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Your questions answered related to counseling for missionaries.
When it comes to counseling for missionaries, there can often be a lot of barriers and confusion. My hope is to address some of the bigger questions and offer some helpful resources as you think through counseling and missionaries.  Question #1: What is counseling? Counseling addresses the emotional, social, work, school, and physical health concerns people may have at different stages in their lives, focusing on typical life stressors and more severe issues with which people may struggle as individuals and as a part of families, groups, and organizations.  There are various types of counselors: Rehabilitation counselor: These counselors work with patients to manage the physical and emotional effects of disabilities and illnesses..  Substance Abuse counselor: These professionals help clients recover from various types of addictions, drug dependencies, and other destructive behaviors.  Mental Health Counselor: These counselors provide treatment to diverse patient populations experiencing mental and emotional conditions, anxiety, addiction, and other disorders. Spiritual guidance counselor: These counselors, who typically hold a master's degree, base their practice on spiritual or religious beliefs and principles integrated into secular clinical approaches. Child pediatric counselor: Working in clinics, schools, and social services organizations, these counselors diagnose and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and traumas in children Suicide Counselor: Suicide counselors identify at-risk individuals, assess how much danger they pose to themselves and others, diffuse crisis situations, and develop an appropriate treatment.  Marriage and Family Counselor: These professionals use their counseling training to help individuals, couples, and families cope with relationship issues, such as separation, divorce, and abuse. Grief Counselor: Often referred to as bereavement counselors, these specialists help people move through stages of grief after losing a close family member or friend. Behavior Analyst: These highly-trained therapists treat children and adults on the autism spectrum and those with ADHD, brain injuries, and other behavioral or developmental challenges. Question #2: Why should missionaries consider counseling? There are several reasons why missionaries might consider counseling. For example, the life events missionaries go through are often exacerbated by the fact that they are living in a foreign country and everyday life tasks can be more challenging and frustrating simply because there are consistent unknowns.  Missionaries are often isolated from family and friends and without a support network. Grief can creep up on a missionary without even realizing it due to the loss of home, security, friends, and “normal” life. If not handled well, these feelings of stress, grief, and isolation can lead to harmful mental health.  Question #3: What about counseling for missionary kids? Kids are often described as “resilient” and can easily handle transitions, languages, and life changes. However, these dramatic life changes can have lasting effects on kids.  ACEs are adverse childhood experiences and can have long-term health effects if not addressed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says:  “ACEs can have lasting, negative effects on health, well-being, and opportunity. These experiences can increase the risks of injury, sexually transmitted infections, maternal and child health problems, teen pregnancy, involvement in sex trafficking, and a wide range of chronic diseases and leading causes of death such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and suicide.” I want to give you a few resources that should prove handy when thinking through serving God in missions and counseling.  First, Richard Bagge and Samuel Thielman have a talk on resilience and sustaining global workers. In this first part of two, they discuss missionaries and other overseas Christian workers and how they are subject to unique stressors, and providing proper support for this group requires a commitment from sending organizations. Despite the fact that in the past mental health problems in missions have been neglected, mission organizations have developed an increased capacity for supporting missionaries. This presentation describes the best practices for behavioral health support. They point out how organizations have reduced stigmatization, developed sound procedures for evaluating, supporting, and triaging missionaries and their families who develop psychiatric problems. They also review current medical thinking about resilience, compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and burnout and discuss how these concepts can be used to inform medical support for expatriate Christian workers. The next resource I want to share with you comes from Roger Brown. He points to Dr. Samuel Thielman’s presentation at the Global Missions Health Conference (GMHC) on Resilience, endurance, and doing God’s work in hard places. You can download the PDF and the presentation slides for reference.  Finally, I want to direct your attention to Dr. Karen Carr’s breakout session from GMHC. Carr is a Clinical Psychologist for Barnabas International and discusses the topic of how medical missionaries can be resilient in the midst of trauma and stress. Drawing on principles from psychological research and Christian scriptures, Carr’s recorded workshop explores factors of resilience for those working in high-risk, high-stress cross-cultural work. You will discover what enhances resilience and what contributes to decreased coping.  Carr’s workshop introduces practical resources for responding to stress and trauma with resilience, grace, and perseverance. After you listen, you’ll be able to identify incidents of trauma and common sources of stress in cross-cultural medical workers. You’ll know how to identify factors that contribute to resilience in cross-cultural medical workers. You will be able to identify factors that decrease resilience in cross-cultural medical workers. And, you’ll also learn about resilience factors to increase coping when working in high-stress environments. My hope is that answering these questions and reviewing these resources will help you cut through any and all confusion as it relates to counseling for missionaries. God has called you to serve Him. My hope is this post will help you think through counseling and missionaries—so you can serve Him more faithfully.
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The global marketplace and missions.
