(I mention autumn in the title this week so maybe the weather will get the hint!)

 A quick trip to New Hampshire gave us a chance to interact with a sending church and some of the folks they’ve sent out. So encouraged by their desire to grow in their understanding of missionary needs and how they can help meet them. Thankful for you, too, who take the time to check out these resources in your desire to enhance your missionary care skills.

 

LIFE ON THE FIELD

Homesickness. Most every missionary feels it from time to time. It may be triggered by Instagram pics of autumn decorations back home. Or by Facebook references to traditional events. Whatever the source, Anna Smit has a suggestion for how to take the edge off. Who could you send this to?

Adina also has something to say about homesickness in this post from Velvet Ashes. She says it feels uncannily like grief…

The more you know about life on the field, the more you will be able to come alongside your friends who work there…and the more effectively you will be able to pray for them. Lauren Pinkston’s article on cultural acquisition can do that for you.

MKs and TCKs

Caroline Anderson can help you better understand MKs and TCKs with this succinct article.

Know anyone homeschooling on the mission field? (Of course you do.) They would probably appreciate this list of Elizabeth Trotter’s blog posts on the subject. Full of resources.

Here is a great tool for you and for your friends who are raising children on the field. Homeschooling articles, book lists, links…plenty of helpful advice, practical suggestions, and usable resources.

Michele Phoenix knows a thing or two about MKs. And she shares a thing or two as often as she can in posts like this one on a senior year financial aid timeline.

 

TRANSITION

Transition involves loss, and loss involves grief. Danielle Krouch has some words that will help your friends in transition.

I think no matter what side of the ocean I have lived on, the things I grieve the most are attached to the loss of being fully known.

Share this with your friends on the field.

 

FUND RAISING

Every once in a while missionaries encounter a large financial need for which they are unprepared. The “dreaded big need,” Anisha Hopkins calls it. Your partners on the field will appreciate her encouraging perspective.

 

EVENTS

Coming to Peoria, Illinois November 16-19, the International Conference On Missions (ICOM) will include a missionary care track. You should consider attending. Check out their Facebook page for more details.

Know anyone ministering in Haiti? (Who doesn’t?!) A very difficult place to work, to say the least. Chances are they would benefit from the resources of Zoe Roots, including retreats.

MissionPREP offers pre-field training as well as debriefing. Their next debriefing event will be in December and is based on the DAR program at MTI.

Here’s another debriefing opportunity hosted by CIT (Center for Intercultural Training). It will be held in North Carolina in December.

There’s still time to register for this Thrive refreshment event in Papua New Guinea. Know anyone working there? How about you offer to pay their way?

Last call for registrations for the Recalibrate! debriefing event to be held at Gull Lake Conference Center in Michigan, October 23-29. For couples, singles, and teens.

 

EQUIP YOURSELF

Many missionaries serve within an honor-shame culture. Don’t know what that means? Here are four videos you can watch from the recent Honor Shame conference—complete with the presenters’ notes.

Speaking of honor and shame, the folks over at 16:15 have a three-part audio series on the topic that you might find interesting.

And while we’re talking about 16:15, check out their collection of messages on missions topics, particularly the one about caring for missionaries.

Here’s a book you might want to add to your collection. Denny Spitters and Matthew Ellison have teamed up to pen this treatise on the essence of missions and the distinctive use of the word missionaries.

Shepherd’s Staff posted this message by founder Jeff Jackson on the topic of collectivist cultures. If you want to know what makes American culture different from all others, listen to this.

Are you a POM? Do you know any? POMs are Parents Of Missionaries. They have a unique set of concerns and needs when it comes to missionary care. This post at Syzygy is a good place to start if you want to understand POMs and/or connect with other POMs.

Here is a great bibliography of books related to the concept and practice of a sending church. The folks at Upstream Collective offer it as a free PDF download.

You can get a free travel medical guide from the folks at Good Neighbor Insurance. You might want one before you head out to visit your friends on the mission field.

 

UP YOUR GAME

Missionaries can find themselves in a crisis environment most anywhere in the world. It is helpful to have trained individuals among their partners who can help them navigate. This crisis management seminar from CCI (Crisis Consulting International) would be an excellent way to gain some basic competencies.

With all of the traumatic events taking place in the world, wouldn’t it be great to be trained to facilitate healing? The American Bible Society has some great resources to help you in that area.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Most of the remaining places in the world that are still waiting for gospel penetration will require creative new entry strategies. That’s where organizations like Scatter Global come in. If you know anyone in the beginning phases of considering cross-cultural kingdom work, you should check these guys out.

 

Until next week, relish God’s grace, revel in your relationship with the Trinity, and continue to believe that your joy will spill over onto those friends with whom you partner in missions. Maybe you can even find some cooler temperatures?

 

New on my nightstand (books that arrived this week):

• The Life You’ve Always Wanted, by John Ortberg

 

What I’m reading this week:

• Winston S. Churchill: World in Torment: 1916-1922, by Martin Gilbert
• Th!nk, by Michael LeGault
• The Space Between Words, by Michele Phoenix
• Consider Your Calling, by Gordon Smith

Just finished reading:

• Writing a Winning Support Letter, by Mike Kim
• Winston S. Churchill: The Challenge of War, 1914-1916, by Martin Gilbert
• Not There Yet, by Perry Noble
• Writing a Winning Support Letter, by Mike Kim

Up next:

• Emotionally Healthy Leaders, by Peter Scazzero
• Moving Far Away, by Esther Abbott
• Living Far Away, by Esther Abbott