Unavoidable But Manageable

Twana Johnson, Retiree, Mexico
April-June 2016

Transition is a word we hear often as missionaries as we move back and forth between our fields of service and our home country. It’s unavoidable. However, I have learned that it is manageable.

When our oldest son was a senior in high school, we were privileged to go to an MK conference where we heard David Pollock speak on this subject. We are forever grateful for the insights he gave as he outlined the steps of transition.

One part that helped me the most as I have made the many transitions is what he called Building Your RAFT. It was an acronym for Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewells, and Thinking ahead. Each time we have moved since then, I have tried to do these four things.

1. Reconciliation means being intentional about reviewing relationships during the last period of time in a certain place and seeing if anything needed to be made right. Was there a thoughtless word or action that needed to be patched up? Had I neglected to do something that should have been done? Had I done all things possible to restore a broken relationship? Had I asked forgiveness or extended forgiveness? Was I leaving with a clear conscience? 
2. Affirmation means being intentional about letting people know how much you appreciate them and certain actions or qualities of those people. This is easier than reconciliation, yet often in the business of getting ready to leave, it is easily forgotten. For those left behind, it makes a difference to know they were appreciated. I learned that it was not just your friends that needed to hear this but also those who provide services in the places you frequent.
3. Farewells or saying goodbye. Farewells are painful, especially when family, dear friends, and coworkers are left behind. It’s much easier to just disappear and not go through the gut-wrenching goodbyes. Besides, I hate crying in front of people—red eyes, snotty nose, inability to speak—you get the picture. However, goodbyes are so important. I learned it is not just people, but we also need to say goodbye to places, pets, and even ministries or positions. If we don’t learn to say goodbye well, it is more difficult to say hello and develop good relationships in the new place. 
4. Thinking ahead means planning and looking to the future and to what may be in store for us. When we were leaving Bolivia after more than 20 years, I was so sad to be leaving a place so dear to me. God sent another missionary to help me realize the effect this was having on our children and on me. I could see only the negative and not the positive of the future assignment. I thank the Lord for that missionary’s insight. Once I started thinking ahead and trusting the Lord for the future, the leaving wasn’t as difficult. 

It’s been many years and many moves since that conference. Sometimes the RAFT has been a little leaky and the transitions haven’t been as smooth as I would have liked. But with the Lord’s help, He has helped me stay afloat. 

ACT: Are you anticipating a move in the near future? Who do you need to reconcile with? Who can you affirm? Don’t try to escape the farewell party. Savor every minute together and say what needs to be said. Remember to think ahead toward all that the Lord has in store for you as you walk in His steps.

Prayer Calendar May 29- June 4,2016

"Transition is a word we hear often as missionaries as we move back and forth between our fields of service and our home country. It’s unavoidable. However, I have learned that it is manageable.

When our oldest son was a senior in high school, we were privileged to go to an MK conference where we heard David Pollock speak on this subject. We are forever grateful for the insights he gave as he outlined the steps of transition."

Pray for recently retired missionaries who are resettling in the United States after a lifetime of service on the mission field. p.20

Transition: Grief

David Strong, Missionary, Peru
April-June 2016

Experiencing the loss of a loved one is one of the hardest transitions we face here on earth. The days and weeks that follow seem overwhelming at times. As believers, we do have the assurance, through our Lord, of everlasting life with Him in heaven after we transition out of this life. As friends and family members who have been left behind to begin a new normal, the encouraging word from a friend may be just what we need to carry us through our grief. Let me share with you a story of encouragement that was told to me by Mom, Leta Strong.

Connie (Strong) Nave, second child of Dean and Leta Strong(retired WGM missionaries from Kenya), went to her eternal home in heaven after battling cancer on December 22, 2014. The afternoon of Connie’s funeral, Dean and Leta decided to share some of the beautiful funeral flowers with Harold and Evelyn Harriman, retired WGM missionaries from Paraguay. The Harrimans now reside in a local nursing home. Dean and Leta Strong, Harold and Evelyn Harriman, and Connie all attended the same church in Gas City, Indiana. Even though the Harriman family and the Strong family served many years in the same organization, their paths didn't cross much until retirement.

As they interacted in the nursing home after Connie’s funeral, which the Harrimans weren't able to attend, Evelyn asked Leta how she was doing with the loss of her oldest daughter. Leta responded that it had been a long, hard day. Evelyn said, “Leta, we have both served ‘terms of service’ with WGM and we have also seen our kids off to ‘terms at boarding school.’ Can you look at this separation from Connie as just another ‘term,’ even though we don't know how long it will be? We have the assurance that you will see her again.” 

