PMPod

Today on the Pod, I talk to a guy who’s been in missions for over 15 years and has an obvious love for what he does. My guest today reminds us that there is a lot more to missions than church planting in hard places. We also take a deep and helpful dive into transition on and off the field. 

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Timeline 

• 00:00 Intro 
• 02:25 Leaving the corporate world for missions  
• 07:00 Using your administrative skills in missions 
• 09:00 Leaving the corporate world and raising support 
• 11:00 Was it hard raising support for an administrative job? 
• 12:55 What did missions look like for your wife? 
• 16:30 The challenges of transition
• 22:30 Deciding to homeschool on the field 
• 23:30 The losses of being overseas 
• 29:05 The losses your kids experience 
• 23:06 Reentry back to the home country 
• 33:40 The effects of being missionary kids 
• 37:27 Things that changed and things that didn’t 
• 45:54 Did you ever want to give up? 
• 49:00 What characteristics create longevity in ministry? 
• 52:50 Developing and maintaining ministry partners 
• 1:01:00 Missions, administration, and measuring 

In this Pmpod Mini episode, I read a quote from Martin Luther who is trying to comfort a fellow minister who has fallen into sin and spiritual depression. Luther tells him he did indeed sin but does indeed have a great Savior! 

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"I long to see the body of Christ have a very high view of marriage and a very high view of singleness."

Today on the Pod, I have a powerful conversation with the co-author of the book Sacred Siblings. We cover the theology of singleness, the value of singles and marrieds on the field, assumptions, and expectations, and many more issues singles and marrieds face in cross-cultural missions.

To order Sacred Siblings with that 25% discount, follow this link

Timeline 

• 00:00 Intro 
• 02:00 The book in a nutshell  
• 11:00 The survey respondents 
• 15:00 Single and not second class 
• 24:00 The beauty of working together as married and single 
• 35:00 The perceived threats of single women on the field
• 38:00 Needs for community between married and single 
• 46:00 Singles taking the initiative 
• 54:00 Burnout rates among singles 
• 1:00:00 Advice for singles who need rest 

"I could see the stress having a real wear on his health. Six months before he passed away, I said to him, “If you don’t slow down, I sense that you won’t be here next year.” He prayed about it and said to me, “I don’t sense the Lord telling me to change anything.” And I wept. I just wept."

Today I talk to a woman who shares her incredible and heart-wrenching story about ministry abuse, losing her husband to a massive and sudden heart attack, and how, by God's grace, she managed to overcome all these hardships and move back to the Middle East as a widow at age 61. 

Check out our website for more information pmpod.org

Timeline 

• 00:00 Intro 
• 01:15 Called to Missions at age 8 
• 04:00 Moving to the Middle East 
• 06:30 Choosing boarding school 
• 09:00 Overworked  
• 12:00 The heart attack 
• 15:00 Finding support after widowhood 
• 20:00 Going back to work 
• 22:30 What did recovery look like? 
• 30:00 Setting boundaries 
• 32:30 Moving back to the Middle East at 61 years old 
• 36:20 Finding your place in missions as a widow 

"In that moment I went into shock. I was so puzzled that I didn’t know how to respond, what to say, I just started to cry…There was no room for questions, for discussions, for emotions. It was horrible. I was just the rebellious single woman who was not submitting to leadership."

Today on the Pod, I talk to a woman who had an incredible sense of calling to the mission field but was forced back to the West by her home church and the pain that followed. We talk about trauma, pain, fear, and spiritual abuse. It’s a heavy conversation but one well worth listening to.

