Hannele Secchia serves with SIL in Ethiopia, where she grew up and has lived and worked for the last 15 years. In Ethiopia, she has served SIL, Bingham Academy, and the broader cross-cultural community in a variety of care-oriented ways. Currently, she is the President of Families in Global Transition.

The Sandwich Generation

“This is the generation of people between having aging parents and children that they are launching out of the home.”

According to PEW Research based in the USA, About three-in-ten U.S. adults (29%) have a child younger than 18 at home, and 12% of these parents provide unpaid care for an adult as well. All told, these multigenerational caregivers provide more than two and a half hours of unpaid care a day, on average, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/11/29/more-than-one-in-ten-u-s-parents-are-also-caring-for-an-adult/

For years, the term sandwich generation has generally been applied to adults (mostly women) taking care of their aging parents and their minor children at the same time. Bulson feels the same exhaustion and frustration and faces a similar lack of societal support, but she’s part of a less-recognized group: people who are taking care of their aging parents and are still supporting adult kids — at home or otherwise (sometimes referred to as the “club sandwich generation”). Another oft-overlooked group is people who are caring for their aging parents and helping out with their grandchildren (a.k.a. the “grand-sandwich generation”). https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/03/22/caregivers-sandwich-generation/

Join Brandi and James as they interview Shonna Ingram about transitions and retirement. It can often be a taboo subject but can be an opportunity to celebrate a different life stage and is worth planning for.

“Retirement is a hard transition for people. It may not be only the re-entry or retirement issue; it could be some of the other layers connected to the process, too.”

Shonna Ingram is an experienced practitioner and trainer, working with cross-cultural workers. She found herself becoming an expert in life transitions over the past 15 years. Recently, she has been asked outside the cross-cultural worker’s circle for resources she has been providing for years. This led her to create the Renewed Hope Approach. 

Amid the complexities of life, trauma can cast its shadow in various forms. At Shonna Ingram Consulting, we recognize the vital importance of integrating Christian faith with trauma-informed care. Our approach acknowledges that healing and renewal extend beyond addressing the mind alone. By combining mental health principles with the transformative power of Biblical teachings, we bridge the gap between understanding and healing. In a world that’s no stranger to pain and uncertainties, our commitment is to offer a safe haven where faith and practical solutions converge, leading to holistic recovery. Explore the need for Christian trauma-informed care and discover the path to renewed hope.

Visit her website to learn more! https://shonnaingram.com/

Join Brandi and James as they wrap up 2023 with some highlights, trends, and what they look forward to next year. One way to incorporate this same idea yourself or with your family would be through the practice of an Examen. Pausing to notice the highs and lows of the year and to write down things that are worth holding on to.

St. Ignatius invites us to find God in all things. That means we have to pay careful attention to how the Spirit is moving in each moment of our daily lives. We have to take a magnifying glass to the seemingly ordinary, seeking to encounter the Divine. 

That’s why the Examen is such a powerful prayer. In it, we’re invited to encounter God, express gratitude for the gift and gifts of each day, and to commit to make up for any mistakes we may have made. 

The Examen is a flexible prayer, too, responding to the signs of the times. Below, you’ll find several variations to meet your need in this moment

Ignatian Exercises

Essentials for People Care and Development

Practical insights and activities to help your organization build a thriving culture.

Finding, sending, and caring for missionaries has grown increasingly complex for mission leaders and staff. The mission world is more multicultural and global crises seem to be more frequent. And we can no longer make the same assumptions about shared values which can open the door for legal difficulties. We all want to see ministry staff thriving and serving the kingdom to their full potential, but how can we support that? In this book, you will be able to dig deeper into these fundamental issues and more.

Member care workers collaborated with us to bring practical insights that will help you and your agencies. No matter where you fit on the spectrum of care – a concerned pastor, missionary colleague, or ministry leader all the way to a professional services provider – this book and its contents will help you implement improvements in caring for ministry staff.

Δ

Bethann is the co-founder and CEO of Safe Place, a ministry that provides support, training, care, and guidance to folks serving in Christ-centered ministry throughout the world. She is also a licensed chaplain, board-certified pastoral counselor, and author of “The Invitation,” a handbook that sets the stage for couples to engage in deeper relational connection.

After serving for over 30 years in full time ministry and traveling to over 53 countries, it is Bethann’s joy to support pastors, missionaries, and leaders in that to which they have set their hands. Beyond this, Bethann can be found either out riding her motorcycle ‘Pearl’ or at home with her husband Tom and their two cats watching the national football league channel.