Leta felt that this was a concept she could embrace, based on life experiences with WGM. Time here on earth will pass quickly, but eternity in heaven is truly our goal. This, too, shall pass. That day, Evelyn offered an encouraging thought that Leta could cling to during her early hours of grief. 

Thank you, Evelyn, for sharing such a lovely concept with our family during those hard days. You were used by God to encourage our hearts.

ACT: Do you know someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one? Take time this week to ask them for coffee. You don’t need to have all the right answers. Truly, one of the best ways to help is to just be a good listener. 

Speed Bumps and Bruises

Cydil Waggoner, Missionary, Albania
April-June 2016

A fellow missionary friend described the crossing of cultures like walking into a different dimension. Judging motives and understanding rationales in our host culture require a different filter to comprehend. Everything feels warped; even the same temperature “feels” different.

Those differences are like virtual speed bumps that shake the whole mind and body to remind us to slow down and shift to a different way of thinking. If you know a speed bump is ahead, you can adjust your speed and minimize the impact. But if you hit it at full speed, watch out—passengers are going to get bruised.

I was supposed to be familiar with this road. I wasn't supposed to have “forgotten” so quickly that speed bumps were just around the corner. The United States was supposed to be our “home,” but I had already stood motionless in my kitchen trying to remember where to find a cereal spoon. But it wasn’t just a matter of misplaced silverware. I couldn’t figure out why it felt like everyone was disappointing me and acting contrary to my expectations.

We were asked by friends on both sides of the Atlantic about our time in America. How does one answer?

• Our nieces and nephews still remembered us.
• Air conditioning is amazing.
• Sweet corn was even better than I remembered.

By the time we hit the one-month mark of our homeland ministry assignment though, I was ready to return to Albania. I missed my friends, my routine, our ministry, and my own bedroom. But as time passed, I got subtly lulled back into our old American life. I could drive a car again. I could share my thoughts exactly the way I wanted without having to pick and choose from a limited pool of vocabulary in a second language. I could do all of my shopping with a minimum of stops, no stressing for parking, and 99 percent of the time I could find the product I wanted on the shelves (or available online).

Oh, did I mention air conditioning? And soft, fluffy towels?

So after the heartache of some goodbyes that are probably the last this side of eternity, not to mention the stress of an international trip and poor sleep for several consecutive nights, I might have hit some speed bumps upon landing here in good “ole” Shqiperia (Albania).

I had been so concerned with watching out for my children's transition that I didn't have my headlights pointed in front of me. 

Thankfully we're hitting our stride now. I'm feeling a bit more like myself again and the bruises aren't so tender.

PRAY: As a family, gather together this week and pray for the missionary you partner with. Ask God to help them if they feel the bruises of transition and for continued blessing and peace if the speed bumps of transition seem small right now.

Prayer Calendar May 22-28,2016

A fellow missionary friend described the crossing of cultures like walking into a different dimension. Judging motives and understanding rationales in our host culture require a different filter to comprehend. Everything feels warped; even the same temperature “feels” different.

Pray for missionaries on homeland ministry assignment. p. 19

He Directs My Path

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Karen Rickel, Retiree, Honduras
April-June 2016

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” I learned this verse as a child, and it has encouraged me many times when unexpected changes have occurred in my life. Whether I have faced a change in my ministry, such as a new assignment, or a personal crisis, such as an illness or family concerns, I’ve found my faith growing stronger when I remember that God is in control. That has never been truer than it is now when I am in the United States on a medical leave rather than in Honduras.

I was diagnosed with uterine cancer in November 2011. I came to the U.S. for treatment, which included surgery, chemo, and radiation. By the fall of 2012, I was able to return to Honduras believing that, other than having frequent checkups to be sure everything was fine, my cancer battle was over. So when a biopsy in October 2013 confirmed a diagnosis of stage four metastatic uterine cancer, I was shocked. I needed to stay in the U.S. indefinitely for treatment. The doctor explained that she could give me treatments to prolong my life, but that there was no cure. 

Suddenly everything seemed out of control. I had no idea if I would live for a few months or a few years, or if God would choose to heal me. I knew He could heal, but was that His will for me? Those verses from Proverbs took on new meaning as I realized God was giving me a new assignment. This is not one that I would have chosen, but it is one I am convinced He is trusting me with.