Find out more by going to our website Pmpod.org  

Timeline 

• 00:00 Introduction 
• 01:35 Background Story 
• 06:30 Moving to the Middle East at 35
• 10:00 Using your profession on the field 
• 13:00 Balancing development with missions 
• 15:00 Community on the field 
• 20:00 Emotional Burnout 
• 23:00 Being forced off the field 
• 25:00 Money is always an issue
• 27:00 Where’s the fruit?   
• 36:00 Disrespected for being a woman 
• 40:00 What is abuse? 
• 43:00 Finding an advocate 
• 48:20 Getting trauma counseling 
• 53:30 Learning from the pain 
• 55:20 Two visions 
• 59:00 Advice for those who suffer abuse 

"I was consumed in the work of relief and development. I look back and think I was pretty close to having two wives; my wife and my work. A lot of my identity was tied up in what I could do and what I could accomplish. I became so deeply enmeshed in my work that the Lord knew I needed to pull away. And then I was kicked out of the country. And it was almost like I heard a voice from God, “You can take a sabbatical year.”

When we hear stories from the field, we usually get the highlights, the “missionary stories.” But spending forty years on the field and raising a family there means there’s a whole lot of normal as well. Overworking. Conflict with other workers. Marital issues. Questions about kids’ education. Rhythms of rest and work. Today on the Pod we follow a family through 40 years of life on and off the field.

Read more by going to our website Pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 00:00 Intro 
• 02:00 The character of a missionary 
• 06:00 Being called and kicked out
• 08:30 Taking a sabbatical rest 
• 16:00 Red flags of working too much 
• 19:15 Why do workers struggle to rest? 
• 22:30 Is missions more balanced in work/rest today? 
• 30:00 Did you ever want to give up? 
• 35:00 Missions and your kids education 
• 41:00 How to raise your kids in hard places 
• 50:30 What advice would you give to your 25 year old self? 

“The year and a half after coming back from the field were so difficult that at some point I thought, I don’t know if I would have gone out if I would have known how much it could cost to come back”

Read more at our website pmpod.org

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:50 What is a Cloud Worker
• 03:00 Calling and the Arab Spring 
• 09:00 What has missions looked like for you? 
• 16:00 The future of missions: Cloud and Marketplace
• 23:30 Churches in the West are ill-equipped for the job
• 29:00 Member Care on the field 
• 32:10 The value of lifestyle on the field 
• 38:45 Pitfalls missionaries fall into 
• 41:25 Training and Cloud Workers 
• 46:20 Thoughts on Discipleship 

Today on the Pod, we talk about calling and the need to reinvent yourself over and over on the field. We talk about the future of missions, Marketplace, and Cloud Worker, the vital need for purity and integrity, the negative draw of social media and entertainment, as well as discipleship, member care, and sending out well-equipped workers.

"Satan knows how to crush your identity. He will eat away at your soul on the mission filed, and he will burn you out. "

Read more at pmpod.org 

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:50 What is a Cloud Worker
• 03:00 Calling and the Arab Spring 
• 09:00 What has missions looked like for you? 
• 16:00 The future of missions: Cloud and Marketplace
• 23:30 Churches in the West are ill-equipped for the job
• 29:00 Member Care on the field 
• 32:10 The value of lifestyle on the field 
• 38:45 Pitfalls missionaries fall into 
• 41:25 Training and Cloud Workers 
• 46:20 Thoughts on Discipleship 

Today on the Pod, I have a fascinating conversation with a couple to came to the Middle East just six months after they got married. They have incredible insight into the culture, value systems, relationships, and how to get used to being married while on the field.

Read more at pmpod.org

Timeline

• 00:00 Intro 
• 00:01 Doing a Thesis in the Arab World 
• 07:25 Doing social work in the Middle East 
• 10:25 Coming to the field as newlyweds 
• 12:00 Being a young married woman on the field 
• 13:40 Being a young married man on the field 
• 15:30 How does being in the Middle East affect marriage? 
• 22:00 How do you rest on the field? 
• 29:30 Arab Relationships and time 
• 38:00 Do you ever battle cultural pride? 
• 41:00 What do you like about Arab culture? 
• 43:30 Moving from a secular to a religious society 
• 50:45 How do you maintain spiritual health?