Missions in the traditional sense of sharing the gospel with a group of people has been around since the beginning of Christianity. That is the way it spread from one country to the next. The church is experiencing explosive growth globally. But, when most mission agencies were founded in the mid 20th century, leaders spoke about 1.6 billion who would live and die without hearing the Gospel.  Today, according to the Joshua Project we’re facing 3.14 billion who are considered unreached. All of this points to the fact that we are going backward in missions when we consider the birth rates in the world. One of the most telling statistics, from Lausanne, is that observing the life of a Jesus-follower is the primary reason a person decides to follow Christ.  What does this say to us? Well, for one, it says our mission efforts are still largely only on the fringes of society. We are not in the neighborhoods, the workplaces, the communities where people live. I believe this is a great opportunity for missions. We must realize the history of missions and fit ourselves in God’s story of serving others. What skills, passions, gifts, experience do you have that God might use to take you somewhere where a person has no access to the Gospel?  I want to point out some of the global marketplace pioneers and how they helped inspire the good work we see today in medical missions. Then, I want to give you one present-day example of a group that’s doing global marketplace missions well. My hope is that you’ll read, get inspired, and consider how God might be calling you to help in missions. Modern mission work focused on the native peoples in North America. In Europe, William Carey’s Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens (1792) became the “charter” for Protestant missions and produced the Baptist Missionary Society.  In 1793 Carey went to India. His first letter to England stirred by the Evangelical Revival resulted in the formation of the London Missionary Society (1795). The Scottish Missionary Society (1796) and the Netherlands Missionary Society (1797) soon appeared.  Anglican evangelicals organized the Church Missionary Society (1799), and many others followed. There are so many we could mention. Here are a few that come to mind: Adoniram Judson: (1788–1850) An American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. Translated the Bible into Burmese and established a number of churches. David Livingstone: (1813–1873) was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. Perhaps one of the most popular national heroes of the late 19th century in Victorian Britain. Protestant missionary martyr, working-class "rags to riches" inspirational story, scientific investigator and explorer, imperial reformer, anti-slavery crusader. Charlotte (Lottie) Moon: (1840–1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years (1873–1912) living and working in China. As a teacher and evangelist, she laid a foundation for traditionally solid support for missions among Baptists in America. William Cameron Townsend: (1896–1982) was a prominent American Christian missionary who founded, Wycliffe Bible Translators and Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL International), both of which remain active and focused on producing translations of the Bible in minority languages, and on facilitating literacy in minority languages. But what do all of these people have to do with the Global Marketplace of today? There is a new way of doing missionary work and it does not look anything like these famous missionaries of the past. Just like these missionaries utilized the tools and resources available to them at the time they lived, modern global marketplace missionaries are doing just that, in the 21st century. Like the missions' pioneers above, we could talk about so many examples of serving God and loving others today.  Here is one example that comes to mind who are helping folks on the global scale today:  One such group that is diligently working to bring about this new form of global missionary work is Scatter Global, and they believe that you don’t have to choose between work and mission. They are mobilizing Jesus followers from many professions to intentionally pursue their vocation in the least-reached marketplaces of the world.  Who does Scatter Global serve? PROFESSIONALS: God made people with interests, abilities, and passions. A person that uses their professional skills is one of the ways God can show himself to the world and use it as a blessing.  For example, Bradley, a nurse in the Middle East said of Scatter Global:  “I had been Googling nursing jobs overseas but had not found any solid opportunities. I looked at the Scatter Global website and ...the first opportunity [I saw] was a nursing job in the place I had been praying about. I started reading the book Scatter and felt God’s clear direction to apply for the position. I was contacted a few weeks later for an interview and now I’m working as a nurse here.” STUDENTS: Students are studying to make the most of the gifts God has created in their lives. Students can join Scatter Global to get experience, guidance, and preparation for taking their job overseas. CHURCHES: Professionals and students who can use their professional pursuits as a platform for living the Gospel among the least reached exist in churches all across the US. Scatter Global can help them go. I hope this look back in history and the look at an example today will encourage you so much that you are strengthened in God’s grace. That you love God and serve others faithfully. 
