Andy and Melissa Johnson
Missionary Care and Prayer Director (Andy), Mission Resource Network
Returned Missionaries (Andy and Melissa), Burkina Faso

As shelter-in-place orders were being handed down and we were all beginning to set up working-from-home office spaces, one of our old teammates from our time in Burkina Faso texted with

You know, missionary experience makes this shelter in place deal a lot easier, don’t you think?

Whether or not it really makes it any easier, it certainly feels more familiar and less intimidating. We thought we’d share some lessons we learned during our dozen years of life in a west African village that might help or offer some encouragement to you, regardless of the size of ‘village’ you find yourself isolated in now.

Take Stock, then Make Stock

Feeding ourselves in a remote setting with the nearest (sort of) western grocery store four hours away worked best with a little planning ahead. Yours is probably closer, but it might as well be that far away based on what’s on the shelves.

• First of all, keep track of what you have and what you don’t have. Try to reorder or purchase your own family’s essentials before they run out, as it may take a couple of tries before you find them. For us, this meant buying cheese in bulk whenever we could find it. For you, it might be picking up extra Coke Zero. Figure out what you need, and get it early (while NOT hoarding – the rest of the world needs some of your Coke Zero, too – we guess…).

• Next, make a meal plan. Be creative with your substitutions for your favorite recipes (pro tip – unsweetened Greek yogurt is a decent substitute for sour cream). Sometimes you may have to set your plan based not on what you feel like, but on what you have. There’s no shame in having a line in your search history that reads, “Recipe Brussels sprouts cheese bacon rice.”

• Finally, experiment with those things you’ve always wanted to learn how to make. Take a few extra minutes a day and make the perfect stir fry, baguette, or batch of limeade. See how you can make leftovers stretch (homemade stock from leftover chicken parts is like good-health in a pot!).

Being quarantined doesn’t have to mean you don’t eat well!

Get Around to the Things You’ve Been Meaning to Get Around to

While on the field, Andy learned how to garden (pretty well), refreshed his high school woodworking skills (passably well), and learned to play the banjo (not so well…but it’s the banjo – who can tell anyway?). Melissa scrapbooked (back when you had to use scissors and glue), learned how to make the best salsa EVER, and even dabbled in quilting (turns out, not so pleasant in sub-Saharan heat).

What have you been putting off that you could tackle now that you don’t have a commute? Maybe it’s getting ready for that 5k charity run. Maybe you could dust off that guitar. How about working your way through that stack of books on your bedside table or Kindle? The point is – better yourself during this time. As you suddenly have more say-so over how you spend your time, choose to use it well.

Reclaim Your Family’s Schedule

Back in Burkina, our schedule felt slammed whenever we had things happening two nights a week. We had the luxury of controlling, to a large extent, how we spent our time. For many of us now, our work, our kids, their sports or schools, and even our churches control our time. In this season, choose to eat together. Choose to read together. Choose to go on walks together. Choose to play a game together. Choose to pull weeds together (our kids were thrilled with that one…). Use the time to reconnect as a family and to experiment with what things you truly enjoy. Later, when things open back up, you may have discovered new rhythms or events that you want to keep – and you’ll be the richer for it.

Communicate – on Purpose and Often

When we lived on the field, we had a standing Friday breakfast date. We used that time to reconnect as a couple and to have adult conversation without our littles interrupting. Because we took that luxury, we discovered more about each other, we learned each other in ways many other couples our age did not (their learning of each other froze with Real Job #1 or Baby #1).

Focus on communicating as a family right now. Slow down. Look each other in the eye. Draw on the driveway with chalk and talk while you do it. Talk about what you’re reading (who knew a fourteen year old boy would read Jane Eyre without being told to?!?). Find out why they love that video game so much. Make a list of the top places you want to visit as a family when you buy those super cheap tickets (post-Coronavirus Windy City, here we come!!!). Learn each other.

While we’re at it, two more things on communication. First, don’t forget those who are sheltering in place far from you. Reach out to grandparents and other family or friends more often. Pray for them and let them know you are doing so. Second, don’t just rely on written communication for work and friends. Texts, GroupMe messages, emails are all great – but so much miscommunication happens in print that doesn’t with a phone call! Touch base over the phone with the people who it’s important to maintain relationship with.

Worship Together

Our rhythm overseas included Sunday morning worship with village churches and an evening worship with our team or family. For now, we’re all going to be distanced from our church families. As you take advantage of whatever online worship and learning opportunities they provide, figure out what elements work best for you as a family. Don’t feel pressure to participate in everything. Share communion as a family (pro tip – make your own communion bread! Be sure to find a recipe with both honey AND butter – you’ll thank us). Let your sons and daughters choose songs and scriptures, lead prayers, and share what’s on their hearts.

In most churches in America, we receive and participate in the worship someone else designs. Right now, involve your whole family in planning it and making it just what you need it to be. Listen to the voices a larger assembly silences. God will speak through them, too.

Adjust Your Focus

Most western societies are task-oriented. The goodness or badness of your day is typically determined by what you got done or didn’t. Much of the rest of the world is relationship-oriented. A day’s success is measured not by what you got done but by the people you got it done with! Try out that shift in thinking during this time. For the foreseeable future, you’re not surrounded by a variety of people to whom you are loosely connected; you’re in a home with the people who should matter the most to you. Rather than task, slow down enough in your working-from-home to focus on relationship.

That said, we need to stop here and go focus on our family. Homemade chicken soup is calling!