Transitioning back to the U.S. after living overseas for more than 30 years was a difficult task. Evidently I’d adapted to the Honduran culture much more than I had realized. The culture there is based on relationships, and I was used to having neighbors I would see and talk to every day. Here, I rarely see my neighbors, and I’ve had to work at it to get acquainted with some of them. I felt a real sense of loss. I missed my work, my church, and my missionary family. Also, not having my foster son, Toroni, with me was very hard. He had lived with me for more than 11 years, and I knew he missed his mama. Maybe almost as much as I missed him!

But during this time, God has shown me His love through the many people who, over the years, have not only become ministry partners, but friends. I’ve received many cards, phone calls, and emails assuring me of their prayers for me and my healing. I am encouraged knowing I am not in this battle by myself. Three of my siblings and their families live in the area, so I am blessed by their presence and support. Gifts of money to meet financial needs have arrived just when I’ve needed them. I am involved in the same church my siblings attend and enjoy fellowshipping with them—something I wasn’t able to do while on the mission field. I also volunteer one afternoon each week at our local Pregnancy Help Center, a ministry I really enjoy.

I’ve come to realize that I am right where God wants me at this time in my life. He has once again changed my place of residence and ministry, but He isn’t finished with me yet. I’m so thankful for the lessons He is teaching me each day. My faith is becoming stronger as I see Him meeting all my needs and those of my son in Honduras. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I know my life is in God’s very capable hands. I am trusting Him as He continues to direct my paths. 

ACT: Did God bring someone else to your mind as you read Karen’s testimony? Send them a note of encouragement, pray with them over the phone, or bless them with a financial gift to help with ongoing medical costs.

GIVE: Rising medical costs are a challenge to WGM’s self-funded medical plan. You can help provide medical coverage for  missionaries and staff with a financial gift. Make checks payable to World Gospel Mission with account #41090 on the memo line. Send check donations to World Gospel Mission, P.O. Box 948, Marion, Indiana  46952-0948.

Prayer Calendar May 15-21,2016

Whether I have faced a change in my ministry, such as a new assignment, or a personal crisis, such as an illness or family concerns, I’ve found my faith growing stronger when I remember that God is in control. That has never been truer than it is now when I am in the United States on a medical leave rather than in Honduras.

ASK God to bless someone you know who is facing major medical hurdles. p. 10

Transition Is the Definition of a Missionary

Larry Overholt, Missionary, Honduras
April-June 2016

Transition is a part of the very definition of being sent as a missionary to another culture. Knowing and accepting that God is in control of our lives makes it possible for us to continue through all the transitions of missionary life. It is vitally important for us to actually find joy in God’s will for us. Psalm 37:4 has encouraged me most throughout a career of transition: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (NKJV). Angie and I have continually experienced the reality of delight in the Lord, and of God giving us the desires of our hearts. 

In our experience, the most difficult has been the repeated transition between homeland ministry assignment and Honduras. The first time we traveled to Honduras, we were full of excitement and anticipation of all the new things we would experience. As new first-term missionaries, we had permitted ourselves to become focused on the glamour of working full time in the ministry that we felt God had called us to do. Once we arrived in Honduras, we were face to face with the reality of living in another culture: speaking another language, eating different foods, and not being able to communicate daily with our family and friends back home. During our first years in Honduras, we did not have telephones, it was before the Internet existed, and postal “Aerograms” took two weeks to arrive. Our grocery shopping was done in a tiny store that carried few of the conveniences we were used to from home. Our first missionary assignment of five years was a long time to be away from family and friends. Now that our children have grown up and we have grandchildren, we realize how difficult it must have been for our parents to see us make that first move to Honduras.

Part of the missionary life is the continual change from one job to another. One of the popular missionary mottoes is to “Continually work yourself out of a job.” The challenge for the missionary is to mentor people to prepare them to take over for us. Oftentimes we come into a situation to fill a gap and it is our responsibility to prepare others to take over. One of the greatest joys that a missionary can hear is how people we have helped prepare for ministry are now serving the Lord. 

In 35 years of missionary service with World Gospel Mission to Honduras, Angie and I have transitioned through dozens of jobs and eight different transitions back to the States. We are grateful that through all the transitions in our lives we can still say that “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” We may even have a couple of transitions left in us yet. 

GO: Has God called your family members to serve as missionaries? Make plans to visit them during their term on the field. Your relationship will be stronger after you have experienced together this new phase of life in which God has placed them. 

