Our first year on the field we established a rhythm of monthly team fellowships. At these fellowship times that Steven and I led, we ate together, worshipped together, and did a quick Bible study. Usually people stuck around afterwards to play board games. Seems simple enough, right?

Except that everybody had a problem with team fellowship. Some didn’t like the food. Some didn’t want to do Bible study. Some wanted more Bible study. Others said – why are we playing games when people are dying without the gospel?! Some didn’t like the game choices. With a team of 13 all storming and adjusting to a new context, there was always someone unhappy. It was frustrating that such a simple thing meant to help our team bond and fellowship was such a source of conflict and disagreement.

Fast forward 5 years to our last team retreat before we expanded into 3 teams and moved to different locations. Every part of this retreat was delegated and divvied up among the team members. Some led worship, and others facilitated prayer times. Our “fun” teammates coordinated a kickball tournament and a coffee tasting activity. Some teammates gifted at administration helped coordinate all the logistics, our teaching-gifted teammates led Bible study parts, and other shepherding-gifted teammates facilitated a time for celebration and remembrance. Steven and I kept the part that we were good at – vision casting for the future – but almost every other part of the retreat was owned and executed by our other teammates. It’s one of our most memorable, enjoyable, and fun times that we’ve had with our team. We left feeling renewed and refocused on the vision. What changed?

I believe that one of the significant reasons for the change in this team retreat, and in the thriving and multiplication of our team, was the valuing and empowering of each person’s spiritual gifts to edify the body. By delegating each part of the retreat to those that were gifted to lead it, each person had more ownership and had the opportunity to exercise their gifts. Steven and I are not fun, we can’t lead worship, we’re bad at logistics, and we’re bad at celebration. Our other teammates are not just good at these things, but gifted by the Spirit to serve others in these ways. And in seeing all the parts of the body use their gifts, our team was able to look more like the body of Christ.

Why Spiritual Gifts Matter on Teams

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many…

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lays out some foundational truths about spiritual gifts and how we are to view the giftings in both ourselves and other people. Despite a variety of giftings, believers are one in Christ and are part of one body made of many parts. Contrary to our instincts, diversity of giftings in the body of Christ should lend itself to greater unity and mutual love and concern for one another! And when we display this type of unity on our teams, we present a powerful witness and example of Christ to the world.

Later in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul instructs the early church to seek or to “…try to excel in [spiritual gifts] that build up the church.” For many goers, moving overseas means surrendering many of the spiritual inputs that we consistently used to rely on. Our teams often become our greatest venue for spiritual development and community, and may even become the closest expression we have for church. If gifts are for the edification of the body (Ephesians 4:12-13) and Paul encourages us to seek gifts that build up the church, which is the body of Christ, then we should regularly be using our gifts in our team life.

Using Spiritual Gifts for Team Life

In the last post, Steven already mentioned how different giftings serve and supplement one another in the work of ministry and pioneering. Similarly, when spiritual gifts are turned toward edifying the body, team life can become a source of vibrant community, encouragement, and development.  

Here are some examples of different ways spiritual gifts can be harnessed on a team: 

• Helps and hospitality – A common experience for all goers is tiredness or weariness. We can often feel physically, mentally, and spiritually drained as we pour out for the people we are trying to serve. While our teammates with service oriented giftings like helps or hospitality may not be “front of room” types of people, they are supernaturally able to sense who is discouraged or is feeling need, and meet that need. Those gifted in hospitality have the unique ability to create a space where all feel welcomed, rested, and served. 
  
  I am not gifted in these types of service oriented giftings. On our team, we regularly hosted team fellowships, events, meetings, and gatherings. It feels silly to say that these were some of the times I felt most anxious or drained. Was everyone enjoying themselves? Is the house clean enough? Will I have energy to clean afterwards? But by God’s grace, many of our teammates were gifted these ways. Without being asked, they would come early and stay late to help with cleaning. On hard days, they would ask the incredibly loving question of, “is there anything I can do for you?” And then follow through on what I said! Those with hospitality giftings would take ownership in hosting, leading games, welcoming guests, creating festive settings for holidays, and coordinating logistics. 
  
