October 7, 2024

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Month: March 2014

Spiritual Formation, Self-Feeding

Who Feeds the Missionaries Spiritually?

The simple answer to that question: for the most part, we expect our missionaries to feed themselves! One of our goals throughout the pre-field preparation process in SEND International is to help our new missionaries become adept at feeding themselves spiritually. We emphasize the importance of a personal daily “Quiet Time.  We encourage them to be like Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus, rather than becoming distracted by a multitude of opportunities to serve Jesus, like her sister Martha (Luke 10:38-42).   We practice various spiritual disciplines right during the training.  We provide structure and some accountability for implementing what they are learning.  In our last Member Orientation Program, we distributed to each new missionary appointee a copy of the Life Journal and practiced the S.O.A.P. method of journaling on several mornings.  Then near the end of the two weeks of training, everyone spends a whole day alone with… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Church Planting

Don’t Dismiss Small Beginnings

My DiSC profile says that I am a high “D” in personality type. That means I am supposed to be direct, decisive and driven. I think living in Asia for most of my adult life has probably softened some of the edges, and 27 years of married life has helped as well. But I admit that I prioritize results (the word “results” shows up 52 times on my DiSC profile!). I also admit that I am often tempted to discouragement when I look at my own ministry and that of my SEND colleagues around the world.  In most of the places where we work, our ministries are pretty small, and decisive results are not nearly always evident. In many places, we are just beginning, sowing seeds in hard places, building relationships, meeting with small groups of believers.    I love to hear and read about mass movements of people to Christ,… Read the whole post
Ken Guenther1 min read
Growth Plans

Do-It-Yourself Retreats

I was recently browsing through articles on the SEND U Wiki and came across one I had not previously noticed entitled “A Do-It-Yourself Marriage Retreat.” What a novel idea!! Maybe some missionaries are in the habit of doing something like this, but it had never even entered my mind before (and I have been bemoaning the fact that my husband and I haven’t been able to attend a marriage retreat for several years). Many of you live in parts of the world where opportunities to attend marriage retreats are scarce, maybe even completely absent. Or it could be there isn’t enough free time in your schedule when a retreat finally IS offered (or maybe the problem is not enough money in your pocketbook). Yet it seems to me that the key emphasis of many marriage retreats is improving communication between husband and wife. The methods and questions posed in this… Read the whole post
Darlene Jovellanos1 min read
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