Your Short-Term Trips Have Not Prepared You For Long-Term Missions

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On June 14, 2017

In Thoughts on Short-Term Missions Trips

My monthly post from A Life Overseas……

I can still remember the random thoughts that shot through my head during my first couple of weeks as an adult long-term missionary.  Wait, what?  There’s nothing planned for us today?  So what are we supposed to do?  Hey, when is someone going to take us souvenir shopping?  I was really looking forward to that!  Why is no one telling me what to do with the trash?  What am I supposed to do with it?  Why is no one telling me what to do about anything?

I caught myself many times.  No, Amy, you live here now.  This is not a short-term trip.  I knew that, of course, especially since I had been an MK.  But it was weird how my short-term trips had programmed my brain with certain expectations.

This is not a post about the good or the bad of short-term missions (STM), or how to do them well.  This is a post about the limits of STM trips as preparation for long-term missions.

These days, just about every long-term missionary has been on at least one STM.  Of course, many long-term missionaries choose that life because of a short-term trip—which is a wonderful thing indeed.  But what is often not discussed is how different long-term missions is compared to short-term trips.  And sometimes, those misplaced expectations can actually make a long-term missionary’s transition even harder.

So if you are headed for long-term missions after a series of short trips, what differences should you expect?  Here are four things to consider.



1.  No one is going to hold your hand. STM trips, when done well, are carefully controlled.  Your entire schedule, down to when and what you will eat, when and where you will sleep, and how you will spend all of your time, have been decided for you.  You might not even get to handle local money yourself.

So when you arrive on the ground as a long-term missionary, it might come as a shock that you will be more or less on your own.  If you’re lucky, there might be a few missionaries who will show you around and get you oriented.  But they will be busy, and you will find yourself thrown in the deep end a lot sooner than you wanted.  It might be scary and overwhelming and not nearly as fun as your short-term trip.



2.  Daily life is not all ministry; in fact, most of it isn’t. My husband remembers his first STM trip when he was in college, and the shock he experienced when he realized that his host missionaries not only watched television regularly, but they had cable.  What?  Missionaries need rest?  On STM trips, you might joyfully work 12-hour days and fall into your sleeping bag at night feeling smugly satisfied with all you accomplished.

But as a long-term missionary, you might waste 5 hours driving all over town, looking for the right-sized lightbulb.  Or you might spend all day in the immigration line.  You can go whole days where all your time is consumed by figuring out how to just live, and you think, Ministry? What’s that?  On top of that, you’ll soon discover that burn out comes really quickly if you don’t allow some downtime into your life.  Even if that means getting cable.



3.  True results take a long, long, long (long!) time. When you went on that STM trip, you may have been ecstatic to see the kids who raised their hand at the VBS.  One of the best moments of your life might have been when the poor family stepped into the new home you built for them.  And you will never forget the party that broke out in the village when they witnessed the well you paid for.  But a few days later, you got on a plane and left.  You weren’t there to notice that the VBS kids never showed up at church again.  You didn’t see the poor family get pushed out of their brand new home by an older relative.  Six months after the well was built, you weren’t there to see it broken and rusting.

But when you sign up for long-term service, those disappointments become your reality.  And if you’re expecting quick, easy, fabulous success stories, you’re not going to last very long in your new country.  You’ve got to start your new life with your teeth clenched in determination, with lots of grit, and humble, long-term perseverance.

There’s more….click hereto read the rest.  

Medina Life, May 2017

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On June 8, 2017

In Other

Anne and I have been friends since 8th grade….that’s over 25 years!

My parents took us on a wonderful vacation to Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah.  It was truly majestic! 

Me and my mama

While in Utah, we stayed at a wonderful restored old house with quaintly creaky floors and snapdragons in the front yard.  The kids played wiffle ball in the sprinklers and we enjoyed some of small-town Americana.

Some good friends who used to live in Tanzania flew all the way from Wisconsin to visit us!  We spent a great couple of days together and the kids loved reconnecting with Ruby and Henry (and I loved being with their mom!)

The legendary cement slides at Brigadoon Park in San Jose
Ice cream in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco
Johnny’s butterfly friend inside the Golden Gate Park Conservatory
Investigating carnivorous plants in the Conservatory

Of course, Grandma always insists on a trip to Disneyland!  The kids got one day there with Mom and Dad and another day with just their relatives, as Mom and Dad needed to be at a church.

Lily learning to fight the Dark Side.
Splash Mountain.  We discovered that Johnny is an adrenaline junkie who loves roller coasters.

