In American culture, the end of the calendar year is often referred to as “the holiday season.” It's not as if we don’t have holidays at other times of the year, but during the last months, two of the most celebrated holidays—Thanksgiving and Christmas—appear on our calendars. In some ways, these two holidays run together, as if Thanksgiving is the gateway to Christmas. The period of time between the two tends to be a frenzy of activity.

Last month we kicked off our Soul Care Practices on the importance of rest. If you missed it, you can check it out here. This month, we've asked Andy Johnson, our new Missionary Care Director to talk about why we need others to walk alongside us in this crazy journey called life.

“So, what I am hearing is that you think you are more important than God.”

At first, I could not believe the statement came out of my mouth. I was riding in a taxi with a national leader in his country. He was frustrated with a busy schedule. He looked shocked as if he was confused and did not know how to respond to my statement. I previously asked him, “When do you take a day off for rest?” His answer was “I don’t have time.”

Healthy communication is key for any great mission team. You'd be surprised by how making just a few tweaks can significantly improve the health and communication of your team. Find some of the most helpful tweaks here.

Expectations. It's a word that can have a positive or negative meaning, depending on the context. Being expectant isn't a bad thing. Even the Bible encourages us to go before the Lord with our requests and wait expectantly (Psalm 5:3). Expectations become dangerous when they are unrealistic and unspoken.

Whether you played sports, attended public school, or grew up with a household full of brothers and sisters - you have had some experience with team dynamics. Right now you may be serving on a mission team far from home trying to find your role on a new team. No matter where you go in life, you will always find yourself in some type of team dynamic.

This month we want to spend some time exploring working alongside nationals while in the field. You may be familiar with the 2x2 principal, which encourages missionaries to work in pairs rather than alone. But how does that change when one of the two is a local national? How does that impact spiritual growth and missionary care issues?