Prayer Calendar May 8-14,2016

Pray for Larry and Angie Overholt, missionaries in Honduras. p. 18

Transition is a part of the very definition of being sent as a missionary to another culture. Knowing and accepting that God is in control of our lives makes it possible for us to continue through all the transitions of missionary life. It is vitally important for us to actually find joy in God’s will for us. Psalm 37:4 has encouraged me most throughout a career of transition: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (NKJV). Angie and I have continually experienced the reality of delight in the Lord, and of God giving us the desires of our hearts. 

Winds of Change

Martha Ritchie, Missionary, Kenya

April-June 2016

Winds in the east,
Mist comin’ in
Like something is brewin’
About to begin,
Can’t put me finger on what lies in store,
But I feel what’s to ’appen, all ’appened before.

~Burt from Mary Poppins

I hope you have a picture in your mind of Mary Poppins gently blowing in. When she lands, things start happening.

So it is with transitions: Moving, moving to a new culture, children going to college, children graduating from college, children changing colleges and majors, children getting engaged, learning a new language, children going to boarding school, parents missing us, grandparents missing grandchildren, us missing everyone, a completely different church or no church, retirement, empty nesting, first-time missionary, support raising, new systems, new job, and on and on. 

When we land in a new culture with all those transitions, we don’t come with a track record. We just show up, and we are about as strange as Mary Poppins. Where did she come from? Who is she? She is quite odd. What is she good at? Why is she here? What’s in that magic bag she carries? People stare at us as if we just floated in on an umbrella. They have no idea what we are going through. We arrive having lost our place and trying to find out who we are.When you feel as if you’re getting a master’s degree in the school of transition, what are some helps? How can we get comfortable again in our own skin? How can we find ourselves anew?

These are things that have helped me navigate all of the above transitions.

1. Grieve. Cry. I come from a long line of stoics, pioneer stock and all that. Crying was new for me, just like everything else. It would just be wrong not to grieve the losses. Stoicism isn’t holy. God keeps our tears in a bottle. They matter to Him. And when you have suffered for a while, then you will be able to comfort others with the comfort you have been given.
2. Pray. The Lord is present. He is alive. He is powerful. He knows us—past, present, and future. He absolutely delights in us, even when our head is spinning. What a relief! He isn’t going to leave us. I often picture looking up at His face and His big hand holding my little hand. 
3. Everyone says to journal. I journal when something major hits me and not much in between. I like to go back and look and be reminded of how God has met my every need in crisis. 
4. Ask for prayer from people with whom you can be real and other missionaries. It is powerful. And it is a window for those who have no idea what you are going through. They don’t know if you don’t tell them.
5. Play. Find cool things to do in your new spot. Go and do it. When I wanted to withdraw, I made a rule for myself to have a cultural experience five days a week. That could be going to the market or chatting with a gate guard. Do anything, but do not retreat. It builds confidence and comfort eventually. 
6. Ask God to give you a local friend. Be hospitable to those around you. Make pizza. Play games. Ask questions about the new culture. Start a Bible study.  Learn. Just do the next thing. 
7. Exercise. I bought a second-hand treadmill that lives in my living room. It would just be too weird for me to exercise outside with an audience. I plug in my earphones and listen to praise music and sweat. Afterward I always feel better than when I started, even if I didn’t particularly want to start. It lifts me up spiritually, and everyone knows that stress is relieved by renewing one’s mind and physical exertion. 
8. Laugh. I like to picture myself like Mary Poppins, only with crazy hair whipped by the wind, trying to keep this new skirt down, wearing flip-flops and a back pack, tossed about in a mad whirlwind with my kids twirling with me, and me trying to corral them is a slightly more accurate picture. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at your situation. Laugh at your mistakes. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It really isn’t that serious (it just feels that way) and you will settle in, in time. 
9. If you have a spouse, share your burdens with each other. If you don’t, then find a friend or continue to pray with and talk to one back home. 
10. Remember that God blows the winds of change. He is good and He will be with us where He sends us. He has a good plan for us and every life that is touched by our winds of change. Like Mary Poppins, she had a good effect on the few around her. It didn’t have to be many. But it was huge.

ACT: Can you relate to Martha’s story? What’s the one thing you can do this week to help you take the next step in transition?

Prayer Calendar May 1-7,2016

Coming tomorrow on The Call Blog:

"So it is with transitions: Moving, moving to a new culture, children going to college, children graduating from college, children changing colleges and majors, children getting engaged, learning a new language, children going to boarding school, parents missing us, grandparents missing grandchildren, us missing everyone, a completely different church or no church, retirement, empty nesting, first-time missionary, support raising, new systems, new job, and on and on." 

Ask God to help you through a transition you are facing in your life. p. 16