Week 64: Marriages and the Mission Field
Please join us this week in praying for married
couples on the mission field. Couples on the mission field often
experience a number of stressful situations all at the same time. They
are separated from family and friends; they are immersed in a new and strange
culture; they are starting a new job; they are establishing a new home; and, on
top of all that, they are often learning a new language. Just one of
these situations can create difficulties. All of them together almost
guarantee some degree of marital conflict.
Many times the conflict will
arise because the spouses adjust to all the changes differently or at least at
different speeds. One may have difficulty with homesickness; one may have
a harder time with the language; or one may make cultural adjustments with less
ease.
Also, if the adjustment period is elongated, the spouses, together
or individually, may start to doubt their suitableness for the mission God has
called them to. This doubt can cause a spiritual depression that will
only add to all the other stressors missionary couples often face.
Pray with us that missionary couples will
- Be patient with one another; be each other’s best friend and most faithful encourager
- Be realistic about the time it takes to acclimated to a new culture
- Find new friends who will help them adjust
- Make the effort to stay in touch with family and friends
- Resist the evil one who will attempt to convince them that slow progress equals failure
- Rejoice in small successes
- Be faithful to the One who has called them and confident in His ability to sustain them
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