Dear Yunker,
It's a matter of choice and common sense, if one doesn't like the job offer, don't take the job. Some of the missionaries in my era did very nicely, had good donated incomes, with good travel opportunities and some put in very little effort. Others received minimal donated incomes and worked like dogs.
But what about the people who really got ripped off, it comes up here as a subject occassionally and gets little comment. Those big luxurious bases that evolved amidst the poor subsistance living locals, was a fair rent for the land ever paid? A couple of beat up old cars and some other western rubbish is hardly fair rent. Swap sides for a moment and imagine living in a one roomed home, dirt floor, with all the kids a wife or two and some pigs. Meanwhile behind a big fence (the one erected to keep you out), lives some guests in your country who's houses are palatial in comparison and their kids ride their motorbikes through your land for recreation, get a good education and then wander back to where ever they came from. But it gets even worse, some of the missionaries are more equal than others (them from Downunder wasn't equal when I was a kid, ask any Downunder missionary who got kicked out of PNG and their possessions confiscated) and if there is a pecking order amongst the missionaries who almost entirely have the same skin colour, you can bet your bottom dollar you ain't going to get fairly treated, because some of dem there missionaries openly preached a very rascist message. Oh we've all heard the stories how the good missionaries were welcomed even invited to come, but I personally think that is only one side of the story and the other side of the story has little chance of being told and is probably considerably different.
There we go, we've both raised some pretty controversial thoughts. I don't think either of us will ever be applying to be missionaries (for which the missionary world is probably truly thankful), but for anyone contemplating doing so, I suspect we both agree, Buyer Beware!
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