• Shepherding / Encouragement – Ministry overseas is often compared to a crucible – hurts, suffering, crises, failure, and discouragement create a constant pressure that bears down on a goer. In this type of environment, wounds can fester and turn into bitterness, crises can turn into long-term trauma, temptation toward sin increases, and it can feel very easy to give up. Shepherds are drawn to people who are hurting and long to see the people of God cared for, restored, and healed. Encouragers, similarly, find joy in speaking uplifting words and truths to help others grow and to keep going in the work. They help those in the crucible of overseas missions find 1 Peter 1:7 type success, the testing and refining of their faith that is revealed to be more precious than gold. Roles that a shepherd or encourager can take include facilitating personal development plans, transition or term debriefing, providing care for teammates, consulting with team leaders about the needs on the team, or (if trained) counseling. 

• Administration / Government – Administrative types excel in things like project and systems management and often serve as foils to open-ended idealists. They are the ones asking, “how are we going to get this done?” Those with administrative giftings are able to understand and manage details, often freeing up leaders from having to think about these things.
  
  Though we can do them, working on logistics and details are not mine or Steven’s strength. Before launching, we invited a couple to join our team specifically for the sake of helping carry the administrative and logistical load. In watching them work, I quickly realized that the power of the Holy Spirit can turn administrative tasks into as supernatural a work as miracles or healings. In their first year on the field, this couple had identified and secured health insurance for our entire team (and later, the organization!) and created and managed our visa platform! They uniquely sharpened Steven and myself, helping us to clarify our often abstract ideas and put things into writing for the benefit of current and future teammates, other workers, and national partners.

• Teaching, Knowledge, Wisdom, Exhortation – Sanctification and growing in holiness is a lifelong process. Those with teaching gifts are able to explain, instruct, and expose biblical truth in understandable ways for other believers. Similarly, the Holy Spirit moves through those gifted in knowledge, wisdom, and exhortation to be able to speak His heart towards certain people at specific times. Teammates with these giftings can be called upon to help develop and instruct other members of the team through things like leading Bible studies, discussions on topics pertaining to ministry, or facilitating worship and prayer times that create space for hearing the Holy Spirit.

Teaming is a Means of Grace

“Accept every humiliation, look upon every fellow-man who tries or vexes you, as a means of grace to humble you. Use every opportunity of humbling yourself before your fellow-man as a help to remain humble before God. It is by the mighty strengthening of His Holy Spirit that God reveals Christ fully in you.”

Andrew Murray, Humility

There is a reason that almost every passage on spiritual gifts is accompanied by instruction towards love and unity. Learning to work with and live in community with people who are different from us is difficult! In our flesh, we like to be right. Our different giftings will cause us to perceive the same situation from completely different perspectives. A shepherd gifted person might view an evangelist as flighty and inconsistent with new believers. A prophetic leader might prioritize speaking truth over caring for the heart. And yet, the picture of 1 Corinthians 12 is that this one body NEEDS all the parts. 

Spiritual gifts are gifts given and allotted by the Holy Spirit. They are gifts that we did not earn. Instead of fixating on differences, we are commanded to be humble and realize what we don’t have so that we can appreciate others with the giftings that we lack. Andrew Murray, in his book Humility, teaches that we should see other believers, especially the ones that vex us, as a means of grace to grow in our character. In this type of community, we are developed into Christ-likeness. This friction with our teammates develops humility, servant-heartedness, and surrender. And as we grow in Christ-like character, we are able to persevere in the work and bear fruit of the spirit along with ministry fruit!

Implications for Leaders

For leaders, knowing about spiritual gifts is critically important not just for yourself but also for those that you lead. 

Many times as leaders we fall into the trap of thinking that we need to carry everything ourselves. We need to lead the ministry, lead and develop a team, solve every conflict, handle every administrative task, and interact with organizational responsibilities. All the while maintaining our own personal abiding, rhythms, and responsibilities to family and friends. Being the answer to everything is a dangerous rut to fall into, and often speeds leaders along a path to burnout. 

Instead of doing it all, we recommend leading out of your giftings while proactively building a team around you, along with structures and rhythms, to supplement your weaknesses. As a leader you will still need a base level of competency in your weaknesses, but having a team with complementary gifts means that you won’t have to forever lead out of your weaknesses alone.

