After decades of ministry, I knew I was hitting a wall. I could seldom get a full night’s sleep. I had stomach pain despite healthy eating and tears would flow at odd times…
FOUNDATION
When counseling missionaries, I want to be sure they have a solid support base, a stool with several legs, if you will. So many are teetering on wobbly ‘stools’ and expecting a counselor to be their primary support. First, we want to see each missionary or missionary couple seeking the Lord daily through prayer and time in His Word.[i] Then we want to see them under the umbrella of encouragement and accountability either through a sending church or a local church on the field.[ii] They would have member care from their mission agency and a mentor/mentoring couple, ideally from their sending church, that they meet with regularly. [Biblical Counseling is normally for shorter periods of time, building foundation and addressing specific needs.] When these “stool legs are missing, any number of problems result, including attrition from ministry and in some cases, people leave the faith.
ACCOUNTABILITY
When I felt like I was hitting a wall, I went to prayer and God’s Word. The legs of our support ‘stool’ seemed to be in place. What should I do? Cut back on responsibilities? See a doctor? As I was praying the Lord brought the idea of a sabbatical to mind. Was that even a ‘thing’? I knew that professors and sometimes pastors took 6 months to a year of sabbatical, but I did not know of any missionaries who had done so, at least not voluntarily. Then I found an article by Larry McCrary of The Upstream Collective. I shared it with my husband, Toby, and after praying together, we decided to reach out to our church elders and our mission board. They were all a bit surprised, when we shared a quote explaining that if you think furloughs are vacation, which is like saying your pastor only works on Sundays. All were incredibly supportive.
NEXT STEPS
Our member care team recommended a couple to coach us in the process, which was extremely helpful. We then began saving and planning where we might go. We prayed and asked the Lord how best to cover our ministry responsibilities while on sabbatical.
I studied biblical passages on Shabbat, Jubilee, and rest. Many missionaries have a lot of responsibilities on Sundays and find it difficult to take a sabbath rest during the week. It is common for them to combine vacation with partnership development, conferences, healthcare, etc., thereby not truly getting a rest. Yet rest is something the Lord has given us as a gift, in Christ, who is Lord of the Sabbath. In Scripture, rest and jubilee are not only about not working, but are also times set aside for meeting with the Lord, for celebration, and for freedom from debt. Our coaches recommended a minimum of 8-10 weeks.
FINANCES
We were hesitant to share with our financial partners as we were not sure how they would receive the idea. We believe in accountability and transparency, so we did share. Nearly everyone continued to send financial support during that time, and a some sent extra funds. Some mission organizations may allow you to use savings normally designated for healthcare, continuing education or for emergencies. Take your time to pray and plan well.
LOGISTICS
We book-ended our 10 weeks with walking the pilgrim trail of St. James to Santiago, Spain. The first week we walked 93 km in the north of Spain and the last week we walked another sixty or so on the coast of Portugal. We left a few weeks open to see how the Lord might lead us during that time. To our surprise and delight, we were able to spend time at L’Abri processing a recent traumatic event and considering our next phase of life and ministry.
With the help of our coaches, we changed our original plan of a 6-week sabbatical to 10 weeks. They told us the first 2 weeks would be winding down from ministry and disconnecting socially and the final 2 weeks would be gearing up to return. Some of our goals and parameters were mutual, others were individual. I left my cell phone and computer at home. Toby took his as he would continue working part-time. That also helped us with traveling coordination and staying connected with family. Due to two-factor authentication, I recommend taking your phone, but removing or deactivating apps used for work.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Personally, I loved being in the countryside with cows, chickens, under forest canopies, listening to choruses of bird chatter, and meeting pilgrims from any number of countries in the cafes and hostels. I was fascinated by churches and chapels constructed hundreds and even a thousand years ago. The architects designed them to point our thoughts upward with cathedral ceilings, arched stained-glass windows, and amazing paintings based on Scripture. Walking is also a wonderful way to release tension and strengthen our aging bodies. Toby has had significant foot and leg motorcycle injuries in recent years, and it was a struggle at times to keep walking with packs. He is glad he persevered and encourages others with his anecdotes of the walk, experiences in hostels and the different languages and dialects we encountered. We also discovered we could send our packs ahead to the next hostel for a small fee. In between the two weeks of walking, we gratefully accepted long-standing invitations to visit friends we had not seen in decades.
The frequency and duration of your sabbatical will depend on your circumstances. You don’t have to go to a different country. There are ministries in the US and Europe that invite missionaries to have respite with them. Some are free, others have fees.[iii]
Our sabbatical was a first for us and we wish we had not waited 40 years to do it!
Author: Sara Shannon
Missionary Soul Care Network Coordinator
[i] I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. Ps. 116:1-2
[ii] Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John. Acts 8:14
