“Wow, That’s A Lot of Vacation Time!”
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| On the Road |
It’s not the first time someone has commented on our “vacation” in the States. While we live and serve most of the time on the mission field, we spent the last ten months in the US.
Some call this time in Michelle’s home country “furlough” and others call it “home ministry.” Regardless of what it’s called, it seems that there are a lot of misconceptions about what it is and exactly what missionaries are doing during this time.
As a missionary, furlough is an essential part of the job. It's a time to reconnect with churches, family, and friends, share about the work being done, and raise support for the next term. But it's not just a vacation or a break from ministry. Furlough can be emotionally and mentally taxing as missionaries navigate reverse culture shock, adjust to new living arrangements, and try to balance their personal needs with their ministry responsibilities.
What We Do
Speaking
Let’s start with the most obvious. During our visit to the US, we do a lot of speaking! We speak with churches and groups that support our ministry and also speak to potential new supporters. Our speaking engagements include missions conferences, men's breakfasts, ladies’ ministries, children’s Sunday school, youth groups, Christian school chapel hour, and local church outreaches. I know I’ve preached a sermon once too many when my wife turns to the Bible passage before I even start preaching. Our goal in speaking is to enlarge people’s vision of what God is doing in the world by showing them what God is doing in our lives and the ministries we’ve served in.
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| Dundee, Ohio |
Travel
All those speaking opportunities mean a lot of travel. We’ve driven about 16,000 miles as of writing this blog with many more to come. We’ve traveled to and through 18 states and are adding to the list. The best part of all the traveling is meeting new people. Many have opened their homes for us to stay in. We spent many hours conversing with those who hosted us and building relationships. We made new friends and reconnected with old friends. It is an encouragement to us to visit with fellow believers, prayer partners, brothers, and sisters in Christ. While traveling all three children minister alongside us and when the opportunity arises they finish their homework assignments.
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| Ruan Completed his Homework Raleigh, North Carolina |
Family
Family time is also important. Thankfully we got to spend some quality time with Michelle’s side of the family, We’ve been able to meet up with her parents (also missionaries on furlough), her brothers, and their families. Ruan, Jesse, and Julia got to see their cousins for the first time in five years!
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| Family Reunion at Michelle's Brother's Birthday |
Personal Rejuvenation
It’s impossible to effectively minister if you’re not growing in your faith and ministry skills personally, thus personal enrichment is an important aspect of furlough. We have been blessed by sermons that encourage and grow us in all the churches we’ve visited. Attending a music conference on Biblical worship has also been a personal help to us. Reading new books and studying how each church operates help us in developing a plan for our ministries in the future.
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| Biblical Music Conference Salem, New Hampshire |
That’s It!
So that’s about it! I’m sure there are some things I missed but really I’m just writing this so that you can have a better idea of what missionaries do on furlough and better know how to pray for them. It’s not a vacation!
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