Beyond Reverse Culture Shock Introduction
I’m a World War II history nerd. I have watched almost every documentary out there on this time period. As the largest conflict in...
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UPSTREAM BLOG
The Upstream Blog is published two times a week and contains content from missions leaders, pastors, missiologists, and the Upstream team on a wide variety of topics pertaining to being a sending church. Leave us some comments or questions!
Megan Norton
- Feb 19
- 5 min
Helping Older TCKs Transition to College
Many third-culture kids (TCKs) return to their passport country to pursue higher education. Some do so due to language, some due to...
Erica Beiler
- Jan 22
- 4 min
A Church Re-Entry Example
Below is an example of how churches can debrief short-term teams during re-entry. As you take your team through this activity, give them...
Bruce Mewbourne
- Jan 15
- 4 min
Where to Now? Helping Short-Term Teams Return Well
Getting excited about sending out short-term teams is easy. A short-term mission experience is, perhaps, one of the most effective ways...
Greg Mathias
- Jan 1
- 5 min
Debriefing Short-Term Trips
Spending nine weeks in the Middle East during the summer of 1994 challenged my worldview, shaped my identity, and redirected my life’s...
Mike Easton
- Sep 18, 2023
- 5 min
Lunch and Learns
At the end of Paul’s first missionary journey, there is a wonderful, descriptive paragraph on what Paul and Barnabas did as they returned...
Ryan Martin
- Jun 12, 2023
- 6 min
Post-Field Care: Plan, Presence, and Pathways to Reengagement
Post-field care can be the most challenging care for churches to provide. Missionaries come home for numerous reasons—scheduled visits,...
Shirley Ralston
- Jul 1, 2021
- 1 min
Healthy At Home: More Resources for Healthy Minds, Bodies, Souls, and Practical Needs
Here is a list of resources to further help you care for your sent ones' mind, body, soul, and practical needs.
Shirley Ralston
- Jun 28, 2021
- 5 min
Healthy at Home: Helping Hands
Relying on the local church for travel, lodging plans, and fellowship has long been the norm for those sent out to deliver the Good News.
Shirley Ralston
- Jun 24, 2021
- 4 min
Healthy at Home: Healthy Souls
Maintaining healthy souls on reentry is a community effort that takes time and commitment.
Shirley Ralston
- Jun 21, 2021
- 5 min
Healthy at Home: Healthy Bodies
Providing for the needs of the body lays the groundwork for rest and renewal of the mind, alleviating stress in sent ones’ reentry process.
Shirley Ralston
- Jun 17, 2021
- 3 min
Healthy at Home: Healthy Minds Part 2—Professional Christian Counseling
Professional Christian counseling may be necessary for returned workers who have experienced trauma or levels of high stress on the field.
Shirley Ralston
- Jun 14, 2021
- 5 min
Healthy at Home: Healthy Minds Part 1—Debriefing
Debriefing helps ensure sent ones' continued health, resiliency, and well-being.
Shirley Ralston
- Jun 10, 2021
- 3 min
Healthy at Home: Five Ways to Provide Holistic Care for Returned Global Workers
Reentry care is a multi-faceted endeavor that requires constant tending. Our attention to their care is key to health and longevity.
Mike Easton
- Apr 12, 2021
- 2 min
Overview of Sending Church Element 15: Receiving Sent Ones During Reentry
Consider how you can serve and love the Sent-Ones from your church as they make this difficult re-entry for a short time or permanently.
Megan Norton
- Jul 27, 2020
- 6 min
Reentry Tips for Third Culture Kid Teenagers
Third culture kids transitioning back to their passport country face many challenges. Here are a few tips for navigating reentry.
Anonymous
- Jul 23, 2020
- 1 min
Unlocked, Part 3: Questions for Discussion and Application
If you’ve experienced lockdowns, disrupted lives, and are still experiencing uncertainty, we encourage you to consider these questions.
debbie4034
- Oct 7, 2019
- 3 min
When Missionary Kids Return “Home,” Part Two
By Parker McCrary Often, we look back on our circumstances as missionary kids (MK’s) and we realize how fortunate we were to see the...
debbie4034
- Oct 3, 2019
- 4 min
When Missionary Kids Return “Home”, Part One
By Isaac Grace “Home” for MISSIONARY KIDS What is home? A place? A specific group of people, perhaps? Who can say, or nail it down to one...
debbie4034
- May 6, 2019
- 3 min
Welcoming Broken Missionaries Back
By An Anonymous Worker originally published on A Life Overseas John Chau’s death in November raised a complicated and important...
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