“He left, what am I going to do now?” The anguished cry came from a long time local partner. She and her husband were sent out to work among a Muslim people group many years ago. They have lived in the countryside, they have lived in the city. All the while meeting the needs of people, gaining respect and trust and sharing the Gospel where ever they went. Their methods have not been perfect, they have deficiencies in their ministry and they know that and work on them but they have persevered over a decade in this slow, difficult task. And the Father has blessed their faithfulness with fruit for His Kingdom.
Now, after over 12 years working with this resistant people, their marriage is in trouble. Individual counseling, couples counseling, peer counseling – all have failed to help change the trajectory of their relationship. I wish this was an isolated incident. Too many local cross cultural (and same culture) workers are sent out without support. Even when they have support, the shame of personal problems prevents them from seeking counsel from their church. Their effectiveness is curtailed, robbing the Father of His glory that comes through the fruit of their ministries.
- Ask the Father to bless the workers He calls.
- Ask for same culture counselors to speak into marriage and family issues.
- Ask that workers would have support mechanisms that will increase their resiliency on the field, to improve their example to those around them and to preserve the fruitfulness of their ministry.
**The picture is not of the storyteller in order to protect the identities of those who have shared their stories and lives with us over the years.