Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
It’s been described in various ways. Sometimes it’s called a dark night of the soul. Sometimes it’s called burn-out or depression. Mid-life crisis is another name that is used. These are times when we seem caught in an unending period of transition. God is mostly …
My husband stopped counting. Not me. This was the seventh time we’d rebooked our flights. I felt angry and a bit depressed. Would we never get to return home? Living in exile isn’t easy. Whether physical or other, I often find myself not quite where …
“Unlock your phone and show it to us or we won’t let you enter our country,” the immigration official demanded. Seizing his phone, the officers checked the emails, Facebook, WhatsApp and other private messages of the nervous missionary. Though they allowed him to enter the …
There are a few things I truly hate. One is when fear is used to manipulate and intimidate God’s people. Fear is such a powerful tool of oppression. We see it used by politicians to get votes from the fearful. Likewise, it is used by …
After more than twenty years, he was finally granted a visa. He would return to the place of his original missionary calling. Visa uncertainty threatened to steal his peace, however, even in the midst of this exciting moment. His passport finally had the visa …
“I can handle quite a lot of difficulty and pain. I just don’t want my kids to suffer!” Most missionaries feel this way. If we couldn’t handle significant levels of discomfort, we wouldn’t have chosen this life. In my experience, missionaries have a higher than …
Needing a visa to live in the country you call home can be a huge pain! Visa related issues cause tremendous stress in the lives of many missionaries. “You have 24 hours to leave.” These are the dreaded words every missionary hopes to never …
“Change will be a constant,” the speaker said. My mind knew what he said was true, but my heart rebelled. “I don’t like change!” a voice screamed inside my head. Our missionary lives are filled with disruption. It is the reality we face as Christian …
“I can’t believe it! That’s not what I understood from the website,” my husband exclaimed. We’d just gotten a response from the embassy saying we were not eligible for the type of visa we’d applied for. A few days before, a friend planned to go …
Just the word “immigration” can put knots in our stomachs. For weeks before traveling in or out of the country, we prepare ourselves. “This is what I will say if asked.” We face the inner tension of not wanting to be deceitful, but also wanting …