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ByMark Boughan on Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Changing the Oil on your Cross-Cultural Worker

Mark Boughan By Mark Boughan on Tuesday, May 17, 2022

 

Your car serves you. It takes you places. It can entertain you. It can keep you warm when it’s cold and – if it has AC – cold when it’s hot. It’s a goods carrier, an ambulance, and a school bus. With the right tires it can cross sand and snow, go up a dirt lane, and travel at speed on a super-highway.

And you know, it’s a lot like a cross-cultural ministry worker.

They too must be prepared to work at many different tasks in multiple environments when the need arises. And for them to be ready and able to serve, they need both preventive maintenance AND access to a repair shop. Like pastors, they are leaders in the places they serve. Maybe they are leading in worship, in educating, in translation, or any of a number of different tasks. And often on the same day!

So how do we serve our missionary leaders? I think that we can use the way that we care for our cars as an analogy.

Step 1: Choosing and Equipping the Right Car (& Selecting and Preparing Cross-Cultural Workers)

Selecting a car should be far more than picking a colour that you like. You want to know if it can do the job that you want it to. Does it have the capacity for the intended tasks? Is it large enough, is it in good shape, does it have the accessories that you need?

My current car was a gift from God six years ago. It had been owned by a faithful child of Christ who could no longer drive. She sold it to me at a low cost and then turned the amount I had paid her into a donation to the ministry that I led. It had low miles and was very comfortable, which would stand me in good stead with all the highway miles that I would be putting on it. Even so, I made sure that it was in good shape before I bought it AND I added an accessory that I knew I would be using constantly. Now, 230 000 kilometres later, I know that it was the right purchase.

In the MORE Network, we’re concerned with member care, and that starts with the selection and preparation of cross-cultural ministry workers.

The various ministries who share in the network must select and either ensure that prospective workers have the necessary training or get the necessary training for their intended field of service.

But churches have a tremendous role to play in choosing and preparing someone for service. There needs to be encouragement in the church for those feeling God’s call, and that starts in kid’s clubs and youth groups. Pastors get involved as mentors and the church needs to pray for the development of the next generation of workers. 

Step 2: Servicing Your Car (& Serving your Cross-Cultural Workers)

This is where a lot of us fall down. We go too many kilometres between oil changes. The car is dirty, and the brakes need servicing. Our faithful vehicle needs some TLC.

And here’s where the MORE Network focuses efforts because our ministry workers need the maintenance care that they so often miss. Think of the dollar support that they receive as gasoline. Like a car, they need far more than that! 

Cross-cultural workers need regular inspections. When someone contacts them and asks how they’re doing or, even better in many cases, comes to the field to see how they are feeling, it can make a huge difference. My wife and I have been developing an intended ministry in MORE called Alongsiders, in which trained retired people can make intentional visits to those on the field who feel the need of ‘maintenance’. 

They need servicing and new parts. A good inspection of a car goes far beyond asking what it does, it looks at the condition of the parts.

And when we serve those workers who we have sent to represent Christ and us in the field, we need to go beyond asking what they do and how THAT is going, and take time to see if there’s wear and tear that needs caring for in their spirits, bodies, and emotions.

The agency member care workers who form part of the MORE Network are devoted to just such servicing.

And MORE Network, specializes in needed maintenance in ways such as:

  • the MORE Network Resource Library and the specialized Mental Health Resource Library
  • through collaboration in sourcing counselling for workers and education for their children
  • by offering the ReBoot program for teens and young adults returning to Canada

Still, nothing is better than such care coming from a home church.

Step 3: Retiring Your Car (& Transitioning Care for Cross-Cultural Workers)

Sometimes your car no longer fits your needs, but it still has good life left in it. In this case, you don’t junk it. If you want to ensure the best outcome, you clean and shine it up, and find a new owner.

At other times you’re not sure about what to do with the car and so you take it in for a detailed inspection and – perhaps – an overhaul. There may be more years of life left in your old friend but perhaps in a different capacity. 

Servicing your ministry worker in this case means finding out if they would like some further specialized education or even help them decide if it’s time to follow God’s call to move to another mission in need of the skills and experiences they’ve gained.

Then, finally, sometimes it’s time to retire your vehicle. But you don’t park it on the curb and let it rust, you find a place for it to go. 

Is your home church ready to receive a returning worker? 

Are social circles opened up so people can reconnect with friends?

Are their skills valued and used in the church?

Does the church continue support while adjustments are being made to life in Canada again?

And did you know that there are charities that you can give your old car to so it can benefit others (and you get a tax receipt). One of the greatest ways you can serve these leaders – and the church in Canada – is to help find and then support them in entering new ministry situations here at home.

In all these cases, MORE workers and associates seek to help with the transition of workers from field situations. MORE workers provide debriefing that helps returning workers make sense of their return to Canada. Going deeper, MORE collaborates on the REVIEW program offered by MISSIONPREP that provides a retreat setting for those who have returned. And, of course, MORE advocates for the development of return care.

