On board the Cessna 206, a pilot was lining up his approach. Up ahead he could see one of his most dreaded nightmares-the form of a large pig running at the side of the airstrip. Where was it heading? Would the noise of the plane's engine frighten it off? Might it run across the airstrip? Would he take the risk and try to land? On board the Cessna 206, a pilot was lining up his approach. Up ahead he could see one of his most dreaded nightmares-the form of a large pig running at the side of the airstrip. Where was it heading? Would the noise of the plane's engine frighten it off? Might it run across the airstrip? Would he take the risk and try to land? This sometimes provocative collection of narratives seeks to honestly present a selection of matters often overlooked, masked, or even repudiated by some mission personnel; matters nevertheless considered important enough by some missionaries or some of those they went to minister to. Tough lessons need to be faced and learned from. In Tough Lessons, Phil Scowen bravely dares to depict what is often left unheeded, as the flip side of the coin. Comparing experiences together, missionary personnel from various countries are often amazed how much they faced in common, even though their fields of service were so geographically diverse. Whether the setting was the Amazon jungle or the mountains of West Irian, the mud roads of Rhodesia or a winding stony mountain pass in Bolivia, many of the joys afforded or difficulties faced have a familiar ring to them when recounted by others. In an attempt to protect the privacy and integrity of God's servants, especially indigenous brothers and sisters, all names have been changed. Phil Scowen spent seven years in the '70s and '80s as a teacher and missionary in Papua New Guinea. His lifelong interest in missionary endeavor extends to several continents, providing insights that have shaped Tough Lessons.