How do you describe “Furlough”?

   Some call it furlough and others call it home assignment. Whatever name you give it, it means that we have returned to our home/supporting country from our host/ministry country for a short time.  It does not mean we are on vacation--although many want to assume that. It just means we have switched our focus from one country to another for a while. We have a job description while at home, it just looks a little different from that on the field. 

   For most of us we do enjoy a some time to reconnect with family and friend whom we have not seen in years. But we also strive to reconnect with supporters and churches to keep them apprised of our ministries. We want to thank them for their part in what God is doing in the work as well as to raise new prayer partners.

   Of course we enjoy some comforts of our home culture, like Dr. Pepper, Ice Cream, favorite restaurants, snow and holidays.  We also spend a great amount of time travelling.  We love to be able to be in our home church and to listen to messages and worship in our native tongue.  We also spend many weekends away from home visiting supporting churches and sharing our ministry.  We love to meet new people and see new places. We thank God for the opportunity to see so many in the Body of Christ. How encouraging it is to see saints in supporting churches that you haven’t seen in years and to hear they still pray when they see a YIELD sign! 

   

So I thank God for such a wonderful opportunity to be in the US for the past 6+ months.  Yes, I travelled, but how fun it was.  I am thankful for the wonderful team of missionaries that travelled to the many of the same churches for conferences. I thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship of our missionary family and hope our furloughs overlap again sometime. 

   If I have counted correctly, in the past 6 months I have ministered in 20 churches , 2 Bible Colleges, visited supporters and family in 15 States, travelled in and through 23 States, slept in many wonderful homes, enjoyed fellowship of so many.