Autistic Missionaries?

Post Reply New Topic

Is there or has there been anyone with Asperger's who worked as a missionary?
I am curious if this is possible with still having Asperger's. I am going to Japan next year as part of a short-term missionary trip, which I am very excited about. I was wondering if someone could give me a few pointers on what I could do to prepare for the trip early.

I don't know.. I'm sure there are some, but it probably depends a lot on the type of missionary work. Being a missionary can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Have you checked out the WEC International website? Maybe they have some resources about stuff like that..

I've done short term "missionary" work in Rwanda.
I think it helps that you go there already knowing you don't and won't know the people and what they are thinking while you are there. You are open to learning and less likely to make offensive assumptions.
You need to contact the group and learn as much as you can about what you will be doing exactly in Japan. Will you be passing out tracts? Will you be performing street plays? Will you be teaching English?
You might research as much as you can about Japan. When you talk with Japanese you will want to be respectful, quiet, non-direct, and emotionally controlled. If you shout or are angry, you will lose all their respect. Expect that things will be different, that there will be mistakes, that there will be miscommunication. Resolve ahead of time to eat what is put before you, be grateful you are not sleeping on a street, and do not be a complainer. No matter how you are inconvenienced, take nothing personally, and be as pleasant as you possible can to everyone.
And of course you are praying for God's guidance.
Be eager to do whatever your leader tells you to, even if you don't understand, even if it seems menial or trivial.
If you need a certain amount of down time per day to continue functioning, ask the leader for what times would be good break times.
You may get sick, take pepto-bismol (trademark) or equivalent and aspirin and bandaids and medicinal lotions. When we lived in Japan, the first year every time we visited a new city we got sick.
When you are given opportunities to rest, take them.
And enjoy. I love Japan and the Japanese.
And remember, you have no idea what is going on. You may not see any results from what you do. My experience is that Japanese spend about a decade thinking about things before they convert if they do convert. Not seeing any results does not mean that you are not doing God's work.
Enjoy!! !! !! !