This episode is a recording of a webinar held for missionaries a few days ago. In the panel discussion, Dr. Peter Landless, GC Health Department director, Dr. Katia Reinert, GC Health Department associate director, and Marcia McEdward, GC Health Department director for the Middle East and North Africa Union, discuss how to keep healthy in the era of COVID-19.

One of the unique components of missionary life is membership and service on one or several multicultural teams. Culturally diverse teams offer a lot of potential. They bring people with different skills, talents, and cultural backgrounds together. But there might also be some pitfalls for failure.

This interview is the second in a series on missionaries and multicultural teams. In this episode, Ronald Kuhn, associate director of the Institute of World Mission, discusses the challenges faced by multicultural missionary teams.

Show Notes:

• Episode 26, Are You a Part of an Effective Multicultural Team? (With Ron Kuhn)
• Weekly podcast updates

Many missionaries serve in places where they might face political unrest, natural disaster, or health issues. The security of missionaries and their families is important and being aware of basic safety rules is crucial during emergency situations.

In this episode, John Thomas, associate secretary at the General Conference, talks about missionary safety. This interview was part of a recently held online meeting with missionaries.

Show Notes:

• How to Keep You and Your Family Safe webinar and documents
• Weekly podcast updates

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us are forced to work from home, which probably means that we are dealing with unexpected and unusual changes and challenges. Working from home might feel unstructured, overwhelming, or lonely. It can be a struggle to get things done, and there are many reasons for this.

 This episode is a recording of a recent online meeting for Adventist missionaries with GC IPRS codirectors Karen Porter and German Lust, along with Samuel Neves, associate director of the GC Communication Department. In this conversation, they discuss the issue of working from home and give practical advice for Adventist missionaries.

Show notes:

• Weekly podcast updates

We’ve been watching how quickly COVID-19 has spread around the world. Most of us have been in quarantine for several weeks now. Research shows that social isolation increases one’s stress level and negatively impacts mental health. 

 This episode is a recording of an online presentation done by Dr. Ann Hamel, who serves at the General Conference as a missionary care psychologist. Dr. Hamel talks about challenges that missionaries may experience during this time period and gives practical advice for dealing with stress.

Show notes:

• Weekly podcast updates
• Recent webinars:
  • How to Work From Home at a Time of a Pandemic
  • Dealing With Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic
    
    

Honor-shame societies require different things from men and women. Honorable women come from good families, are obedient to males (her father, brothers, husband), are hospitable, are attractive to their husbands, and so on. Male honor involves strength and power to protect his property and family from insults and threats. Female honor is something that needs to be guarded, while male honor is something to be won and increased.

In this episode, Gaby Phillips discusses the gender differences in honor-shame cultures and what missionaries should consider when ministering in such a society.

Show notes:

• Honor and Shame page
• Weekly podcast updates

Most missionaries experience some stress or discomfort when they leave behind their familiar surroundings and transition to a new country and a new culture. It requires adjustment. The process is different for every person and family.

In this episode, we will look at the goals of adjustment, the factors that impact the process, and what happens when missionaries refuse to adjust.

Basically, every part of the Muslim culture is based on honor and shame. We as Adventist missionaries should be aware of this and adapt our language when presenting the gospel. 

 In this episode, Gabriela Philips and Jeff Hayes discuss ways to communicate the gospel in an honor-shame culture so that it will touch hearts and truly be the Good News to those who hear it. 

 Jeff Hayes has lifelong experience in ministry among Muslims, has a background in linguistics, and is a certified Arabic-English translator.

Show Notes:

• Click here to see previous episodes on honor and shame 
•  Check out the IWM course catalog and start learning today!
• Click here to read the blog article What Keeps a Missionary Going in a Time of Crisis
• The Good News for Muslims in Honor-based Cultures by Jeff Hayes - download here

Being a teacher in a mission field isn’t just a job, and it isn’t just about teaching. It provides an amazing opportunity to impact lives, mold the thought process of young people, and show God’s love. 

In this episode, Carol Tasker, a lifetime missionary educator, shares her story and experience, which are relevant to every Adventist missionary, educator, teacher, and trainer.

Show Notes:

• Episode 65, Special Interview on Coronavirus Outbreak (With Cheryl Doss)
• Subscribe to the weekly podcast updates here
• IWM Facebook page - click here to answer a poll question "How isolated are you"
• Alex's email: [email protected]
• Carol's email: [email protected]

We are all in the middle of a worldwide pandemic—the coronavirus. It does affect many of us—Adventist missionaries—in some very unusual and unexpected ways.

In this episode, Dr. Cheryl Doss, director of the Institute of World Mission, discusses some of the ways this outbreak impacts missionaries and how to respond to this crisis.

Show Notes:

Please click here to contact IWM team