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Everything you ever wanted to know about tropical diseases
What follows in this post is everything you ever wanted to know about tropical diseases. We’ll look at the most common questions around tropical diseases, why it’s important to know about it, the history of tropical diseases, some resources for you as a missionary, and finally, your role as a medical missionary related to tropical diseases and why it’s important for you to know about it.  What is a tropical disease?  Tropical diseases, generally speaking, are infectious diseases that thrive in hot, humid conditions. There are 17 neglected tropical diseases (sometimes referred to as ‘NTDs’) found in several countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. NTDs are especially common in tropical areas where people do not have access to clean water or safe ways to dispose of human waste. What are some examples of tropical diseases?  Examples of tropical diseases include malaria, cholera, Chagas disease, yellow fever, and dengue. Why are they important to know about and understand?  According to Baylor University College of Medicine, tropical diseases are diseases of poverty. They are the most common afflictions of the “bottom billion” the 1.3 billion people who live below the World Bank poverty level. Although tropical diseases are generally thought of as exclusively occurring in developing countries, new evidence indicates that the poor living in wealthy countries also are affected by tropical diseases. For instance, in the United States, tropical diseases such as Chagas disease, cysticercosis, dengue, toxocariasis, and West Nile virus infection are now widespread. These infections are treatable and preventable. Tropical diseases encompass diseases that result from poverty, poor sanitation, infrastructure, and inadequate health resources. Lack of availability of clean water and food made with unhygienic practices add to the morbidity of these diseases. Many international relief efforts focus energy on these areas of community development in order to curb the spread of tropical diseases which are unnecessarily killing people. What is the history of tropical disease? Ancient physicians, including Greek physician Hippocrates and Roman medical writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus, wrote about malarial diseases, and modern molecular analyses of Egyptian mummies have suggested that malaria was present in ancient Egypt.  After the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, Europeans discovered yellow fever, a disease present in tropical Africa and South America. Scientific interest in the identification and classification of tropical diseases emerged in the 19th century, when increasing numbers of Europeans and Americans, as a result of exploration and colonial expansion, were brought into contact with infectious diseases in tropical and subtropical climates. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many tropical diseases were found to be transmitted by vectors, such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, snails, and other animals, and some diseases were linked to contaminated food or water. Eventually, the pathogens (disease-causing organisms) for many tropical diseases were identified; they include bacteria, viruses, and parasites. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the significance of tropical diseases grew despite the fact that much had been learned about prevention. Because of population growth, increased migration, tourism, and the breakdown of public health systems, tropical diseases re-emerged and new strains, such as ebola broke out. What is the role of the medical missionary? What can you do after knowing about tropical diseases? There are several things you can do:  Understand tropical diseases: educate yourself and learn from those that have gone before you Care about tropical diseases:  you could choose to ignore tropical diseases since they are not present in most of the developed world Care about those in our world who live in poverty and do not have the appropriate resources to prevent and treat tropical diseases Provide compassionate, informed care: whether short term trip or long term service, tropical medicine is a great way to engage and serve across a wide swath of the globe What are some resources for the medical missionary? According to one of our frequent GMHC speakers, Dr. Samuel Palpant, one of the best resources for up-to-date information and a look at travel medicine and current epidemics: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or www.who.int  Dr. Palpant also recommends the following books and resources on tropical diseases and medicine:   The Travel and Tropical Medicine Manual by Christopher A. Sanford MD MPH DTM&H et al Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine by Andrew Brent  Where There is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook, Revised Edition by David Werner Peters' Atlas of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology by Laura Nabarro, Stephen Morris-Jones, et al  Dr. Palpant Tropical Medical Cases: Non-Surgical Dr. Douglas Collins Neglected Tropical Diseases Dr. Charles Mosler Treatment of Tropical Diseases that Make It to the United States
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Medical mission trips in USA and how you can serve.
Does being a medical missionary mean you have to go overseas? Is serving in the United States any different than just living your normal life in America? In this post, we want to cover all things related to medical mission trips in the USA. I want to give you three areas where you can serve and some options for you to consider as you think about your role. My hope is that you will be encouraged and challenged to serve and use your skills in the US. Here are several areas where you can serve in medical mission trips in the USA: #1 Rural hospitals and clinics For one example, see Dayspring Health Center in Appalachia where GMHC speaker and resource contributor, Geogy Thomas serves. God started to impress upon Geogy the plight of the rural poor and the disparities of the healthcare system in America. That took him to a rural clinic on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. In 1952, times were tough in rural Appalachian communities due to the closing of many of the local coal mines. Medical services were meager at best. The story of Dayspring began in this setting. The United Mine Workers Association and the American Medical Association worked with local community leaders to address the lack of adequate health care.  