Being Cared For

* OK, I really did get the comment option fixed this week!  If you have to use the "anonymous" option, leave us your name anyway. :)

Back in August when we shared about our decision to stay in the States for a full six-month furlough, we shared that part of that time would be spent processing through our first two years in Italy with our Campus Crusade leadership, talking with counselors and attending a debriefing with Campus Crusade staff who were back from their first term overseas.

Last week we traveled to Austin for our official debriefing.  It was so deeply good.  There is a gal who works for Campus Crusade whose sole job is to make sure all the staff serving overseas from our region are doing well and have the resources they need to thrive in the location they're serving.  When we come home on furlough, she is the one who looks out for us, provides counselors for us and leads a time of debrief.  Having spent a significant amount of time overseas as a missionary herself, she is well acquainted with all the highs and lows of living overseas.

There were six of us who attended this debrief--us, another couple serving in Italy, and two guys who have been in East Asia.  The majority of our time together was spent sharing the stories of what our lives have looked like for the past two years--the good, the bad, and the ugly.  It was so therapeutic to know that those listening understood completely what we've experienced and have similar stories to share.  It's so easy to believe the lie that we are the only ones "going through" the ups and downs we face.  Being in an environment that promotes authenticity and safety really dispels those lies.  And it greatly encourages us to return again to the work.

In addition to the time we spent sharing about our battle wounds (and the glorious ways God has met us in those wounds), we heard from a counselor who works specifically with pastors and missionaries and has extensive experience helping missionaries deal with the very unique challenges of re-entry and living between two cultures.  She did an incredible job helping us to understand all the nuances of living in transition.  It was eye-opening to see just how much stress one incurs when living in two very different worlds.

Add to this time some good ol' fashioned Tex-Mex, beautiful weather, and good friends, and we had a great couple of days.  It's hard to put into words just how encouraging this time was for us.  As the gal who directs this time says, "You don't know what you don't know."  So true! We had no idea how much we needed to hear some of the things that were shared.  Again, we are so thankful to be working for an organization that cares so deeply about our spiritual and emotional health.