Lament of a Returning Missionary

(Loosely based upon Psalm 13 )

How long, Lord, will I miss our former HOME where I sobbed in frustration and prayed, pounding on heaven’s door to learn language(s) & culture, and how to buy food and learn to survive, let alone thrive?

Get me out here, God; my head feels like it will explode! There is so much expensive STUFF here!

How long will I grieve over the deaths of my friends from disease, the anguish of political and economic injustice? How long will evil tyrants rule in far away places? How long will I miss the beautiful hospitality and hours of table fellowship and TIME spent together? 

How long will my entire family struggle to relate to our passport country in this so-called “home”?

Turn to me and answer, oh Lord, my God! How can we answer “how we are doing” in 30 seconds? 

Yet I will trust in your unfailing love! You answered hundreds of my desperate prayers over “there”. I believe you will answer our desperate prayers here!

I will sing to you when I don’t have my own words. You see me, you hear me, you love to be with me, you see how hard this is, and you are able to bring grace exactly when I need it. 

Amen

MORE Network exists to bolster, strengthen and encourage Canadian Missionaries and their children in times of transition. We facilitate care for singles, couples, and families, particularly as they repatriate from the cross-cultural assignment, and facilitate the resourcing of member care support staff. 

If you are a cross-cultural worker or family returning to Canada, we invite you to check out our RE-VIEW debriefing retreats. MORE Network also offers Classic ReBoot, a re-entry retreat, for MKs & TCKs ages 17-20; as well as Wilderness ReBoot, a wilderness retreat for adult TCKs and MKs between 21-35. 

Benjamin Reed is the Program Director for Wilderness ReBoot, a wilderness retreat for adult Third Culture Kids. Benjamin and his wife, Marlene, have been in missionary life for 30+ years, serving in Kyrgyzstan and Canada. Currently, Ben serves as a care worker with the MORE Network, in the areas of spiritual direction and pastoral care within the overseas worker community, prayer ministry, and re-entry debriefing. Ben speaks two languages of Central Asia, plays the Komuz, and loves cultural music and learning about world culture. He also loves hiking in the great outdoors, running, swimming and biking. Ben and Marlene have been married for 30+ years, have three adult children, and are enjoying being first time grandparents.