The first full-time physician began seeing patients in August 1954, charging $2 a visit. Today, patients are still being seen in this underserved area, where the staff promotes full health—physical, spiritual, mental, and economic—of the communities they serve. #2 Urban clinics One example of an urban clinic is Christ Community Health Services, where healthcare staff are filling the physical, spiritual, emotional needs of the underserved, the uninsured, and the homeless in the Memphis, Tennessee region. Christ Community strategically entered Memphis communities over 25 years ago that had become deficient in resources and services. Many of the neighborhood residents lacked access to healthcare resulting in manageable health issues going untreated and undiagnosed. Christ Community is standing in the gap, delivering quality healthcare and spiritual healing to those in their community who need it most. When patients enter the doors of Christ Community, they feel the love and hope for their lives and their healing. Patients who enter the doors of Christ Community are treated with dignity and respect, along with spiritual healing and the opportunity to experience God’s love in prayer. #3 Faith-based clinics One example is Lawndale Christian Health Center, where the mission is to show and share the love of Jesus by promoting wellness and providing quality, affordable healthcare for an under-resourced community in the Chicago area. The median income in Lawndale is $22,383 and the clinic was started because members of a local church had virtually no access to healthcare in their area.  Members of the church and neighborhood began to hold meetings to discuss ways they could meet the needs of their own community. At the top of their list was a desire to address the lack of affordable, quality healthcare services in North Lawndale and on the West Side of Chicago.  The church was able to buy a building, a small clinic, and a full-size basketball court for the community to enjoy. Today, that dream has expanded to over 100 medical providers across six clinic locations. The organizational values of Lawndale are an extension of the Christian Community Development philosophy, embodied by the “3 R’s”: Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution: Relocation is a focus on ‘living among’ in order to clearly understand the issues that face a community. Reconciliation is the value at the heart of the Christian Gospel and includes both a reconciled relationship with God and with each other. Redistribution happens when resources are fairly and justly distributed among a community facing injustice. Additional options for service in the USA. The Center for Disease Control has statistics in infant and maternal mortality by race in the US. In 2018, infant mortality rates by race and ethnicity were as follows: Non-Hispanic black: 10.8 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 9.4 American Indian/Alaska Native: 8.2 Hispanic: 4.9 Non-Hispanic white: 4.6 Asian: 3.6 The U.S. has an official maternal mortality rate of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 births in 2018. Wide racial and ethnic gaps exist between non-Hispanic black (37.3 deaths per 100,000 live births), non-Hispanic white (14.9), and Hispanic (11.8) women. Now, according to Healthy People 2020, health disparities, such as infant and maternal mortality, are health differences that are closely linked with social, economic, or environmental disadvantage.  The social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health. Resources that enhance the quality of life can have a significant influence on population health outcomes.  Examples of these resources include safe and affordable housing, access to education, public safety, availability of healthy foods, local emergency/health services, and environments free of life-threatening toxins. There are many options to serve in the US. Noting the statistics above, the US is in desperate need of loving, compassionate healthcare providers. Join a community like Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF), where about half of the people who make up the CCHF community work in secular settings—community health clinics, universities, residency programs, and so on. They are there because of a conviction that this is where they are meant to serve Christ’s mission to bring healing and comfort to the poor, and to represent His kingdom in word and deed. The other half of the CCHF community work in faith-based clinics that strive to provide distinctively Christian care. Each clinic has a unique idea about what it means to deliver Christian care, but everyone strives to be authentic to their calling in Christ. Lastly, for a few more ideas on how you can serve in the U.S., if you are considering a residency program, consider a faith-based program such as In His Image Family Medicine Residency, where they focus on the underserved, Via Christi Family Medicine Residency, where they train doctors to effectively serve the poorest and most underserved people of this world., or Cahaba Family Medicine Residency Program, which has both an urban and rural track. My hope in reading this post is that you note that being a medical missionary doesn’t mean you have to go overseas. You can serve in medical missions in the USA as well. There are so many needs for your skills and giftings, so consider how God might be calling you to serve in the United States on His mission. The above options and ideas will help you get started in knowing where some of the greatest needs are.
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Spiritual burnout: what it is and how to handle it in medical missions.
Spiritual burnout is real. When it comes to spiritual burnout and medical missions, you must understand a few things in order to be faithful in your calling. In this post, I want to look at what spiritual burnout is, how you can know when you’re experiencing burnout, what to do when you’re experiencing burnout, and some tips and resources to help you get through burnout and be even more faithful in your calling on the other side.  What is spiritual burnout? Is something wrong with me? Here’s the answer: no. You are normal! Very normal. In fact, everyone goes through seasons of ups and downs—especially as it relates to medical missions. Burnout is a natural part of our journey with Jesus. So, it’s a natural part of your life and calling in serving Him.  Is it due to sin? No. Life is stressful and filled with burdens. However, it doesn’t mean that spiritual burnout is due to some hidden sin in your life. Those are two different things. So what is it? According to Vantage Point Recovery, burnout is generally considered a state of physical or emotional exhaustion from ongoing stress. Spiritual burnout is particularly common with healthcare missionaries. There are often long hours required, along with the intense emotional drain involved with seeing patients and difficult cases. This combination of stressors (both physical, emotional, and spiritual) make medical missionaries a particularly high-risk group for burnout. If and when you experience burnout from time to time, here are a few things you should know—both in order to help yourself—and help others you might be serving alongside. How do you know when you are experiencing burnout? It’s important to be self-aware when it comes to exhaustion and burnout.  Don’t try to push exhaustion aside. As a leader, be sure to recognize when you are struggling or have times of extreme tiredness. It could be several days or even weeks, but be sure you’re listening to your body on some level to know when you’re not yourself.  Another area to look at is your relationships. Is there unresolved tension or friction with people in your life? These are probably signs that you are experiencing some kind of fatigue or burnout as well. Take stock in your relationships with family, friends, those you are serving with. It’s important to consider how you are handling things in your calling.  