Lately in my counseling ministry, I have been listening to missionaries who have endured suffering for the sake of Christ and the spreading of the gospel around the world.  In order to find meaning in these experiences of suffering, we have pondered together Col 1:24 “...

In previous newsletters, you might have heard us throw words around such as; reentry or debriefing or reverse culture shock or even the very term member care. And you are scratching your head thinking what do they mean? One way of explaining these terminologies is by g...

I love this picture.  It hangs in my office at Compass Ministries.  It was painted by a local artist here in St. Petersburg, FL.  It beautifully illustrates resilience, a quality that missionaries need in order to be effective in cross-cultural ministry.  Everyone who...

I thought I could handle stress. I had lived enough life to know what the ‘real world’ was like. I was 28 years old, a wife, a mother, had earned a graduate degree, worked several years, and had traveled the world.  Then we went to the mission field and – SURPRISE - my...

We all hear the inspiring stories of brave men and women who give up possessions, homes, careers, and the comfort of the United States to move to an underdeveloped country.  They go to serve the poor, the marginalized and the disenfranchised. Missionaries sacrifice muc...

It felt like the bottom fell out from below us.  We just received news that we were not returning to Colombia South America, our home for 8 years.  Our house was finally built after a year of construction and all our furniture and belongings were still there.  We made...

“Home” is a difficult word for most missionaries kids (MKs) to define.   They have a passport culture which they can legally claim as their “home”.  They also have the culture in which they have been raised.  In addition, some experience a multi-cultural school culture...