Missionary Life Story

Below is the testimony of a precious missionary couple who have served the Lord in Africa for ten years. Their story emphasizes the great need for advocacy – godly friends who point us to the Truth of God’s Word and become God’s “voice” in our lives. Their experience is also a testament to the power of Scripture in the lives of God’s children. May their story give you a glimpse into the lives of missionaries around the world…the unique challenges that each family member faces, and the reality that missionaries and pastors are not immune to emotional and mental struggles.

Have you prayed for your pastors and missionaries today?

Missionary Wife – Several years ago our oldest child left for the United States after finishing high school, followed by our second child a year later. We missed our oldest child’s wedding due to the chaos of covid restrictions. On top of the changes that I was facing in my life as a mother, our family was battling for the adoptions of our two youngest children. I found myself overwhelmed by loneliness due to the isolation that covid was causing, and deep grief began to overtake me. I began to experience panic attacks and intense anxiety. The panic attacks were causing heart and digestive issues. As these physical manifestations continued I began to realize that there were spiritual roots to some of these physical issues.
God graciously provided us with amazing mission coworkers in another area of the country, and we were able to stay with them for a period of time while I recuperated, both physically and spiritually. Our mission recommended intensive counseling from Selah International Counseling Ministries. Our counselors at Selah were compassionate and understanding, while directing us back to the precious truths of God’s Word as the source of help and healing. Together we worked through daily rhythms of grace and came up with a Biblically practical battle plan to combat the anxiety and to strengthen my faith in God.

Missionary Church Planter – Having never experienced any emotional or mental struggles in the past, I was shocked and completely bewildered when almost overnight my mind lost the ability to rationally think through the day-to-day circumstances in my life. I found myself literally hiding under the covers of my bed as I lacked the capacity to make any decisions. When I was up and moving around I was fearful of every possible bad outcome. I was very concerned I would lose the car keys, that the car would break down, that if the car broke down, I would not have the mental capacity to come up with a solution. I was fearful that I had lost the ability to think rationally and it might never come back. I wasn’t sleeping except for just an hour or two a night for weeks. My nights were filled with hours of confessing every possible sin that might be the reason God had allowed me to fall into this state. In the midst of losing the ability to manage my life, God brought some amazing co-workers into our lives. These were people who had been through many difficult times in their own life, who were able to listen and encourage. This was the first step of the healing process. These co-workers wisely advised us that we needed more specialized Biblical counseling from trained counselors to help put together a plan to work toward a return to mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Selah International Counseling Ministries proved to be compassionate and directed in guiding us into a Biblically balanced and practical routine to restoration. We are very thankful that God brought Selah into our lives at just the right time to provide exactly the shepherding guidance we needed.