Lastly, in order to know when you’re experiencing burnout, it’s vital to recognize that there is a stigma to burnout. Don’t let the stigma of mental healthcare keep you from seeking help. As a leader, ask for help when you need it. Actually, ask for help before you need it! It isn’t “weak” to seek out help. There is a reason the Bible points us toward relationships and mentorship. It is vital to seek out supportive, non-judgemental relationships when it comes to your area of service in missions.  What to do when you are experiencing burnout. I have a few things for you to consider when it comes to experiencing burnout. There are some things that you should try to help with burnout as you are walking through it. And, over time, these are tips that should help you not experience burnout in the future.  For example, do you have healthy rhythms in your life? My guess is you’re overworked. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be dealing with burnout. So, be sure to keep up with what you are eating, drinking, how are you sleeping, how your stress levels are. Yes, these are things you know and probably teach others about often. But, with your heart, mind, and time on others, you have probably neglected yourself in many ways over a span of years. So, as you look back, what do you need to change in your habits? Are there gaps in your taking care of yourself physically over the last months or years? How can you prioritize your health more?  Next, beyond healthier habits, you should learn the art of saying no. Remember, it doesn’t make you more spiritual to say yes to everything. With God’s call on your life, be sure you are using your time wisely to do the things that are passions in your life. Guilt cannot determine your life. Guilt, when you’ve done something wrong, is good and helpful. Guilt when you just feel like you “should” do this or that can and will often lead to burnout. Finally, you’ll want to establish proper boundaries in your life and work. Protect your spiritual life by putting healthy boundaries in place. This is more than just saying no, it’s also knowing the things in your life that drain you. It is not allowing people and commitments to drive your life, but instead, driving your own life. It’s important that you understand your limits. You can help a ton. But, you can’t help everyone at all times. Do what you need to do in order to get yourself healthy again—so you can serve others well. Part of being a faithful servant is understanding it’s a marathon not always a sprint. Just in case you need it, here is a good resource to help you as well. It discusses how medical missionaries can be resilient and faithful in their calling. So, we understand that spiritual burnout and medical missions is real. We covered what spiritual burnout is, how you can know when you’re experiencing it, what to do when you’re experiencing it, and some tips and resources to help you get through burnout in missions. My hope is that you will learn and be ready to help yourself and others as it relates to spiritual burnout. This way, you’ll be even more faithful in your calling to missions.
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5 things to consider when reviewing medical mission organizations
When considering a future in medical missions, one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle is the organization you choose to work with. How do you pick? There are so many! Maybe you’re planning a short-term trip or long-term placement. Either way, it is a big and important decision. Let’s review some things you should consider before your big decision.  Here are 5 things to consider when reviewing medical mission organizations: #1 Do your research. Start at our medical missions organizations page. This database has the most extensive list of healthcare-focused organizations in the world. They have all been vetted by the team at MedicalMissions.com You can refine the search by: Healthcare specialties Global Health Issues Types of serving (student, 1-6 weeks, 6weeks-year, 1-2 years, and so on) Areas of the world This allows you to narrow your search to exactly what you want. Are you a nurse who wants to do a two-week trip to Asia? No problem, Medical Missions can you lead you to the exact organizations that are doing this great work. You can do the same kind of focused search at Medical Missions Resources. Find a library of resources from experts that have tons of experience for you to learn from. You can also do a basic google search. This will open up a very wide range of organizations, and you won’t be sure of the reputability of them, but it can give you an idea of what is out there. Here’s the point: read, read, and read some more. Start with missionary biographies and move on to missions philosophy and history. This will continue to give you ideas about the best ways and means to go and to choose an org. #2 Seek wise counsel. If you are in school, go to a teacher or professor and ask them for help and counsel. Do you know a missionary? Start correspondence with them. Ask their advice, but more importantly, listen to their experience. Go to your church and find someone with experience in the area or with the expertise you have. Don’t forget to speak with your pastor or mentor - ask them honestly about your gifts, talents, experiences. Do they think you are ready? Do they think this is a good choice for you? Do they have folks they know who might connect with you? #3 Visit in person or virtually. After all of the research and consultation, you need to begin the process of talking with the organizations. Start by reaching out to them at an experience like the GMHC exhibit hall.  Utilize the live chat experience Set up Zoom meetings Listen, learn, take notes from all the agencies and organizations you meet with After that, compare notes. What do you like about some and not about others? Here are a few things to keep in mind: Narrow your search down by region of the world or area of missions focus.  Look at their mission statement and their goals - do they match with yours? Which organizations match your philosophy of missions (the how and why of mission work) Look at their missionary care. You want an agency that values the spiritual, emotional, and mental health of their missionaries #4 Look at all the factors. This is the time to bring all of your notes together. What is the Lord saying? You have research, advice from trusted mentors, and conducted interviews with actual organizations. How does it all fit together? Where is the best fit? Take your time on this step. It’s not the time to rush anything.  #5 Pray for wisdom. Throughout this entire journey, be in prayer. Cover the entire process in prayer.  