Week 221: Marriages and Missionary Couples

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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 conflict will arise because the spouses adjust to all the changes differently or at least at different rates.  One may have difficulty with homesickness; one may have a harder time with the language; and one may make cultural adjustments with less ease than the other.  The more out of balance the couples’ adjustments, the more likely it is conflicts will arise.

Also, if an adjustment period in any of these areas is elongated, the spouses, together or individually, may start to doubt their suitableness for the mission to which God has called them.  This doubt can cause a spiritual depression that will only add to all the other stressors missionary couples often face.

Another factor that can cause marital stress for missionary couples is a disconnect between expectations and reality.  Despite warnings during training and orientation, couples can envision their impact on their new environment being greater or more immediate than it turns out to be.  This collision with reality can create all sorts of problems for the married couple.

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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