Join Brandi and James as they talk about Short-Term teams with Andrea Kroeze. Andrea serves with Touch The World, offering training and development for short-term projects, teams, or individuals doing short-term cross-cultural ministry. https://touchtheworld.org

Through The Missions Academy, you will be equipped with:

https://learn.themissionsacademy.com/

Contact Andrea [email protected]

Join Brandi and James as they interview Chyrl Mullins, an Educational Consultant with Wycliffe. They talk about Autism spectrum signs, symptoms, and treatments. They also look at how to navigate the world of ASD from the perspective of families and co-workers. Understanding more about neurodivergence and the range of experience with ASD increases the grace and capacity of neurotypical people in their families and communities.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

Cross-Cultural Worker Expectations Worksheet – by James Covey, MA LPC-S

Internal Expectations

A) Give grace to myself or others. Is my expectation unrealistic? Is this person
able to give me what I need at this time? Do my expectations need to be
adjusted?
B) Release, surrender or grieve an unmet expectation. Do I need to release the
timing of something, confess an unrealistic standard, release the way I think
something should be done, need to suspend judgment about a person or
situation, people group, or grieve that I may not see that expectation fulfilled?
C) Explore deeper healing around a theme. I am aware this expectation is linked
to an area where I need healing. As God has raised my awareness this week, I
want to surrender to Him anew AND have a conversation with someone about
how to pursue healing more deeply.
D) Praise God for His mercy. I’m realizing my expectations have been exceeded
in some areas! I want to take some time to worship and thank Him for His
kindness to me.
E) Redirect my misplaced hopes towards God. I’m realizing how externally
focused I am on getting my needs and desires met. The Lord is inviting me to
release others and turn my focus back on Him as the source of my hope.

External invitations
1) Help in the fog. I don’t know if my expectation is realistic OR I can’t find the
expectation or don’t know how to resolve an unmet expectation. I need someone
to help me explore what is happening on a particular situation.
2) Call to action. Do I need to clarify an expectation with others, have a
conversation about my disappointment, or mirror back to someone a theme I see
in someone’s life around expectations?
3) I need others. This expectation is realistic but I’m having trouble moving
forward. I may be hitting a deeply ingrained attitude or behavior OR see this as
an issue of character development. I need coaching, accountability, prayer, or
counsel.

“Trauma is a deep wound of the heart and mind that takes a long time to heal. It hurts every part of our lives: how we relate to others, how our body feels, what we think about, and how much we can trust God. It can make us feel separated from God and others” – Trauma Healing Institute 

Essentials for People Care and Development: A Collection of Best Practices, Research, Reflections, and Strategies (Missio Nexus Improve Series):
by  Geoff Whiteman  (Author), Heather Pubols  (Editor) Buy it now on Amazon

“It is impossible to be close to suffering and not be impacted by it” – Mark Ventrella.

“Most healthcare providers enter the field with the intent to help others and provide empathic care for patients with critical physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. Healthcare providers, however, can be impacted by the continuing stress of meeting the often overwhelming needs of patients and their families which may result in compassion fatigue. ” https://proqol.org

One could easily substitute Cross-Cultural workers for health care providers in this definition as often they are in positions of caring for those around them. The ProQOL is an excellent source for assessing burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction.

 Professional Quality of Life (proQOL) is intended for any helper – cross-cultural workers, health care professionals, social service workers, teachers, attorneys, emergency response, etc. Understanding the positive and negative aspects of helping those who experience trauma and suffering can improve your ability to help them and your ability to keep your own balance.   https://proqol.org

Join Brandi and James as they discuss emotional intelligence, what it is and why it is important for cross cultural workers and organizations to be emotionally intelligent.

Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, defined emotion as “referring to a feeling and its distinctive thoughts, psychological and biological states, and range of propensities to act.” What he meant is that God created human beings to feel a wide range of emotions. (Pete Scazzaro)

By teaching people to tune in to their emotions with intelligence and to expand their circles of caring, we can transform organizations from the inside out and make a positive difference in our world –Daniel Goleman

Click to access ID%20The%20Window%20of%20Tolerance%2020%2006%2016.pdf

The Window of Tolerance is a model founded in Neuroscience (the scientific study of the nervous system), which helps develop good practice for improving and maintaining mental health and wellbeing.

It offers a way of thinking about how we function optimally, in our various roles, and how to manage when heightened emotions begin to have a negative impact.

Developed by Dan Siegel, a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, the Window of Tolerance describes the best state of ‘arousal’ or stimulation in which we are able to function and thrive in everyday life. When we exist within this window, we are able to learn effectively, play, and relate well to ourselves and others.