Ask God for specific points of interaction and direction. Be open to “No” and “Wait.” Sometimes, it isn’t the right time or the right way or the right organization. Don’t force it. Often, you can easily get caught up in the questions, details, planning, logistics, and other things related to a mission trip—and honestly—you can forget to pray. Don’t forget to pray! Here are just a few ideas to pray about:  Pray for wisdom. Something will go wrong. It doesn’t matter how organized you are! Pray from day one of planning. Ask God to give you wisdom in:  where you should go - whether short term or long, this is a vital piece of the puzzle What is the cost - you will need to raise money for a short term trip, and you will need to raise support for long term placement who you should go on a mission with - remember the process above. Don’t just pick something at random, but do the work required to choose well. What God is calling you to in this placement? Whether short term or long, God has plans for you and for the people you are serving. Remember this, when you are weak, God is strong. His grace is sufficient for you now and on the field. Learn early to get your strength from Him and you will be well on your way to having a missional life of purpose and usefulness.  Pray for joy. This is an amazing time to see God show up and see fruit in your life and for those going on mission with you. Pray for yourself and any folks going with you to find joy through this experience.  Pray for the people you’re going to serve. Whether it’s financial frustrations or health questions, ask God for His provision daily from start to finish of your trip. Ask for spiritual eyes to see God at work in you and the folks with you.  Ask God to intervene and heal where there is sickness or other needs of the people you are going to serve. If you can, make a list of the needs of the people you’re traveling to serve and begin praying for those needs before you arrive. Keep a journal of frustrations and answers to prayer. When you look back over this experience, you’ll see trends where God was at work—if you’re looking.  If you take your time, do your research, seek wise counsel, visit in person or virtually, review all the important factors, and pray, you’ll be in a great spot to pick the best fit for you when it comes to picking the right medical mission organization.
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8 types of missionary work and how you can help
We all know that the types of missionary work you do can look very different depending on what your profession and skill set is. For all of you who are in the healthcare field, missionary work will take you on a journey of using your medical skills in an area of the world that needs our particular love, care, and expertise.  Quick reminder: missionary work is for all branches of the healthcare profession! What I want to do in this post is to review several types of missionary work. My hope is that this will serve a couple of purposes. Number one, encourage you to consider new ways you might be called to serve others. Number two, for those who aren’t using your skills in a missionary setting, to remind you of your original calling to point others to God through your expertise, skills, gifting, and your role as a believer.  Here are eight (8) types of missionary work you should consider in how your skills match up with any given type.   #1 Medical These are professions like family medicine, infectious disease, and mental health. General practice isn’t the only thing that is relevant or needed on the mission field. Often there are indigenous GP’s that could use other skills to buoy the work they are already doing. Whether you’re interested in short-term or long-term mission trip opportunities, there are so many ways you can serve.  #2 Surgical Surgical involves anesthesia, obstetrics, ophthalmology, and cardiac surgery. Like medical missionaries, surgical missionaries use their skills and expertise to serve God and love others with their unique skill set that might not be readily available in under-resourced areas. You’ll want to consider if you’re interested in short-term or long-term mission trip opportunities, there are so many ways you can serve.  #3 Nursing We posted about nursing and ways to serve recently. These professionals provide the glue that holds it all together: Optometry - there are many locations around the world that lack optometry services Dentistry - healthy teeth may not seem like a big deal, but we know that many other serious conditions can be linked to oral health. #4 Public Health This type of work can mean a lot of things. For example, this could mean serving in areas like sanitation/water, environmental health, epidemiology. Public health might be one of the more overlooked areas of need, but in reality, public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood, or as big as an entire country or region of the world. As we’ve all seen in the Covid-19 pandemic, public health officials are often on the front lines of keeping people safe, informed, and aware of best practices #5 Medical Education As we’ve discussed before, one of the best ways to make sure that you are serving people well is to teach them the medical skills that they need in order to run a clinic/hospital on their own. Train the trainer to multiply the effort. All of these professions can be vital and necessary in the mission field. To look further into this, check out our resource page, which allows you to dig deeper into all of these areas of serving in missions. When you are forming a team to serve together in an area of the world that needs your medical expertise, you will also need to consider other areas of need that your team will have. #6 Teacher Are there children on your team? Will they go to a local school or will someone need to be designated as the homeschool teacher? Will any part of your service to the people you are living with involve teaching of any kind? You will need to make sure that someone on your team is a capable teacher. If teaching is your gifting, please consider how you can serve God and love others in various settings globally.  #7 Administrator Who will be in charge of communicating with supporters? Keeping the budget? Making sure that local fees, taxes, and other expenses are taken care of? This is a vital role that is often overlooked when it comes to missionary work. This type of work is extremely necessary and helps all of the other missionaries get out of the office and use their skills for other things.  #8 Marketplace Worker If one or more of the types of missionary work we’ve covered fit you, you may wish to consider how your current role or position can be done in a different setting.  Many things are shifting in the world of missions today. One of these major shifts is a movement of Christian professionals taking their jobs overseas and being a light in the world through their job. And while these individuals may not be raising funds, this is missions. Healthcare is one of the greatest avenues of need globally which makes your skills an excellent avenue to take a job somewhere in the world. We’ve partnered with many networks—like Scatter Global, CRU, Pioneers, and many others in order to create a collective movement of individuals and agencies who are moving the vision of missions forward and equipping healthcare providers to use their skills in unique new ways. Take a look at the options for taking your job overseas. Find out how you can take your job overseas, find ministry partners, get great examples of people already serving in this way, and the resources you need for marketplace missionary work. Explore additional mission opportunities and upcoming trips with many different partners—from the Christian Academy of African Physicians to many other international trips.