Recruit the Gifts That You Need

Knowledge of our own spiritual gifts helps us understand what kind of leader we are. For example, I am gifted in evangelism and prophecy. The strengths I bring into a team are a focus on the lost and in offering feedback and development to teammates. However, what I lack is shepherding and administrative giftings. With that knowledge in hand, I can keep my mind focused on finding shepherds and administrators while recruiting. For some reason, in our initial team of 13, not a single person had a shepherd gifting! And we saw that while our team excelled in strategy and personal development, we needed help in areas of healing from trauma, debriefing, and care. In those cases, we looked for outside sources – counselors, mentors from our church at home, and professionals – who could help supplement the lack. 

A simple grid you can use is from Ephesians 4:11:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Ephesians 4:11

Generally, leaders in the apostolic / prophetic / evangelist camp will tend to be more outward and ministry-focused. Shepherds and teachers conversely will focus more on inward care and development. As you consider your own giftings and leadership style, where do you feel like you need help? What kind of co-leader, subteam leader, or teammate could you recruit to balance out your own giftings?

Honor All the Parts

For those of us who have more visible spiritual gifts that seem more applicable for direct ministry work, it can be tempting to judge or disparage lesser seen giftings. Gifts like helps, hospitality, giving, shepherding, and administration are often most comfortably utilized behind the scenes as supportive roles. Although people with these types of giftings are not “flashy”, the Bible has a special word about them. 

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor…

1 Corinthians 12:21-23

Paul calls these types of people indispensable to the body and deserving of even greater honor! If not for the faithful servant-types on our teams, our team would never have been able to become a safe space where true and authentic community could form. They set an example of selflessness that is truly Christlike and something to be emulated by all.

As much as you can, cultivate a heart and a team culture that proactively celebrates these humble servants. Speak well of their deeds to others on the team, have celebrations to thank them for their unique contributions, and create space for their voices and perspectives.

Developing Your Team

As you recruit people with different types of spiritual gifts onto your team, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your team is suddenly rounded out. Spiritual gifts are not static things. We are encouraged to practice our giftings and develop them. As leaders, one of our main jobs is to develop the people on our team, both in character and skill. Here are some suggestions for ways you can start developing your team in spiritual gifts.

• Create Opportunities for Exploration – Many of our teammates may have landed on the field without explicit knowledge of or confidence in their spiritual gifts. While assessments can be helpful, teammates may lack the experience in ministry to really answer assessment questions with confidence. After language learning and acculturation, create opportunities for your teammates to explore different types of ministry activities and debrief them regularly. This debrief could include reporting on outward disciple-making ministry, but also potentially about roles within the team. What activities did you most enjoy? Where did you feel energized? Where did you feel discouraged? What is something you uniquely could contribute to the team?
  
  As your teammates dip their toes into these opportunities, it may become obvious what they feel supernaturally empowered to do and where they begin to see supernatural fruitfulness.

• Create Personal Development Plans – As your teammates begin to identify and practice their spiritual gifts, help them to form development plans that will help them to grow in their gifts. The goal is to create a consistent habit or practice that can be tracked over time, and to introduce helpful resources. What are Bible passages, books, mentors with the same gifting, podcasts, etc. that can be used to help supplement your teammate’s growth? We go more into detail on how to create personal development plans here.

• Develop Roles – Finally, we found that our teammates most thrived when they were able to work out of their giftings in the ministry. A task that one person finds taxing might be another teammate’s greatest joy to do! As much as you can, without sacrificing what is necessary for each person to do for the team to effectively pursue its ministry vision, try to work with your teammate to create a job description that fits them and the needs of the ministry best.
  
  In order to figure out everyone’s ideal roles, we had our team run through an activity. Every teammate wrote down on post-it notes every task they did in their role. After writing everything down, we then asked them to categorize each activity/task into “I love to do this”, “I could take it or leave it”, and “I would rather not do this”. Then we compared notes and, for areas where it made sense, divided up responsibilities based on who had giftings for those tasks.
  
  Obviously, some things like maintaining communication with your supporters or language study cannot be passed off, but it can be revealing to see where you can build more synergy on your team according to giftings! For example, leaders on our team tended to dislike logistical work or hosting, and this responsibility was easily given to those who were more service or administrative oriented.
  
