As a new Christian, 17 years old, teaching Bible school in southeastern Kentucky changed my life. Working with the children of poor families changed my perspective on the world and my role in it.

Years ago, the first time I shoved my way through the crowds to Speaker’s Corner in London’s Hyde Park, the speakers lived up to my anticipation. Virtually every religious and political dogma was extolled with evangelistic fervor.

Hussein Qambar Ali, a citizen of Kuwait, wasn’t looking for trouble. Married, the father of two small children, and the owner of a successful construction business, he told Open Doors’ Compass Direct news service, “All I wanted was happiness, tranquility, and a peaceful life.”

We had been in the States on furlough for over a year. Our last term on the field had been unusually grueling. Any tired missionary fresh home on furlough suffers some stresses of psychological readjustment. But, ordinarily, a year is ample time for one to be refreshed, restored, and highly motivated to return.

Like most missionaries, I thought I was ready for culture shock, but my preparation didn’t help me at all.

The woman in the crowded market obviously wasn’t cooperating with me. I had simply pointed to her basket of tomatoes and asked how much they cost. I expected her to say something like, “Four for a quarter,” or “Seventy-five cents a dozen.” But she kept repeating a simple word I had never heard before.

Some ideas about how to handle stressors common to missionaries: language study, culture shock, discouragement, loneliness, burnout, and depression.

Missionaries need a unified theory of the task of world missions to determine how to make the best use of their lives. Mission agencies need it to plan their field strategies and the allocation of their people and money.