The Practical Missions Podcast 

Pod # 44 God is doing something better 

My plan, for God’s plan for my life, didn’t work 

When we hear stories from the field, we usually get the highlights, the “missionary stories.” But spending forty years on the field and raising a family there means there’s a whole lot of normal as well. Overworking. Conflict with other workers. Marital issues. Questions about kids’ education. Rhythms of rest and work. Today on the Pod we follow a family through 40 years of life on and off the field. 

Timeline

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 02:00 The character of a missionary 
  • 06:00 Being called and kicked out
  • 08:30 Taking a sabbatical rest 
  • 16:00 Red flags of working too much 
  • 19:15 Why do workers struggle to rest? 
  • 22:30 Is missions more balanced in work/rest today? 
  • 30:00 Did you ever want to give up? 
  • 35:00 Missions and your kids’ education 
  • 41:00 How to raise your kids in hard places 
  • 50:30 What advice would you give to your 25-year-old self? 

Listen on: Apple Podcast | Spotify

I was consumed in the work of relief and development. I look back and think I was pretty close to having two wives; my wife and my work. A lot of my identity was tied up in what I could do and what I could accomplish. I became so deeply enmeshed in my work that the Lord knew I needed to pull away. And then I was kicked out of the country. And it was almost like I heard a voice from God, “You can take a sabbatical year.” 

God is doing something better

Pod # 44 God is doing something better 

My plan, for God’s plan for my life, didn’t work 

When we hear stories from the field, we usually get the highlights, the “missionary stories.” But spending forty years on the field and raising a family there means there’s a whole lot of normal as well. Overworking. Conflict with other workers. Marital issues. Questions about kids’ education. Rhythms of rest and work. Today on the Pod we follow a family through 40 years of life on and off the field.

I was consumed in the work of relief and development. I look back and think I was pretty close to having two wives; my wife and my work. A lot of my identity was tied up in what I could do and what I could accomplish. I became so deeply enmeshed in my work that the Lord knew I needed to pull away. And then I was kicked out of the country. And it was almost like I heard a voice from God, “You can take a sabbatical year.” 

Listen on: Apple Podcast | Spotify

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Timeline

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:00 The character of a missionary
  • 06:00 Being called and kicked out
  • 08:30 Taking a sabbatical rest
  • 16:00 Red flags of working too much
  • 19:15 Why do workers struggle to rest?
  • 22:30 Is missions more balanced in work/rest today?
  • 30:00 Did you ever want to give up?
  • 35:00 Missions and your kids’ education
  • 41:00 How to raise your kids in hard places
  • 50:30 What advice would you give to your 25-year-old self?

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