A Modest Proposal

What’s YOUR role in servicing your cross-cultural ministry worker?

If you have a car, why not make sure that every time you have it serviced, you commit to servicing serving(!) a worker through an email or text, sending a special personal gift, or committing to a week of prayer for them and their ministry. 


MORE Network 

The MORE Network operates as a network of like-minded Canadian Christ-centered organizations committed to proactively providing member care to each other’s cross-cultural workers. We are comprised of mission sending and training organizations, churches, and a host of individuals. Together we agree to work collaboratively and collegially with each other, giving freely of our gifts and abilities (counselling, debriefing, nurturing, training, administration) as God has gifted us.  

The MORE Network exists to bolster, strengthen and encourage Canadian Missionaries and their children in times of transition. We facilitate care for singles, couples, and families, particularly as the repatriate from the cross-cultural assignment, and facilitate the resourcing of member care support staff. We provide group support, education and resources for foreign workers and their families.

For more information about MK Retreats, Missionary Transition Retreats, Training and Equipping Events, and Member Care, please check out the MORE Network website.


Mark Boughan, and his wife Ruth, have extensive ministry and theological education experience.  They work with the MORE Network, providing Member Care support for international missionaries. Now 'retired' from 43 years of ministry and service, Mark & Ruth are dedicated to creating a 'finishers' ministry to cross-cultural ministry workers who are experiencing significant stress. ​

 



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Did you miss our past blogs? Check them out below!

 

Deeply Rooted

We invite you to join us during this season of generosity so that, together, we can give Missionary Kids and their families the opportunities to experience a richer soil in Christ and broader branches in community. 

Read more...

The Eternal Benefits of Debriefing

I recently returned from RE-VIEW, a week-long family debriefing retreat, where I served as an adult facilitator and debriefer.

While there, I had the honour of hearing the stories of missionaries who have worked in the overseas ministry context for many years. And boy, did I feel inadequate for the task as some of them had faithfully served a lifetime, having much more cross-cultural experience than I have and the wisdom that accompanies such incredible life experiences.

But what struck me the most and motivated me all the more to listen, was that many of these seasoned missionaries never had the opportunity to actually share their full stories with anyone – that is their deeply personal and valuable stories, the good, the bad and the ugly. And that’s really a reflection and a limitation of our modern missionary movement; missionaries often feel obligated to share only the positive experiences and their successes, lest they be judged or misunderstood, or worse, lose vital financial or personal support...

Read more...

Bonds Beyond Borders: The Impact of ReBoot on MKs

There is something so beautiful about the quick bonds that form between MKs (Missionary Kids), who understand each other despite having drastically different life experiences. It’s like a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by people who have gone through similar life experiences. It helps you to share on a more honest and intimate level.

Each year, the MORE Network runs Classic ReBoot, a re-entry retreat for missionaries’ kids (MKs) aged 17-20 returning to life in Canada. This is a crucial time in the lives of these young adults, many of whom are not only adjusting to a new culture, but also to new schools, jobs, relationships, and living situations.

In this article, Malik, shares about his own experience at Classic ReBoot, as well as an inside scoop from attendees of the most recent Classic ReBoot!

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Adult Third Culture Kid Research: The Heart Behind the Research

This summer, we had the privilege of connecting with Shelly Lyons about her research on Adult Third Culture Kids. Listen in to hear more about the “heart” behind the research and her big picture dreams for how it will be used! 

Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCK) are adults whose lives were shaped by mobility and cross-cultural experiences during their childhood. According to Merriam Webster, a “Third Culture Kid (TCK)” refers to "a child who grows up in a culture different from the one in which his or her parents grew up ... The 'third culture' to which the term refers is the mixed identity that a child assumes, influenced both by their parents' culture and the culture in which they are raised."

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Is Competition a Biblical Value?

One Sunday morning in the church where I pastored, a family came to me and shared how some of their friends had left our church to go to another church: a "competitor church". They were completely distracted by their news. Does the Bible encourage us to compete with fellow believers? Is there such a thing as a competitor church?

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Deny Yourself: My Story of Self-Denial & Abundant Life

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” -Mark 8:34

I still remember the moment I heard the words of Mark 8, grasping their significance for the first time. Sitting amongst peers while at university – I was largely preoccupied by ambition and my pursuit of excellence.

I didn’t know a lot back then about what it means to follow Jesus, but I did know Jesus as the Saviour who pulls little children closer, drowning out harshness with His greatness. His hands had sheltered my heart throughout my youth and brought along gifts of companionship, discipleship, and understanding. I felt cherished by Jesus and it was his inordinate compassion towards me that kept me tethered to Him. 

Deny - the word sprang out at me, convicting and exposing me. 

What did that mean? 

I was well positioned to pursue the American Dream and succeed at it, and denying myself in any way was not really part of the plan. So tangibly struck, I fumbled to respond to those words within our group, finally landing on, “I don’t think I’m doing that”. 

