Self-Care (2 of 3)

Thriving in Cross-Cultural Ministry

Installment 24: Self – Care (2 of 3)

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Reminder: Your fellowship, sending organization, or team may not align with my advice. Trust your leaders as you respectfully share what you learn.

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TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY (CONTINUED)

Leave your host country regularly.

• You get no extra credit for pushing through.
  • This new place is not your normal yet (and may never be).
• Every three to six months is a good timeframe.
  • Some visas require this.
• If you live in near constant strain, these breaks are particularly important.
• If leaving the country is not an option, at least visit another region of the country where you can relax.

Attend the most important family.

• You will miss many smaller events (birthdays, graduations), but do not miss the biggest ones, which include, but are not limited to:
  • Death of immediate family member,
  • Marriage of immediate family member, maybe best friend, and
  • First child born to or adopted by a sibling.

Maintain balance to prevent burnout.

• Prevent scope creep.
  • As team members leave, do not simply add their workload to yours.
• As a team, determine what can be left undone.
• What can you turn over to local partners?

BUILD (AND MAINTAIN) YOUR CIRCLES OF CARE

• God must be your most intimate and frequent contact.
  • Follow King David’s model from the Psalms—pour your heart out to him.
• Then your close friends or peers who can maintain confidentiality.
  • This would also include your advocacy team.
• Your member care and pastoral support are probably more reactive than proactive.
  • If they do not contact you regularly (at least every three to four months), contact them.
  • This is the layer where your organization’s or sending fellowship’s member care department resides.
    • Do you know your assigned member care person?
• Lastly is the professional layer.
• Images like this one abound.
  • This is one I cobbled together.
• Do you have someone for every layer?

ENCOURAGEMENT

My father taught me it was easier to stay well than to get well. Build your care network and plan, use it and maintain it, to remain healthy and model health for others. This allows you to be a resource for your team, not a burden.

People want to help you, but they cannot if you do not ask. Self-care is easy if you are proactive and treat little things when they are little, consider more what you can offer than what you can take, and have frequent, intimate times with Your Father in heaven who loves you.

SAMPLE PRAYER

Lord, please protect my mind, body, soul, and spirit. Great Physician, show me those people who can walk with me to maintain or restore my health so that I can fulfill the purposes for which you called me to serve you. Please let my life reflect Psalm 73:25b, “. . .and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

Please show me those who can walk with me and share my burdens, who will turn me back to you and not agree with my grumbling.

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Reliant or any other entity with which he is affiliated.

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This article is part of a series. For prior articles, resources, and the author’s biography, visit bit.ly/4aXWTjQ

Books by this author: www.dharakalauthor.org

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