact same one, I'm an older millenial also. I'm disillusioned with things just as you'd described. I've been through so much in my lifetime, and things are so mixed up now and after that it's hard to decide what to do. I spent time travelling growing up and sought things I liked. So far America has offered me nothing but pain, heartaches, degradation and toxicity in lies. I'm not kidding. I'm not exaggerating.

For me, I'd even considered other religions such as Islam, Jew etc...but mostly, I was afraid that Jews were going to take over the world. I decided to investigate it myself and went to some services, met some people and it turns out they are for the most part trying to be good people like we are and are normal. I know that sounds ridiculous but that's what you hear.
It still interests me to some degree.

I'm probably going into the Roman Catholic tradition, that's what I was raised in.
I really don't think it matters how you do good, just that you do it. You can do it from anywhere, any tradition.

If it's an interest of yours, check out Messianic Jews. They're pretty well despised by the regular Jewish community, too. There's an channel on YouTube called "ONE FOR ISRAEL" where you can find testimonies of those who've converted.


I would hardly be shocked anymore at the treatment you've received. I survived a relationship with a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder. And because that wasn't fun enough, I had my reputation utterly ruined by another woman who broke off the relationship (while she had apparently ran around on me with a friend.) I'm guessing she thought I found out, she had a panic attack, and basically twisted my final letter to wish her well as a death threat... Yeah. Lost a lot of (fake) friends and what I thought was going to be my new church on that one. Now I just see it as a door being closed because I didn't need any more attachments here.

With the sole exception of my middle sister, I've been used, abused, and/or discarded by virtually every woman I've ever tried to have a connection with. Even non-romantic ones.

Sort of brings to mind Luke 6:46 ("Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not as I say?") And of course Matthew 7:21 ("Not everyone who calls me, Lord, Lord, shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those that do the will of the Father which is in Heaven.")

Americans live like demons. And not just atheists, either, but even "Christians" as well. But they are false Christians and will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Jesus told us that we are to love one another. In many foreign countries, many people still love one another. But in America, people hate one another! Default ice barriers between strangers, façade friendships, toxic personalities, money loving, gangsta worshipping thug cultures, divorce, hatred of neighbors, spoiled and rotten bad attitudes, and closed, private cliques where outsiders are pushed away are fruits of hatred. And a tree that bears that kind of fruit is, according to Jesus, cut down and burned.