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” -Mark 8:35

Oh boy, somehow denying myself was connected to losing my life and that was not anywhere on my to-do list. I was on track for a comfortable life, full of all the perks of a first-world society, with no regard for the reality that no one avoids suffering anyway...

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Ministry at the Speed of Relationships

Building relationships is the first and foremost thing we should be about - everything else comes out of relationships. Building relationships with people from other cultures is so important, as humor; lifestyle; values; and beliefs are so different to ours, and don’t translate well. Living next to, and working with other nationalities, requires relationship.

Jesus taught us that building relationships is the greatest and most important thing we do - no strings attached.

So, how do we build Christ-honoring relationships in our life & ministry? In this article, Paul draws on wisdom from the Bible, underscoring the importance of humility, forgiveness, trust, and genuine care in developing deep and meaningful relationships. And he challenges us, first and foremost, to approach ministry (and life) at the "speed of relationships!"

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The Bittersweet of Travelling as an Adult TCK

Over the last year, I took more flights than I ever have within a single year. I’ve had more time to be in these liminal spaces than ever before. As an adult TCK (Third Culture Kid), this has invited me to reflect more deeply on why I am where I am in the world, and how that continues to shape my identity. In these spaces I momentarily re-enter into the journey of transition and grief.

In this article, Malik shares about his recent travels, and offers advice on how to process complex feelings while traveling and staying connected to multiple cultures.

 

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Risk-taking in the Canadian Wilderness

What first came to mind when I was invited to the “Canadian wilderness” to help lead a Wilderness Camp for adult third culture kids (ATCKs) this past July was the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  

All spring I relished these thoughts: an adventure of “humans against the elements” with a group of young adult TCKs and ATCK co-leaders who “got it.” Overcoming challenges together is a great way to bond quickly, and with other ATCKs, I knew those bonds could form quickly in the right setting. Having grown up in the mountains of Vermont and in the highlands of Kenya, hiking, camping, paddling, and climbing in wild places is revitalizing to me. 

We were headed into all the key elements of adventure: horseback riding, rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking in the mountains where elk, moose, and grizzly bears roamed, living in tents that had just been resurrected after a literal crushing storm. In between, we would split wood and help with cooking, and immerse ourselves in outdoor life—axe throwing and bonfires, outhouses (let’s be real) and camp cooking, fast changing weather, and the sweetest air you could imagine. For me, that kind of life isn’t about a contest so much as it is about finding harmony with elements that can give wonderful gifts and can also kill you. Risk in its essence...

Read more...

Deeply Rooted
We invite you to join us during this season of generosity so that, together, we can give Missionary Kids and their families the opportunities to experience a richer soil in Christ and broader branches in community. 
Read more...
The Eternal Benefits of Debriefing
I recently returned from RE-VIEW, a week-long family debriefing retreat, where I served as an adult facilitator and debriefer. While there, I had the honour of hearing the stories of missionaries who have worked in...
Read more...
Bonds Beyond Borders: The Impact of ReBoot on MKs
There is something so beautiful about the quick bonds that form between MKs (Missionary Kids), who understand each other despite having drastically different life experiences. It’s like a breath of fresh air to be surro...
Read more...
Adult Third Culture Kid Research: The Heart Behind the Research
This summer, we had the privilege of connecting with Shelly Lyons about her research on Adult Third Culture Kids. Listen in to hear more about the “heart” behind the research and her big picture dreams for how it will b...
Read more...
Is Competition a Biblical Value?
One Sunday morning in the church where I pastored, a family came to me and shared how some of their friends had left our church to go to another church: a "competitor church". They were completely distracted by their ne...
Read more...
Deny Yourself: My Story of Self-Denial & Abundant Life
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” -Mark 8:34 I still remember the moment I heard the words of Mark 8, grasping their significance for the first time. Si...
Read more...
Ministry at the Speed of Relationships
Building relationships is the first and foremost thing we should be about - everything else comes out of relationships. Building relationships with people from other cultures is so important, as humor; lifestyle; values...
Read more...
The Bittersweet of Travelling as an Adult TCK
Over the last year, I took more flights than I ever have within a single year. I’ve had more time to be in these liminal spaces than ever before. As an adult TCK (Third Culture Kid), this has invited me to reflect more ...
Read more...
Risk-taking in the Canadian Wilderness
What first came to mind when I was invited to the “Canadian wilderness” to help lead a Wilderness Camp for adult third culture kids (ATCKs) this past July was the book  Hatchet  by Gary Paulsen.   All spring I reli...
Read more...
Wilderness ReBoot: What to Expect
Designed for adult MKs (Missionary Kids) seeking a deep encounter with God amidst the beauty of the Canadian back country wilderness, Wilderness ReBoot is a co-ed retreat for MKs (Missionary Kids) ages 21-35 willing to ...
Read more...