"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.

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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?