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3 ways to prepare for medical missionary training
When thinking about training to be a missionary, it can feel overwhelming. You may not know where to start when it comes to medical missionary training. I recommend starting with the things that you can do on your own, right now, to help prepare you for serving God as a medical missionary. I’ll cover three vital ways here. Let’s get started. #1 Spiritual disciplines How do spiritual disciplines affect your ability to do the work God has called you to? Don’t miss this step in preparing to serve. This step will drive every other step you take.  Here are just a few spiritual disciplines you will want to cultivate both to start and as you continue this journey:  Bible study: learn how to study scripture without study guides, sermons, tapes, and so on. On the field, the missionary needs to hear from God through Bible study on your own. You may not have access to a pastor in some remote locations. So, cultivate a relationship with God through His Word now and as you go forward.  Prayer: This not only means talking to God but listening to His voice through the Holy Spirit and His Word. Read about prayer and study now as you can for how to point people you serve to God through prayer.  Fasting: developing a deep longing for God by withholding food or an essential element of your daily life for God. We don’t talk about this much. But, it’s important in serving God to be ready and commit to times of fasting when necessary to help know God and point others you’ll be serving to Him.  Worship: Please don’t neglect worship. This may mean attending services locally. But, if that isn’t feasible, how will you daily worship God? Be sure you’re setting aside time and committing to a rhythm of worship to God. What you do now will be what you take to the field with you. Cultivate a rhythm of worship now.  Fellowship: are you around other believers? Be sure you are not neglecting this in your quest to serve. We are not meant to do this life alone! Journaling: In your alone time, be sure you’re working through your prayers and thoughts and keeping a journal of your reflections. This can be a powerful way to look back and see God at work in your life in the downtimes, as well as an encouragement in the good times! Scripture memorization: this is vital. You must learn to hide His Word in your heart. This will be one of the most important things you do as a missionary. You will need to point those you serve to God. The best way to do that is by knowing His Word. #2 Care of self If emotional instability remains in your heart and mind, that can certainly affect your time on the mission field. You need to have a firm foundation from which to draw as you walk your medical missions journey. Be sure you have a rhythm to your care. In caring for others all of the time, you’ll want to not neglect yourself so much that it slows you down in serving others.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself in preparation for serving:  How/why do I make the decisions I make? To please people, to live up to unrealistic standards I set for myself – can I say no? Do I ever say no to requests to help others? What are the unhealthy ways I self-soothe? What is my go-to idol(s)? How do I stay balanced? Do I give myself permission to rest? Do I maintain a healthy lifestyle of diet, exercise, and so on? Do I have a trusted community or individuals that I regularly connect with, share life with? Am I maturing spiritually? Am I growing in intimacy with Jesus? Can I share what I am learning from the Father this week? What addictions are present in my life? What am I doing with pain and shame? What are unhealthy "themes" that hang around my life—fear, control, anger, abandonment, abuse, hopelessness, anxiety, depression, loss, grief, sadness, trauma, and so on? #3 Training Next, you can look at some basic missionary training guides. We recommend at least the following resources to start: Resources library for medical missions: visit this site for audio, video, documents, and articles related to all types of healthcare specialties, health issues, and types of serving in all parts of the world.  Ask a real-life missionary: go here to find guidance on your calling, help with funding, family issues, missions agencies, skills and training, what’s life like overseas, and much much more.  Medical missions store: visit here to find all of our past catalogs for resources and help —all for free. Online course: find our online course for making missions simple. This course helps you answer all of the questions you might have and walk through a purposeful practice of identifying each of the next steps in your missional journey. This is a multi-week course that was designed by all the top sending agencies in medical missions. It is full of practical steps and wisdom. It will lead you from the very beginning of your journey all the way to choosing an agency and preparing to head to the mission field. As a last step, you can also begin reaching out to sending agencies directly. The GMHC exhibit hall is the perfect place to do this. We have our event happening virtually this year. Research beforehand and find out who you would like to connect with. Be prepared to live chat with agencies during the conference.  These are a few things you’ll want to do to feel confident you’re preparing as much as you can. The more you do these things now, the better you will feel knowing you’re serving God with all that you can, with all that you have. May God bless you as you start and as you continue training, networking, and pointing others to Christ with your life.
