JEMS continues to provide after-mission support to its workers. Re-entry training or what was formerly called "debriefing" is an opportunity for the workers to reflect upon the positive as well as the challenging experiences of serving on the mission field. More than this, it provides a venue to discuss together and learn how to weave their mission into the thread of daily life.
Too often people will treat their mission project as a finished book. It is closed and placed on the bookshelf, never to be referred to again. "It was a good thing I did." But I believe that it is God's good intention for us, whether we go to the mission field or not, to continue learning and knitting the truths and discoveries we encounter into our lives here at home.
One of the most common experiences of the mission worker might be found within their families or home churches. Gordon Aeschlimann, in his paper, "The Problem of the Big Chill" writes about what the short-termer faces:
"You rush home all excited about your newfound vision to reach the world with Jesus’ love. Your folks tell you they're happy for you, but explain that you’ll eventually realize that all good Christians are supposed to “grow up, settle down, and get a secure, well-paying job”. Drop the temperature a few degrees."
How do our workers avoid that chill effect that tamps down our excitement to make Jesus known here at home? This is what we meet to discuss and learn together.
Another area that our re-entry training deals with, though less so for our workers who are overseas for a short period of time (less than one month): we also must be aware of the stresses that the worker faces when coming home.
Signs of reverse culture shock:
Feeling out of place
Feeling lonely
Reacting in odd ways
Reaction to Western materialism
Factors contributing to re-entry stress. (The fact that the worker may be moving from):
Being primarily concerned with spiritual matters to being mainly concerned with practical ones.
Being surrounded each day with Christian encouragement and fellowship to having this only periodically during the week.
Having a definite, measurable goal to possibly having none at all.
Seeing poverty firsthand to experiencing overwhelming affluence and waste.
A high level of self-motivation to seeking out new motivation or purpose.
Being someone special on the field to being just another face in the crowd.
Serving with people with a worldview to being with people who can’t seem to see outside of their own situation.
Source: "Re-entry: Making the Transition From Missions to Life at Home" by Peter Jordan
Please continue to pray for our workers as they make the adjustment to life at home.
Mission Valley Free Methodist Church team re-entry training was held on July 23.
Re-entry training with the San Francisco State team will be held on September 16th in the SF Bay area. Please pray as I travel north to lead that session.