  This activity also helped us understand where we could team up people with different giftings. Evangelists struggled with followup and deep discipleship of new believers, while those with more teaching bent were drawn to those types of tasks. Naturally, it made sense to pair them up to have the people-gatherer and the deep relationship builder work together!

Perseverance is a Team Game

Teams can be a pain. And so, the Holy Spirit, out of His great mercy and love, gives us supernaturally empowered spiritual gifts not just to accelerate the ministry, but to edify and strengthen our teams. And these teams are where we can find the deep community, mutual sharpening and development, and encouragement we so desperately need in a ministry so far from home.

In the ten years that our team has existed, we have been afflicted and tested by sicknesses, criticisms, conflicts, and seemingly unending crises. And yet, most of our original teammates have remained on the field and are still faithfully pursuing the vision. People have asked us – why do you think so many of your team are still on the field? The first answer is purely because of God’s grace to sustain us. But the second reason might just be that having a strong community that loves each other and has each other’s back in any situation could be the critical component that has kept most of us on the field. Perseverance can be a team game, where we help one another as different parts of the same body to complete the vision that God has given to us!

Reflection Questions

• How are you feeling about team life? Why? 
• What do you hope team life on your team could look like? What needs to happen to reach that ideal? 
• How do your spiritual gifts affect how you lead your team? 
• Are you seeing teammates contribute their spiritual gifts to team life? Why or why not?  
• What are the spiritual gifts of those you lead? Where do they need to be developed in their giftings? Are they in a role that activates and allows them to live out of their giftings?

For missionaries launching to the field, the checklist of tasks to accomplish can feel unending – visas, housing, schooling – the list goes on and on. Not only that, we have learned from experience that cross cultural stress and transition tends to bring out the worst in ourselves. Leaving behind every comfort, support, and relationship and replacing it with the embarrassment and exhaustion that comes from engaging a foreign culture tends to bring out anxiety, frustration, and fear. And when those emotions take over, we can forget about dependence on the Lord and turn inwards to try and fix everything ourselves — mostly to our own detriment.

So, we must turn a discerning eye inwards and check on our hearts often in order to build spiritual and emotional resilience. When you are able to recognize your emotional responses to stress, you can then take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ. It allows us to turn these stressful situations into opportunities to draw nearer to Jesus and to learn from him! And as we strengthen our hearts with good self awareness, habits, and disciplines, we can set ourselves up for thriving and perseverance.

After helping several waves of teammates transition to the field, we have learned some ways to check your heart, and established some best practices that are most helpful for thriving on the field.

Learn About Yourself

Learn about yourself, particularly your stressors and coping mechanisms

No part of our lives remain untouched by transition as our old norms and behaviors begin to clash with things in our new culture. In those times, you’re going to get stressed out, and you’ll find either healthy or unhealthy ways to cope.

Steven for example, being an introvert, found himself triggered by the noise, light, and constant flood of people in Bangkok. He would withdraw into himself and avoid chaotic situations, opting to take naps or binge video games. I enjoyed the city and didn’t find it as stressful, but when I had to use my barely sufficient Thai to ask a mechanic to fix our air conditioning, I fell to pieces in tears. I couldn’t stand being embarrassed or laughed at, and I became oversensitive, taking out my anger and frustration on those closest to me. As we understood our patterns, we both learned how to take a breath in those moments to repent of our self reliant coping mechanisms and to ask God to provide what we needed – energy for Steven, acceptance for me – and to help us continue on. We also bought earplugs to mute out some of the constant noise!

It’s important to know what your stressors and coping mechanisms are before you encounter them, so that we can bring these things to Christ. Here are some tools to help you self-discover:

• Ask yourself good questions. What kinds of situations and people stress you out? When you are stressed, what are your tendencies? What types of activities, things, or people help you to calm down from stress in healthy / unhealthy ways? 
• Take some inventories that help measure out different types of stressors like the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory.
• Personality tests like the Meyers Briggs and Enneagram can also help you understand yourself more.

