Re- Entry! part 1

*** The following is part one of an applicable except from Joan Wood’s book Re-Entry! that was featured in this year’s Oasis bookstore. To order the complete book from Amazon, you can find it here! Enjoy**

It is a privilege to take the Good News of Jesus to the people of the earth! I love the colors, cultures, and captivating conversations! 

So many precious individuals have not yet heard of the limitless love our amazing God has for them. Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15).  We “get” to do this, loving like Jesus as we go!

For many years, I have had the honor to be a part of and/or lead teams around the world, bringing Jesus’ love in practical and powerful ways. Watching God redeem and transform lives is amazing!  God also uses these mission trips to change and transform us, too! 

One of the dynamics of going is the vital point of coming home.  Re-Entry!  This book is a compilation of thoughts and suggestions for team leaders and team members to consider as you are headed home to re-enter your new-normal life.

Re-Entry serves a twofold purpose: first, it guides individuals through the debriefing process, supports their transition back to their passport country, and helps them find personal closure. 

Its second purpose is to inspire a renewed perspective—encouraging readers to embrace life at "home" with fresh purpose and a continued sense of mission.

We recognize that there's often a lot of hype and excitement around the idea of “going”—stepping into a new culture, starting a mission, embracing the adventure. But the return home is often downplayed, overlooked, or even forgotten. Many leave with a full tank, only to come home running on empty.

RE-ENTRY DEFINED: Re-Entry is the process of returning from your adoptive culture—where you've been living, serving, or ministering—back to your passport culture.

This experience is often referred to as “reverse culture shock,” and it can feel surprisingly similar to the initial culture shock of arriving overseas.

We often expect missionaries – or anyone returning from life overseas - to slide right back into their home culture like it’s no big deal—grab a cup of coffee, put on some jeans, and voilà: you're back! But re-entry is rarely that smooth.  Sometimes, instead of feeling “home-sweet home”, all you want to do is book the next flight out and go right back to where you came from.

Re-Entry isn’t just about unpacking your bags; it’s about recalibrating your heart, mind, and purpose. And that doesn’t happen overnight—no matter how many casseroles are waiting. ?

It's a harder transition coming back from the mission field than going...because you’ve been changed more than you know.   

You set out on the adventure, having a blast with a team of like-minded people who had a purpose and mission to accomplish: Psalm 96:3  “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” 

And now you’re back to work, your routines, making meals, doing the dishes, does laundry ever stop?  ho hummmm    You may ask yourself, “What am I doing with my life?”   “Am I making a difference here at home?”  I’m just back to the “same old, same old”!   You may even feel guilty, thinking, “I have so much, and they have so little.”  “I want to do more.”    

You don’t usually walk away from a trip unchanged…

Somewhere along the way in my adventures with Jesus, He changed my perspectives on life, and I’d like to share them with you. ?

Be A Pilgrim 

Pilgrim, traveler, nomad, wanderer - All words to denote a person on a journey or adventure. I like to think of my life with Jesus as an adventure. 

One thing I have discovered about this adventure, God doesn’t usually send me a rigid itinerary, with all the stops mapped out, but instead, it’s an invitation to be with Him. God knows me so well: I think if I knew the destination, I would try to beat Him there! ?

Every day, I start from a place of gratitude for His faithfulness and limitless love for me. It’s the solid ground to stand on!  He promises never to leave me, so I won’t have to journey alone. He promises His goodness and mercy to follow me, so He’s got my back covered! ?  And He promises that I will have lots of joy and pleasure in His presence! 

Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

God’s promises are always true, so I’m going to enjoy this adventure with Him!  This is the verse that started me on this idea of being a pilgrim:

Psalm 84:5,6 “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring.”

Finding our daily strength in the Lord is key to our journey and pilgrimage with Jesus. On a trip, it is easy; we have daily devotions, daily prayer, and daily Bible reading with our mission community. Team members also encourage each other with lots of “God-thoughts” throughout the day!  

One of the challenges of re-entry and being back at home is following through on the daily God-part of life. Life happens! We may not be surrounded by other Jesus followers…our circle has changed. Or we’re back to work, and our daily schedule is crazier than when we left!  It takes work to tame our daily schedules!

Finding our DAILY strength in the Lord is key to our journey!

Continuing in these verses, as we set our hearts on a pilgrimage or adventure with the Lord Jesus, and allow Him to be our life and strength, then we become ambassadors for Him. 

The Valley of Baca was a place of sorrow or hard times. The verse states that when we pass through the places of sorrow or hard times, we make those places better by bringing Jesus to them!  We become ambassadors of joy, hope, and love!

Places of sorrow or hard times are not only in the villages of Africa, they may also be next door to us or happening in our co-worker’s life.  Consider a single parent working multiple jobs, or a student overwhelmed by expectations, or a friend quietly struggling with anxiety or depression. As we find our life and strength in Jesus, we have something wonderful to share with them to help them through the tough times- Jesus! Every place our feet step, we can bring the light and love and hope and joy of Jesus and make it a better place, as the verse says, a spring! 

I like to keep Psalm 84:5-7 as my life vision & mission. This is what I call having a “Pilgrim's Worldview.”   My heart is always open for another adventure with Jesus, even if it happens at the grocery store!

Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”  

Is your heart ready for another adventure with Jesus, even at the grocery store?

Confirming Our Citizenship

To ease the challenges of re-entry, confirm your citizenship in heaven. When you’re on the move with God, the scenery changes. From the vast expanse of the Amazon River to the majestic heights of the Himalayas, God’s creation houses His people.  Our citizenship in heaven establishes Kingdom of God priorities in our lives and keeps us on mission even when the landscape of our lives shifts.  As citizens of heaven, we live on earth with a daily passion, fervent here or abroad, serving others and reflecting Christ wherever we are.

Take a moment to consider these verses: 

Philippians 3:20. The Message: “But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting for the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.”

1 Peter 2:11 The Message “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

*** Continued in part 2 To order the complete book from Amazon, you can find it here! Enjoy**