This week’s solar eclipse certainly got everyone’s attention. Even at 85% where I live, it was an uncanny experience. But for most of the rest of the world it was business as usual. That means your missionary friends continue to need your help and encouragement. These resources were chosen to facilitate your care-giving.

 

LIFE ON THE FIELD

Security blankets for missionaries? Why not? Put them on the list with comfort foods. Seriously, these might be a good idea for first-termers dealing with culture shock. A good night’s sleep is invaluable.

 

Elizabeth Trotter admonishes women on the field to step into their God-given potential as females. You know who to share this with.

 

Jerry Jones talks about what it’s like to be in another country when big news stories break back home. This will help you know how to pray for your friends on the field.

 

The better you understand what your missionary friend faces on the field, the better you will be able to walk with them and care for them. This article by Ruth is useful for your understanding AND is solid practical advice for those you know who are just starting out on the field.

 

Renee Aupperlee has written a sadly humorous post that is also encouraging and practical. Read it to enhance your understanding of what life on the mission field is like. Then forward it to your missionary friends.

 

Diversity. It’s practically a buzzword these days. The truth is, more and more teams on the field are comprised of people from more than one country of origin. Josie Oldenburg shares some very practical advice that anyone you know in such a situation would appreciate.

 

Here’s a great little devotional from Our Daily Bread that your missionaries friends will enjoy.

 

Emotional intelligence: What is it, and why is it important for missionaries? Jonathan Trotter explains in this post base on his own experience.

 

 

REST & RESPITE

Who do you know that would benefit from a retreat within sight of Pike’s Peak? Shelter Pines offers a beautiful place of relaxation, as well as customized debriefing and coaching for those who desire it. Take a look for yourself.

 

Thrive Ministries has upcoming retreats for field workers in Papua New Guinea, Cyprus, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. You could bless a woman you know with the gift of encouragement and refreshment.

 

 

MKs/TCKs

Rachel Pieh Jones explains her daughter’s perspective on being a TCK. Expand your understanding by reading this.

 

 

EVENTS

 

Take a look at the women’s retreats sponsored by Azmera. They also offer opportunities for you to volunteer at the retreats, so there’s something for your missionary friends and for yourself.

 

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.

 

LeRucher debriefing events “serve to help cross cultural field workers ‘unpack’ their time in service.” The next scheduled dates are October 29-November 3, to be held in Clarkesville, Georgia, USA.

 

The most effective time for debriefing is typically 2-3 months after missionaries return from the field. That makes this event on September 4-18 ideal for those who will return this summer. Hosted by Heartstream, this is a two-week intensive care program which includes debriefing, 10 sessions of counseling, daily worship, and classes on various topics relevant to cross-cultural work.

 

“When a person tells his story and is truly heart and understood, he undergoes actual changes in his brain circuitry…” (Curt Thompson, M.D.) Debriefing is the chance for field workers to tell their story in a way that benefits them. Recalibrate! is an excellent opportunity for that. Registration now for this October event.

 

 

EQUIP YOURSELF

The folks at Taking Route have compiled a fantastic list of resources based on an interview with author Jana Kelley and several of their podcasts. You’ll want to dig into this!

 

Pastor Jeff Jackson compares pastoral ministry with missions. Good insights for you who are in a position to influence your church’s missionary care paradigm.

 

 

UP YOUR GAME

Want to know more about the way trauma affects the mental health of a missionary? If you live in our near Ontario or British Columbia, Canada, you should look into this seminar. But hurry – registration closes on 31 August.

 

Here’s one I wish I had written myself. If you are in leadership at your church, you need to take to heart what pastor Jeff Jackson has to say about the biblical admonition to applaud the efforts of missionary care providers.

 

May there be no shadows in your life which are cast by something which has come between you and the Son.

 

 

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

• Algorithms to Live By: The computer science of human decisions, by Christian & Griffiths
• The Emotionally Healthy Woman, by Geri Scazzero
• Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less, by Greg McKeown
• The Organized Mind: Thinking straight in an age of information overload, by Daneil Levitin

 

What I’m reading this week:

• Th!nk, by Michael LeGault
• Winston S. Churchill: The Challenge of War, 1914-1916, by Martin Gilbert
• Consider Your Calling, by Gordon Smith

Just finished reading:

• Winston S. Churchill: Youth, 1874-1900, by Randolph S. Churchill
• Summer: A Spiritual Biography of the Season, Schmidt & Felch, eds.
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
• How Is Your Soul?, by Judah Smith
• The Blue Parakeet, by Scot McKnight

Up next:

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