We’ve experienced a lot of amazing hospitality so far in the States, but this day was particularly special.  My former professor from The Master’s College (one of two who taught me almost everything I know about education) had us all over for lunch.  She set out dozens of items for the kids to make food sculptures, and they had a marvelous time playing with their food!  

When Emotions are Untamed Horses

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On June 3, 2017

In Other

There was a time in my life when believing the truths of the Bible caused an earthquake in my life.  Did God really exist?  Was the Bible true?  Did Jesus really rise from the dead?  My search for truth in these questions dominated my life for several years.  And at the end of a rather obsessed season of study, I was convinced:  I could trust the Bible.

People often equate faith with blind faith–mindlessly chucking all rational thought into the wind for the sake of belief.  But when I talk about faith in God, and the Bible, and the resurrection, I don’t know if I could even call it faith by that definition–because it’s 100% rational for me.  And as a result, I rarely have intellectual doubts in Christianity anymore.

No, where faith comes in for me is in the area of emotion.

I must admit that I don’t have a lot of patience for emotion.  I prefer rational, clear thinking based on facts.  But my emotions don’t often cooperate, bucking around like untamed horses, refusing to be domesticated.

Sometimes I think that the entire Christian life consists of believing God over believing my emotions.

Anxiety tells me, You must control your life or everything will fall apart and the world will end.  But God tells me, I am in control.  Nothing can separate you from me, and that is the One Important Thing.

Resentment tells me, You deserve to be treated better.  You deserve more appreciation.  You have a right to demand it.  God tells me, This life is not about you.  You can forgive because I forgave you.  Wash their feet.

Despair tells me, The world is dark.  Things fall apart.  There’s no point in fighting.  God tells me, I am the Light of the World, and there is always hope.

So who will I believe?  My emotions, or God?  Believing God–right there–that is faith.

The problem is–everyone knows–that emotions are powerful.  So powerful that they cloud the way we see the world.  When anxiety or resentment or despair or lust or anger or grief or happiness have taken over our souls–then that is reality for us.  The emotion, quite literally, defines our universe.

It doesn’t help, of course, that we live in a society that glorifies emotion.  From the time we are small children, we are told to Follow our hearts and Get in touch with ourselves and Validate her feelings, which really are just other ways of saying that we should let our emotions rule us.  And, of course, I’m not suggesting that we become a society of stoics who stuff and deny and shut up everything we feel–because that’s not the right path either.

But as those who have been transformed by the gospel, who are being controlled by the Holy Spirit, there’s got to be a better way.  There’s got to be a way where we feel deeply, and yet at the same time, learn to take those emotions by the scruff of the neck and wrangle them into submission to God’s Truth.

And that’s why faith is so important.  Because when I’m seeing the universe through an emotion, I must have faith that what that emotion is telling me is wrong.  I must step back and look at myself from the outside, and analyze what I am feeling from the rock-solid words of Scripture, and then preach to myself instead of listening to myself.*  

That means, sometimes, that I must loudly rebuke my despair or shame or self-pity, or, the most aggressive in my case–anxiety.  It means I must hold on by my fingertips to the things I know that are true.

And it also means that in those times when I am thinking rationally, that I do the hard mental work of knowing what God’s Word says and why I know it is true.  Because if I am not absolutely convinced, then there is no way I will be able to fight that fear or resentment or frustration when they take over my brain.

Faith isn’t blind–except when I am blinded by emotion.  Then, faith is believing what I already know to be true.

*from John Piper

The Story of Reality

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On May 25, 2017

In American Worldview, Book Recommendations


This story is not a fairy tale, but rather it is the Story all fairy tales are really about.  Indeed, almost every tale ever written is an echo of this story embedded deep within our hearts.  Yet this story is not a tale at all since the Story is true.  

As I read The Story of Reality, I kept thinking, “Where has this book been all my life?”

Every religion tells a story of reality.  Every philosophy and every individual outlook on life is a take on the way someone thinks the world actually is.  There is no escaping it.  

I’ve looked for a book like this for years.  I can remember sitting on the floor of the Christian bookstore (back when Christian bookstores were a thing), scanning through dozens of books, trying to find one suitable to give to a non-Christian friend.  I wanted something that explained Christianity in a compelling, winsome way, but wasn’t overly academic or complicated.  I was looking for this book.  I guess I never found it until now because it was just published in January.