Learn about your unique sin patterns and the lies you are prone to believe

A cunning strategist, when fighting a war, will always be looking for ways to exploit the weaknesses of their opponent. Similarly, our Enemy looks to use our unique vulnerabilities, personal sins, and the lies we tend to believe, to drive a wedge between us and God. We must be vigilant against his attacks (1 Peter 5:8)!

For me, I have seen the destruction that my rage and judgment responses to stress have caused in myself and in others. When it comes to lies, I am quick to believe that I am a failure who will always fail the people around me.

This often played out in how I led my team. Because I assumed I was going to fail them, I was constantly obsessed with making sure that I was a “good enough” leader for them. I would say things that made me sound good, even if it wasn’t the most helpful for them, and I would hide my mistakes and never own up to them. At home, I was always anxious and would replay conversations from the day to make sure that I hadn’t made a fool of myself or failed someone. And in the event that someone did not respond well to something I said, I would resent and judge them, unable to bear the shame that they didn’t agree with me. I couldn’t lead that way because I became so obsessed with myself and not focused on serving the people God had entrusted to me. Lies and sin patterns trap us into ugly cycles and are contrary to the heart of God and how He sees us.

It’s critical that we deeply know our value in Christ and that we fill our hearts with promises of Scripture that directly combat the lies. Here are some common examples of lies that cross cultural workers can tend to believe. While we may not say them out loud, in the secret spaces of our own hearts and minds, these words can wreak havoc on our souls. As you read these, ask yourself, “what are some sins patterns and lies that I am prone to believe? What are some Bible verses that I can memorize and return to in order to contradict these lies?” 

• I need to work hard for God or people to accept me. 
• God is distant and is displeased with me. No one sees what I do or cares.
• It’s all up to me.
• I’m a failure. This is too hard.
• No one can understand me. It’s better to keep my pain to myself. 

When it comes to identifying sin patterns, a good starting resource would be to look at Tim Keller’s work on identifying “core sins”. Every person will have 1-2 dominant core sins out of comfort, approval, control, and power. You can read more about this in his book, Counterfeit Gods. 

Learn how you hear from God and how to walk in the Holy Spirit

So if we are so susceptible to sin and stress, what hope do we have? We have the greatest hope of all — and his name is Jesus Christ! Jesus himself calls us to fulfill the Great Commission. He is our help and He loves us beyond what we could ever understand or return! But if we do not know how to interact with God daily, hourly, constantly, we will never be able to receive the resources that we need to persevere.

John 10:10 promises that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and that we, the sheep, know his voice. This is a dear promise to me because it means that we can interact with God. There is a pending blog post about how to listen to God, but here is a quick overview on how to hear from God: 

• Take time to listen during your quiet times and prayer times. Ask specific questions to God and trust him to direct your emotions and thoughts to the answers you need. Write down whatever the Lord brings up – it could be a verse, an image, an emotion or feeling, or a phrase. 
• Ensure that what you hear from God never contradicts Scripture. The Word of God is true and the Spirit will never contradict the Bible. 
• Bring the things you hear from God to your community and ask them if they, having the same Spirit as you, agree with what you heard from Him. Let them pray and listen on your behalf too. 
• Study the different ways that God speaks in the Bible. Start in the Gospels or in Acts and note down, “to whom is God speaking and by what method did he speak?” 

Remember the cornerstones of your calling

Every missionary reaches that point in their journey when the obstacles and suffering feel insurmountable, and we begin to wonder if we should just give up. To prepare for those valley moments, make it a regular habit to revisit the ways God originally called you and guided you to the mission field. Write down those key moments and Bible verses that brought you confidence as you began your missionary journey. 

In the months leading up to us launching towards Thailand, Steven asked God for some foundational verses for the vision of reaching Thailand. God gave Him all 5 Great Commission passages (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8), Isaiah 45:1-8, Psalm 2, and Revelation 7:9-10. He wrote those on the first page of his journal and has re-written them in every new journal since then, as a remembrance of what and how God has called him to give his life to.

As you continue to visit your own story, your own calling will serve as a cornerstone that reminds you of why you are attempting this audacious mission and who you are doing it for!

Implement Practical Applications and Tools

Here are some rhythms and habits that our teams have developed to help us stay emotionally and spiritually stable. With these tools, we are able to take a proactive stance against the attacks of the enemy and engage in ministry out of thriving, not just surviving.

