After months of planning, packing, and saying goodbye, missionaries finally arrive for home assignment in their passport country.
However, arriving does not necessarily mean life suddenly slows down.
Returning to a passport country can bring unexpected challenges. Missionaries may need to find temporary housing, adjust to different routines and systems, reconnect with family and friends, and navigate reverse culture shock. Yes, a culture they once knew may now feel foreign to them. Places that once felt familiar may feel different after years away. Everyday tasks, like grocery shopping or driving, can feel unfamiliar. Friends and family have changed. And missionaries themselves have changed too.
At the same time, home assignment is an incredibly important season of ministry.
Missionaries often spend this time visiting churches, reconnecting with supporters, sharing stories of what God is doing, and inviting others into the work. They may speak at church services, meet one-on-one with supporters, and participate in events.
Home assignment can hold both rest and work, joy and adjustment, receiving care and continuing to serve.
For churches and supporters, this season is a chance to welcome, encourage, listen, pray, and walk alongside those who have spent years serving cross-culturally.
Home assignment isn’t stepping away from ministry, it’s simply another part of it.
(Adapted from OMF’s “What Home Assignment Means for a Missionary” series, Parts 5–6 by Wendy Marshall. Links to all four parts here: https://omf.org/us/what-home-assignment-means-for-a-missionary-part-6/)