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Vaccines in the U.S.: Facts & Practical Tips
Vaccines - Facts and Practical Tips
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Understanding Islam
understand Muslims and the issues they deal with in. the 21st century.
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Are you a nurse? It’s time to serve. Find nursing mission trips.
There are nearly three million nurses in the United States. You have, arguably, one of the greatest skill sets from which to serve God. Let me explain why I think that your role as a nurse is so important. And, I want to leave you with some examples and opportunities that will inspire and encourage you to consider serving God with your nursing skills on an even greater level! Nurses are the health workforce. Nurses and midwives account for nearly fifty percent of the health workforce. World Health Organization reports that of the 43.5 million health workers in the world, it is estimated that 20.7 million are nurses and midwives. Wow. This is a lot of people with an amazing set of skills to help with needs around the entire world.  Nurses are trusted. According to Gallup, for the eighteenth year in a row, Americans rate the honesty and ethics of nurses highest among a list of professions that Gallup asks U.S. adults to assess annually. Currently, 85 percent of Americans say nurses' honesty and ethical standards are "very high" or "high”. Not only are there many nurses around the world, but your role is also one of the most trusted among healthcare professionals. Imagine the possibilities with your experience and care! With that kind of trust, ability, and knowledge, nurses make the perfect candidates for serving God on nursing mission trips! Nurses care.  According to the National Institutes of Health, nursing is a caring profession. You understand that. My guess is, that’s why you do what you do—you care. Caring means you have empathy for and connection with the people you serve. The core of nursing values that are essential to the profession includes human dignity, integrity, autonomy, justice, and altruism. The core values of serving on a nursing mission trip line up with those core values of the nursing profession perfectly. While serving on the mission field, we must always affirm the dignity of the people we are working with. The people we work with are humans that have dignity. We are there to work alongside them.  Our integrity is on the line each time we work in the mission field as those we are serving will be looking at us and watching how we live. Autonomy affirms the ideal that we do not come to “save” people, but that we are working together with them in order to teach, train, and share the good news of the gospel.  Justice means that we do not just work with a certain subset of people, but that we look toward the equitable distribution of services and resources across all people. All of these characteristics are embodied in altruism, which is defined as the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.  What great attributes to possess as a person and provider. You care more than most people. Hello! You’re trusted and you care. That’s a nice combination for loving God and serving others.   Nursing mission trips: an example. Nurses Christian Fellowship USA is one great example of using your role and skills as a nurse to serve God. Nurses Christian Fellowship USA is a ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and has been since 1948. It’s a professional and ministry organization equipping nursing students, nurses, and nurse educators to follow Jesus in healthcare.  This ministry reaches the largest group of healthcare providers in the world. Nurses Christian Fellowship USA is about relationships—with God, with colleagues, and with those they serve. Be sure to check them out. They have local groups and regular national meetings so as to provide connection, prayer, and application of the Bible to nursing. Nursing mission trips: a story. Let me leave you with one nursing and missions story. The following is just a snippet from one nurse serving in missions:  Imagine you’re a nurse at a clinic in a remote village in Papua New Guinea (PNG). After nursing college, you move into a far-off village you’ve never seen before. If you’re fortunate, there is a cell tower nearby and you have cell coverage. If not, you might have a 2-way radio for communications. You see patients from 8AM to 6PM with no breaks. Your staff is minimal, and your clinic is undersupplied with meds and vaccines. You’re tasked to meet the needs of the people in your area, despite poor lighting in your clinic and no sheets on the beds, lacking basic equipment such as refrigerators, oxygen tanks, and scales. When you leave for the day, desperate patients come to your home. Trauma and death are common….you can read the full nursing missions story. Just imagine how much help this nurse and the team are helping the people in PNG. They are literally saving lives. Now, imagine the needs around the world for your experience, skills, and care.  Nurses make up the world of health care. Nurses are the most trusted role in health care. Nurses simply care. This makes your role as a nurse one of the most needed roles when it comes to missions. Nurses will always be an invaluable member of a mission trip team - whether long-term or short-term. A nurse brings cohesiveness, professionalism, and integrity to the table. May God raise up many more nurses who will be encouraged to serve God through their role, experience, and skills to bring even more people to Him.  Find more information on serving, stories, jobs, groups, and discussions about nursing and missions.
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Resilience and Sustaining Global Workers: Part 1
Missionaries and other overseas Christian workers are subject to unique stressors, and providing proper support for this group requires a commitment from sending organizations. Despite the fact that in the past mental health problems in missions have been neglected, missions organizations have developed an increasing capacity for supporting missionaries. This presentation describes best practices for behavioral health support. We will discuss how the organizations we have worked with have reduced stigmatization, developed sound procedures for evaluating, supporting, and triaging missionaries and their families who develop psychiatric problems. We will review current medical thinking about resilience, compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and burnout and discuss how these concepts can be used to inform medical support for expatriate Christian workers. (This is Part 1 of a 2 part presentation)

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