Practice vulnerability

Living and doing ministry in a new culture can feel like one of the most exposing and uncomfortable experiences a person can go through. We encounter failure, embarrassment, and identity crises daily. A common response to this is to shut down completely and isolate from other people. Isolation is never the answer and only intensifies feelings of shame and loneliness. Although it feels painful and counter-intuitive, communicate honestly about your struggles and pain to God, and also to your team and community. Practice vulnerability by bringing people into the deep places of your heart and share about how you are really doing. If you are having a hard time, tell someone! If there’s an emotion or sin you’re wrestling with, bring it into the light with a trusted friend. Don’t try to hide and fix things on your own, but practice vulnerability in order to build real connections with others who will end up being your support, your cheerleaders, and your friends (1 John 1:5-10). 

On our team, we use a tool called an LTG (Life Transformation Group). An LTG is a small group of no more than 3 people who meet together for mutual accountability, confession, and prayer. It is a required rhythm of our team and has prevented many from walking down dangerous paths of hidden sins and secrecy. You can adapt the tool to your team context, but here is an easy step by step guide. 

Forgive and clear any accounts

One of the most dangerous traps that Satan sets for us is the temptation to hold onto offense and unforgiveness, until these feelings fester into bitterness that shape our entire perspective. Even if you only feel a hint of unforgiveness or resentment toward a teammate, ministry partner, or national friend, I urge you to bring that into the light immediately. Tell your accountability partner. Confess it to your team leader. Repent of your unforgiveness and ask God to give you the courage to forgive, and to give you the power to do so. If necessary, have an honest conversation with the person you are struggling to reconcile with and clear the air on any remaining assumptions. 

A good tool to use for peacemaking conversations is called the 4 G’s. This provides a Biblical framework for discussion that everyone can follow, and can provide some guardrails for the especially touchy situations.

Stay curious and reflective

With the constant chaos of life on the field, it can be very difficult to find the time to process and gain an understanding on how we are actually feeling and doing. You may find that this is the case for you when someone asks you, “how are you,” and you struggle to find an answer. Stay curious about how you are doing at any moment and learn to ask yourself “why” often, especially around any emotional responses. Oftentimes, emotions are a signpost to something going on deeper in your heart. It is okay to feel them! If you have a hard time articulating emotions, use this helpful emotions wheel below!

For example, on days that I am particularly snappy with Steven, I need to take a breath and ask myself, “why are you being so harsh, Jenn?” And a few moments of self reflection can be extremely revealing — maybe I was feeling insecure and competitive, or just running on 5 hours of sleep and needed a nap.

A tool that we use is called the Daily Examen. It’s a series of questions that we ask ourselves at the end of each day to help us understand the progression of our day and the different emotions that we experienced. And then we bring those reflections to God, to see what lessons he might have for us in those experiences. As we strengthen our ability to self-reflect and know our own motivations, we will be able to anticipate and navigate stressful situations while interacting honestly with ourselves, other people, and with God.

Don’t Neglect Rest

Although the task is vast and worth our entire lives, we must be able to entrust the ministry and work to God, and we must take breaks and rest regularly during at least a weekly Sabbath day. We cannot serve others when we are constantly running on empty. We encourage our teams to take a weekly Sabbath to reset – spend time worshipping Jesus and reading the Bible, receive joy from restorative activities, process and plan forward, or just sleep without guilt. I would also challenge you to consider rhythms beyond just a Sabbath — for example, regular community prayer or monthly personal days for prayer and reflection.

While it may feel overwhelming to begin working your way down this heart checklist, I want to encourage you that no one can do all of these things perfectly and that these are rhythms and habits that will continue to build over time. You’ll find from trial and error which of these things are most helpful to you, or you might end up writing up your own list of activities that help build emotional and spiritual thriving!

As leaders, we have gone through countless emotional crises and conflicts, both personally and with our teammates. We often felt overwhelmed and had no idea what to do. Over time, helpful friends and mentors gave us some of these tools and checklists to use to examine our hearts, and they have been immensely helpful. But it was Jesus’ power and presence that met us in these situations. Remembering His promises and character gave us the foundation to keep persevering and, over time, create the emotional resilience to endure the stressors of cross-cultural life and ministry.