When Counseling Missionaries, Please Remember these Six Things

I’m so excited that Remnant Counselor Collective launches today and includes an article of mine aimed at helping counselors care for missionaries. It’s about the six things a counselor should remember when counseling missionaries:

1. Don’t try to keep them on the field or get them off the field

2. Remember, they’re people too

3. Get comfortable with grief, because there’s probably a lot of it

4. Be careful with spirituality

5. Always assess for trauma and secondary trauma

6. Remember the basics

Read the full article here: https://www.remnantcounselorcollective.com/…/when.

— Jonathan T.

A Prayer for Marriage {shared during the Velvet Ashes Equip Conference}

Father in heaven who loves us, who longs to know us, who longs for us to know You and to know each other in marriage, we confess that we do not always see You or Your goodness in marriage.

But we thank you for Your good plans for us and our marriages. We thank you for Your good plans for Your church across the globe. And we thank you that your plans are not in conflict with one another.

Help us to see the image of God in one another. Help us to rejoice in each other and in our relationships. Restore the joy of first love to us.

Give us the courage to say no to the world and yes to each other. Give us the strength to seek healing from You that we may bring it to our marriages and thus to the world. Let our marriages shine the light of You to others so that they may ask where we found it and want what we have.

Thank you for giving us Your Son, who loved and blessed marriages. Amen.

(Prayer written and shared by Elizabeth)

Book Sale: Digging in the Dirt is $2.99 through Wednesday!

Hey there! I am thrilled to let you know that “Digging in the Dirt: Musings on Missions, Emotions, and Life in the Mud” is ON SALE FOR $2.99 UNTIL WEDNESDAY NIGHT!

https://amzn.to/3SOtnqd (affiliate link)

I put so much of my heart and soul into this book, diving into topics like anger, grief, hope, sex, what to do when the power goes out, what to do when the thief steals, and so much more. Here is the invitation from the back cover:

Welcome to ground level, to the dirt and the mess.

We like the mountain tops and the sunshine. We like green grass under a clear blue sky. We like victory and breakthrough and answered prayers. But sometimes it rains, the shadows deepen, and life turns muddy. Sometimes God seems quiet. What then? What happens when depression descends, or anxiety hangs like a sword overhead? What happens when loneliness suffocates, the thief steals more than stuff, and you get blood on your shoes?

In Digging in the Dirt, Jonathan Trotter delves into the disasters, the darkness, and the deluge, and he offers comfort, presence, and a gentle invitation to hope.

With humor and prose, with poetry and Top Ten lists, Jonathan welcomes us to the dirt, to the places where we actually live. He invites us to boldly see life as it is, with eyes wide open, and reminds us that even when the digging is scary, we are never alone.

To the ones who are dealing with devastation and distress, welcome. To the ones who need to uproot, to pull out, to clear ground, welcome. To the ones who seek desperately to plant seeds of grace and hope in once barren soil, welcome. To the missionary abroad and the believer at home, welcome. Receive the invitation, and join with Jonathan here at ground level, together.

Come, dig in the dirt.

May be an image of 1 person and smiling

A New Podcast: Digging in the Dirt, with Jonathan Trotter

Listen to the Digging in the Dirt podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Here are the show notes from Episode 1:

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Digging in the Dirt Podcast! I’m so glad you’re here! I will aim to keep this short, simple, and from the heart. Over time, I plan to read through my entire book, Digging in the Dirt. Think of it as a sort of free audio book! And in addition to the readings, each episode will feature discussions around listener-submitted questions.

So, where would you like to begin? You can submit your ideas, comments, and questions for future episodes here.

Listen to Episode 1 on on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or right here.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

~ Jonathan T.

www.seeingtheheartsofthehurting.com

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Resources Mentioned

Necessary Endings, by Henry Cloud

Digging in the Dirt, by Jonathan Trotter

I Walked On the Moon, by Brian Regan (YouTube comedy special)

*Amazon affiliate links help support the work of A Life Overseas

For Podcast Lovers! Two new episodes…

I had the chance to talk about a bunch of ideas from Digging in the Dirt on a couple of different podcasts recently. Read about what we discussed, and check ‘em out!

The Clarity Podcast with Dr. Aaron Santmyire: We talked about married sexuality, the danger of centering America in the story of global Christianity, why not to call our kids “world changers,” the uniqueness of having a work spouse, Shiny Happy People, and more.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xHJ0ksF3Z8pc3W6G8fkJh…

Podcast website: https://the-clarity-podcast.captivate.fm/

Missionary Life with Sarita Hartz: We talked about the fun stuff like depression, anxiety, the “missionary life cycle,” and the important distinction between anger and aggression. It’s a vital conversation for those in missions and pretty much everyone else too. 😊

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3uUrZYPmrWn5MaW2I85fN6…

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/…/missionary-life/id1719722593

If you’re interested, you can buy Digging in the Dirt here: https://amzn.to/4a5O3Bf

Happy Friday, y’all, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Amazon affiliate link helps support the work of A Life Overseas]