Beginning with Basics
We begin with the basic things that all missionaries face as they minister to people in other cultures. Like other people, missionaries ought to maintain their mental and physical health, and following the two greatest commandments will result in such health. Missionaries have always lived under great stress, but they seem to be feeling even more stress recently. The chapter on stress and the hints in the chapter on time management in time-oriented cultures will help missionaries reduce the stress they feel.
Everyone has expectations, and missionaries are no exception whether anticipating going to the field or returning to their passport country. The chapter about expectations should help make these expectations more realistic. Missionaries say more goodbyes than most people, and such goodbyes are very difficult. The chapter about goodbyes may not make them any easier, but at least missionaries will realize that they are normal in the feelings they have about them. Most people now expect to experience difficulty as they enter another culture, but many are surprised by the reverse culture shock of reentry. The chapter about reentry makes it clear that changing cultures either way is difficult.