Culture shock, conflict, family struggles, burnout…
The list of challenges goes on.
Maybe you feel underprepared and unsure how to continue? Maybe you’re just worn out and need some fresh encouragement or support, or seeking answers on a specific issue?
You’ve come to the right place.
Orientation
Moving to another culture is a massive change, so the orientation season is all about arranging practicalities, adjusting and settling in.
Adjustment
Culture shock is real – and it’s tricky. Prepare yourself for the messy reality of it.
Settled
Connection
Returning
A Sender’s Role
Any fieldworker needs a great team of friends, family and colleagues supporting them. You have a huge part to play in ensuring their success. Check out what you can do to ensure your fieldworkers thrive!
- What your fieldworker needs from you now is continued encouragement and moral support.
- Often they will experience a honeymoon period of adjustment, which quickly passes as they realise the enormity of the challenge ahead.
- Continue the connection, reminding them how much everybody is celebrating but also missing them. Send encouraging words.
- It would be excellent if key members of the sending church undertook some basic cross-cultural training so that they can understand what the field worker is experiencing.
- They will then be equipped to recognise symptoms of culture shock and be able to encourage your mission partner with the words: ‘this is normal!’
- Ensure they know they have permission to be honest about their struggles.
- What a blessing when you start to see your mission partner finding their place in the new culture and functioning more effectively in the language.
- It has been such a LONG process for them to get to this point, so be sure and celebrate this as a ‘win’.
- Even now the ground may be hard and ‘results’ may take a long while to see. It is the Lord who will produce fruit in His time, so encourage the field worker to remain firm in Him and to persevere.
- Beware of bathtub syndrome – where interest in the missionary from those at home is only high at the beginning or end of their journey.
- Though they may be ‘out of sight’ keep them in mind! Stay in regular contact.
- The church must be proactive in coming alongside their mission partners, even at a distance
- Whenever a mission partner returns home, make plans to give them a resounding welcome! Be eager to hear reports from them.
- Allow them a buffer after the initial welcome to have some decompression time.
- Arrange a good debrief with a trained person, even if they don’t think they need one! This is a key to healthy processing of their experiences on the field.
- See our post-field resources for more details on what is next.
Get Equipped
Developing Leadership for Cross-Cultural Ministry
Mission thrives on cultivating leaders who embody the life and character of Jesus, the most effective figure in history who…
Caring for Third Culture Kids
Currently in development, this exciting new course is created by our Dean of Studies, Ben Gilbert. British by birth, raised in India, with time living in Sri Lanka and the Middle East – the TCK experience is familiar to Ben, who is excited to share personal experiences, research and helpful insights for both TCKs, and those caring for them to thrive across cultures. Sign up to be notified when the course is released!
The Antioch Factor
Growing in Cultural Intelligence
Calling – Who? What? Why?
In the church, there exists a widespread misconception that only “exceptional Christians” receive a “proper” calling from God. The truth,…
Cross-cultural marriage
Know Thyself
This course explores the concept of understanding ourselves within the context of our own cultures. Before delving into how we…
Thriving Across Borders
This course covers the major transitions that someone will make when crossing cultures. We delve into the typical transition points…
Interview with Christine Paterson
Christine Paterson Interview Co-founder Christine Paterson tells us about her life on the mission field from her childhood in Africa…
Mobilising Senders with Lori Rogers
Our latest interview is with Lori Rogers, who leads MomentumYes, an exciting mission mobilisation organisation. Their free, 6-part video course…
Overcoming Challenges with Alan and Jan Kilpatrick
Alan and Jan Kilpatrick have lived a wide-ranging and varied life in ministry and mission, most recently serving in Mozambique….
Joseph #5: Joseph and the Goodness of God
Ross shares in this 5th episode, Ross talks about how Joseph laid hold of the promises of God and saw…
Equipping the sending church with Michael Prest
Michael Prest is the director of our partner, UFM Worldwide. In this thought-provoking interview, he shares his personal story and how…
Transitions and China with Amy Young
Amy Young spent many years as a cross-cultural worker in China, and now works to support cross-cultural workers through various…
Cross cultural marriage with Samuel Renling
We had the chance to sit down with Samuel and hear a little about his cross-cultural story. Hailing from rural…
Self-care for God’s Servants
FieldPartner was proud to host ‘Self-care for God’s Servants’, an excellent presentation from Tony Horsfall. ‘Self-care for God’s Servants’ asked the…
What on earth is mission?
Ross looks at 2 famous verses from the New Testament – Matt 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 – and asks a…
Hannah #1: Four bad and one good path
Ross talks about Hannah in 1 Sam 1.
J.O.Fraser; Hidden Missionary Hero, Forgotten Lessons
Who is J O Fraser? James Outram Fraser (J O Fraser) is one of my spiritual heroes and missionary mentors….
David Livingstone – Missionary Multi-Tasker
David Livingstone (1813-1873) was born in Blantyre, near Glasgow, Scotland. He became “a physician, a pioneer Christian missionary with the…
Article 7 – Part 4 of the Serampore Agreement
Wow, How Times Have Changed! William Carey’s first paragraph below, in the original language and then in modern English, is…
Article 6 of the Serampore Agreement
Have a read of this article 6 (in the original form and then in modern English). Realise that for this…
The Orphan Who Gave to Mission.
Nettie McCormick had a less than ideal start to life. Born Nancy Maria Fowler in 1835, her father, Melzar Fowler,…
Helen Roseveare Part 2: Price and Privilege
Recently, I wrote about Helen Roseveare, an outstanding missionary to Africa. Her achievements were amazing in terms of hospitals built and…
J. O. Fraser – Fraser Was A Spy?
At this point accusations spread that Fraser was a spy working for the British government. The accusations hindered his…
Resolution Number 2 – Pray For Missionaries
The second of Chuck Lawless’ ten New Year’s Resolutions, all of which relate to cross-cultural mission, says: “I will pray…
The Beauty of Collaboration
I recently received an update from a soon-to-be partner and found that they were starting to offer online options for…
D. E. Hoste: The Cambridge Seven’s Odd Man Out
D. E. Hoste (Dixon Edward Hoste, 1861-1946) was the odd man out amongst the Cambridge Seven. He was included in the…