by Andy Johnson

Director of Worker Care

Visiting your workers on the field is an important part of sending well. When done right, you can tangibly show your sent ones that you remember them, that you see them, and that you love them. This is the first of a two-part reflection on site visits. This month I’ll consider a trip I recently made as a for-instance, and then next month we’ll draw out general principles for supporters to keep in mind when visiting their workers.

I’m writing this Messenger article on the flight home from visiting two families in North Africa. Let’s call them the Smith* and Jones families. The Smiths have been on the field more than five years. They speak the language, have established roles and identities in country, and are in the process of considering a significant change in ministry. The Jones are still in the middle of their first term on the field. They are in the throes of language learning, are still feeling out their roles in country, and are starting to feel like they just might fit in.

My trip to see them was long overdue. Both families had made it clear numerous times that they would love for someone from MRN to come visit, that they could really use someone coming solely for the purpose of time with them. Figuring out when to come was a tap dance between three families as I figured out when a good time to come would be for their families and for mine. Once I had tickets purchased, I reached out to them for one of the most important parts of any site visit:

The shopping list. 🥳

Whenever I travel, I try to pack lightly, usually just in a carry-on with a few days of clothes (after all, the odds are good that families on the field do laundry). This means that the bulk of my luggage can be filled with goodies for the workers. Amazon (and other means of online shopping) has frankly changed the whole process as workers are able to order exactly what they want and have it shipped to your home, although there are always a few things that you’ll need to pick up at Wal-Mart before coming. My suitcase this time included such things as:

·      Cinnamon Toast Crunch

·      White Cheddar Cheez-Its (not the original)

·      Bible study materials for a women’s group

·      Running shoes

·      Medicine for a friend only available in the States

·      Gummy children’s vitamins

·      Supplies for hobbies

I’m pretty sure that if Paul were writing Timothy nowadays, he wouldn’t have asked for his scrolls and his cloak, but probably would just have asked that he bring his favorite cereal.

Money and who pays for what is always a little confusing on site visits. On the one hand, workers love getting to host and treat their guests – many live in places where they have learned much about hospitality from their local friends. On the other, it’s nice for them to be treated. In this case, I took the families out to a nice dinner and offered to pay for things throughout, but I was mostly received as a guest and enjoyed their generous hospitality.

I left the planning of the details of my time in the hands of the workers. They knew that I was coming to spend time with them and that I wanted to see the parts of their lives that they wanted to share. When appropriate, I wanted to meet the people they’ve grown to love. If we had time, I’d love to see and experience parts of their country they enjoyed, but I wasn’t there to be a tourist (although I did get to see some pretty cool stuff!).

I wound up splitting my time in the two families’ homes. I would have gladly booked myself into a hotel if they desired it, but in my experience, most workers truly love having their friends into their home. I was able to be a part of family breakfasts, children’s drop-offs to and pick-ups from school, and nighttime devotionals. I got beat by their four-year-old in playing Sleeping Queens but took down their 10-year-old in chess (it was way closer than I care to admit).

Here's the thing: I talk regularly with both these families on Zoom as a part of providing care. That said, I believe more good was done in staying up late around the firepit and sitting in traffic on our way to the grocery store than could possibly be accomplished in a hundred hours of online conversation. My presence and my willingness to travel across oceans spoke far more loudly than any Zoom link received via email.

I processed impending transitions with Smiths. I shared similar experiences that I had lived through when they asked and even offered advice when pushed, but I mostly just listened as they processed. They didn’t need someone to tell them what to do; they needed someone that loved them to listen, to ask good questions, and to pray for them – all in person rather than on a screen.

I went to language lessons with the Jones. I watched the dad of the family get to show off a little bit in his language lesson and affirm that he really has made a ton of progress. I then experienced Lesson One of learning their language myself and got to affirm for them that, yep, that language is a tough one and that I’m really proud of them for the work they’ve done.

One of my favorite moments of the trip came over coffee with Ahmed. He is a good friend to both families I was visiting and an important man in one network of disciples beginning to diffuse itself among young adults. It was a gift to get to learn from this brother in Christ and to hear him tell stories of our mutual Father’s faithfulness. It was also a fun collision of circles for the families I visited, as people from two different groups of relationships got to hang out together.

My last night there, we enjoyed Friday Night Pizza Night as four worker families gathered. The kids ran wild throughout the house while the adults lingered around the table. We told stories about old connections (I happened to have quirky connections with all four families that covered exotic places like Timbuktu and Oklahoma City). We told funny stories about raising adolescents, about traffic, and about language mishaps. We spoke blessing over one of the women who had received hard news about her father in the States earlier that day. I occasionally popped into the conversation, but I mostly just listened and praised God for the gift it was to be in the presence of such people around that table.

Was it a perfect site visit? By no means. I’m sure I overstepped my boundaries at times, I undoubtedly wore them out by keeping them up late with my questions, and it turned out I could have checked a second bag full of breakfast cereals and snacks. However, I do believe these two families felt seen and loved by a friend and by the community that sent me (in this case, MRN). As I sat in the airport waiting to begin my journey home, I received this message from Mrs. Smith:

Thank you so much for coming to walk our land, sit at our tables, listen to our hearts. Thank you for making the journey and being here. It is a true gift when someone takes the time and energy and resources and leaves family behind to be here.

May God be praised.

And may God bless your efforts at visiting the workers you have the privilege of serving.

*All names in this article have been changed.