 Serving as a missionary was the most amazing and rewarding experience I have ever had. I spent ten months in Pohnpei-Micronesia as a kindergarten teacher. The Pohnpei Seventh Day Adventist School is quite small, with no more than six local teachers; it is sustained each year by the work of student missionaries. When I made the trip, I was part of a group of thirty missionaries who came from different Adventist universities around the United States and Australia.
The local people of Pohnpei are the most generous people I have ever met. Upon arrival they greeted us with so much happiness, and gave each of us a beautiful handmade flower crown. That same day they held a big dinner where all the church members adopted a student missionary.  Our adoptive families would constantly invite us to their homes to share meals, they would bring us food, and they would even surprise us with various gifts. I was amazed to see that even though these people did not have fancy houses, clothing or much money, they were still willing to give us anything they could.
The Pohnpei School had seven houses to accommodate the student missionaries. When I arrived, I had no idea who my roommate would be. I ended up in one of the smallest apartments (it was one of the two that had air conditioning) with three other roommates. Living with people was a huge challenge; we all had different habits, and different moods. Soon enough, however, my roommates became my best friends. Sometimes our apartment seemed too small for us, but it became our haven whenever we needed each other.
I was the lead teacher for twelve kids in the kindergarten class.  The first week of school, I was nervous about how to teach my students, especially when I realized that they did not know much about the alphabet, or numbers. I admit, that entire week I left my classroom with a headache. My students were loud and they knew next to nothing, making it even harder to introduce the topics in the curriculum. To top it all off, I had a parent looking through the classroom window the entire first week. My fears and insecurities doubled. I could not help but ask myself what in the world I was doing there. I had to pray in earnest everyday just for strength to tolerate my students. As the days went by, however, my headaches disappeared. I realized that while I was teaching these little children the simplest things in life they were teaching me much bigger ones. For example, at the very beginning, I made it a rule that no one could eat unless the class had prayed; yet on one occasion I completely forgot my own rule! I distributed the food to the children and sat down at my desk. After a few minutes I happened to look up, and I saw that no one was eating.  I asked the reason for this, and one of my students reminded me, “Ms. Benzaquen we haven’t prayed.” It was little lessons such as this that taught me daily and strengthened my faith.
I had a particular student who gave me an incredibly hard time. He was the troublemaker of the class, always loud, never listening, and always misbehaving; yet, he was the student that made me laugh the most. In dealing with him, I was in a constant struggle to keep my temper, but I always missed him when he wasn’t there. Another one of my students would sit at his desk, look all around the room, and scratch his legs and arms relentlessly. Every time I turned around he was doing the same thing. I had to tell him over and over again to stop. It tried my patience regularly. To this day I don’t know why he did what he did, but I learned to take it in stride and to pick my battles. Yet another student would keep talking and playing during lesson time and one day, I could not take it anymore. I sent him to face the wall for a time out. To my embarrassment, I forgot about him. After quite some time had passed,  I remembered him, and told him he could go back to his seat. He turned around, gave me a hug, and sat down. That day I remembered the concept of unconditional love. That child showed me the unconditional love which many of us forget to give nowadays. My students had such unusual ways of teaching me lessons; and patience and unconditional love, though extremely important, were only a few of the facets of my training.
The parents were one of my biggest challenges, as several of them perceived me as an inexperienced little girl, who resembled a twelve year old. I once had a parent get angry at me because one of the children had broken his son's pencil. To myself, all I could think was, they’re only five years old, and this is what they do! Little trials like this however, were made a bit easier, because at the same time,  a mother of one of my students thanked me for coming to the island and teaching her daughter and all the other children. I treasured the compliments and reassurances. They gave me a good feeling and provided a legitimate reason for my presence there.
When it came to weekends we were allowed to participate in the programs at church. We took active part in Sabbath school, song service, main service, etc. During the afternoons we would go hiking. On those hiking excursions I was able to view the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. We also went camping regularly. Within the island of Pohnpei are many little islands, and we would often take a boat and go to other islands to camp. Some of these isles had huts for us to stay in, while others had nothing but trees and water. Camping was definitely one of the most fun activities in which we took part. While living at Pohnpei I experienced what a simple life was about. There was no such thing as big parties, malls, being worried about clothing, and who we could impress. Our big pohnpeian skirts became our favorite piece of clothing, and the long board-shorts became practical. Things were just so simple.
 At the end of the year, it was such a reward for me to see the students who, at the beginning, knew nothing, just spelling out words, counting numbers, and retelling the teachings of Jesus. Working with these students had its troublesome times - they often gave me headaches, and they made me plain mad when they refused to listen - but there were good times also. They made me laugh at the silliest things, and taught me great life lessons which I will never forget. I don’t know how much I influenced their lives but I do know they made a huge and unforgettable impact on mine.
I did not find my year as a missionary to be a waste of time, and though there were many times when I had to experience challenges, I know now that they only made me stronger in Christ. Along with my students I learned the infinitely wise teachings of the Bible, patience, unconditional love, and how to laugh at and find enjoyment in simple things.  Day by day the children made me see the reason for which God had sent me there, and I realized that even though I was there to teach them, God used them to teach me. He sent me to Pohnpei to make a change in my life. I learned the things that really matter and I would not change this experience for the world. I had so many good times, and often wish I could go back. I made life long friends and learned many valuable lessons. All in all, I gained much more than the ten months I put in. To God be the glory!
Danae Benzaquen
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