Gregory Koukl’s The Story of Reality:  How the World Began, How it Ends, and Everything Important that Happens In Between is kind of a worldview book, but not really.  It’s kind of an apologetics book (a defense of Christianity), but not really.  It’s kind of like a fascinating conversation with a really smart, really kind, Christian friend.  That’s what it feels like.

There is a saying that has been helpful in some ways but I think is misleading in this regard.  The saying goes, ‘God has a wonderful plan for your life.’  From what I understand now, that perspective is in the wrong order.  The Story is not so much about God’s plan for your life as it is about your life for God’s plan.  Let that sink in.  God’s purposes are central, not yours.  Once you are completely clear on this fact, many things are going to change for you.

This book is extremely readable and entirely enjoyable.  It’s only 200 pages.  It’s non-fiction, but written like a story, in a conversational, highly understandable, relational tone.  It’s easy enough for a 14-year-old to understand, yet profound enough for a deep-thinking adult to contemplate.

Now, I realize that the idea that God is in charge is bothersome to many people, but what is the alternative?  If someone is not in charge, then no one is in charge, and that seems to be a big part of our complaint about the world to begin with.

From now on, this is the book I will give to a friend who has an interest in Christianity.  This is a book I will read aloud with my kids when they are young teenagers–allowing us lots of time for all the conversations it will spark.  But this is not a book just for inquirers into Christianity.  It’s for any Christian who wants a shot of adrenaline, a reminder of who we are and why we are here and what we are living for.  This book truly is a gift to God’s Church, and I hope that you’ll look for ways to use it in your circle of influence.

First, trouble, hardship, difficulty, pain, suffering, conflict, tragedy, evil–they are all part of the Story.  It is the reason there is any Story at all.  The Story not only explains the evil people do; it predicts it.  Our world is exactly the kind of world we’d expect it to be if the Story were true and not just religious wishful thinking.

Second–and more important–our Story is not over yet.  Evil did not catch God by surprise.

Visiting Home Might Not Be Everything You Dreamed

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On May 20, 2017

In Other

I struggled with knowing whether I should share this post here, because I wrote it for missionaries.  To anyone else, it might sound whiny or cynical.  But if you’re friends with missionaries (or any overseas worker), this might be helpful for you.  It may sound strange, but coming home can be just as difficult as adjusting to a new country.  I hope this may give you a glimpse into what it can be like.

Visiting Home Might Not Be Everything You Dreamed

When I’m overseas, I dream about Target.  Everything I need, all in one place, at reasonable prices!  So when our furlough started a month ago, I visited Target the day after I arrived.  

We’ve been missionaries for 13 years, so I should know better by now.  Target’s awesomeness can be a little too much to take in just 48 hours after leaving East Africa.  I was instantly bombarded with hordes of conflicting emotions.  Wow, it’s all so amazing!  Look at all this stuff!  Yeah, what’s wrong with Americans?  Why are they so materialistic?  That one pair of shoes could feed a family for a week in Tanzania.  And in just a couple of years, all these clothes will be cast off and end up in some market in Africa.  So why should I even bother shopping for them now?  Oooohhh….but I really like that blouse.

Emotional whiplash.  I couldn’t keep up.

And then when I finally did finish shopping, I felt like an idiot as the clerk tried to help me use the chip card machine.  Shoot, I thought I was doing well by just remembering how to use a credit card, and then they go and change all the rules on me!  “Sorry,” I mumbled to her.  “I’ve been living overseas a really long time.”

Ah, going home.  We dream about it.  We long for it.  We count the days until take off.  But when it finally arrives, the reality just doesn’t match up.  And we find ourselves in the midst of adjusting, all over again, to a place that we thought would feel like home.  We find ourselves struggling with disillusionment and discouragement.

So why can visiting home feel so hard?  Here are some thoughts.

People move on.  When you leave home for a just a few weeks or months, it’s easy to slip back into the same routines of life.  Friends, social events, and jobs all come back together just as they were before—just with more stories to tell.  But when you leave for years, life goes on without you.  In your mind, time stood still back at home, but in reality, your friends have gone through hard stuff and happy stuff, and you were not there to experience with them.  And all those people who sent you overseas with much fanfare?  They are a lot busier now, and might forget to roll out that red carpet you expected.

You are a different person.  Spending years in a different country changes you.  You’ve adapted to new ways of speaking, interacting, shopping, sleeping, and raising kids.  There are literally new pathways in your brain.  It’s not so easy to just drop all of that on a 14 hour flight and expect to become the same person you once were when you get back home.  You are not going to see the world the same way ever again.

Read the rest hereat A Life Overseas.

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