Resources for trying times

In spring 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, several individuals and organizations began providing resources to help people cope with the situation. The pandemic was not only affecting people physically, through contracting the virus, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as a result of the stay-at-home orders, business and education shutdowns, and changes to travel freedom. Very few can say that the pandemic didn’t affect them in some way.

I’ve compiled the following list of resources to offer assistance in dealing with the ongoing effects of the pandemic. While we may experience some relief from the virus as vaccines are made available, the pandemic will continue to have residual effects for a long time to come. By tapping into some of these resources, you will gain a clearer understanding of what you and others may have been going through. They will enable you to be better prepared to help others in the coming months.

I am grateful to the members of the JEMA Member Care Committee for their input and contributions. Some of the resources listed here are from individual articles and some are from organizations that have put together resources of their own. Many are specific to the global pandemic, but those more general in nature still offer beneficial insights for overall health and well-being. We hope they will contribute to your resilience.

COVID-19

COVID-19 has taken so much away from people. The resources listed below speak specifically to the pandemic and ways to deal with it in our lives.

• “Special Resource: COVID-19” from Headington Institute (a compilation of resources related to COVID-19): https://www.headington-institute.org/resources/covid-19
• “Caring for TCKs During Covid”: https://www.alifeoverseas.com/caring-for-tcks-during-covid
• “A Body of Work” by Curt Thompson MD (practical ideas for coping with daily life and the exhaustion we’re feeling): https://curtthompsonmd.com/a-body-of-work
• “Cognitive Load Theory: Explaining our Fight for Focus” by Dr. Christian Jarrett (why we’re struggling with focus and ways to help), on BBC Worklife: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201103-cognitive-load-theory-explaining-our-fight-for-focus
• “Covid and Culture Shock Feel the Same to your Brain — And Here’s Why” (a helpful comparison between culture shock and our reactions to the current pandemic): https://www.alifeoverseas.com/covid-and-culture-shock-feel-the-same-to-your-brain-and-heres-why
• “Coping and Caring for Oneself During COVID-19” from Humanitarian Disaster Institute (practical tips for pastors and leaders about self-care): https://www.wheaton.edu/media/humanitarian-disaster-institute/tip-sheets/Final-pastor-self-care-during-COVID-19.pdf
• “Why Are We So Tired?” (why this global pandemic has worn us out and what to do about it) from SIL: https://sites.google.com/sil.org/why-are-we-so-tired

Grief and loss

Grief and loss are regular guests in a missionary’s life, as we deal with the challenges that our calling brings. Whether the losses you’re dealing with are brought on by COVID-19 or not, the following resources can help us process what we feel and the associated grief that comes with those losses.

• “An Empty Ocean and the 10 Things We Must Remember About Grief” (helpful article about grief from an expat’s perspective, in the context of COVID-19): https://www.alifeoverseas.com/an-empty-ocean-and-the-10-things-we-must-remember-about-grief
• “Count Your Covid Losses” (Member Care Toolbox) by Harry Hoffman (video about how to count your losses as an expat during this period): https://youtu.be/wgwPdAC9t-w
• Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019)

Anxiety

Even though Scripture tells us not to be anxious, the COVID-19 crisis has caused a great deal of anxiety in peoples’ lives. Especially at the beginning, there was so much unknown about the virus and what we could do about it. Fear reigned in the hearts and minds of the most important government leaders down to the youngest students in school.

• “Ask a Counselor: Recognizing and Managing Anxiety”: https://www.alifeoverseas.com/ask-a-counselor-recognizing-and-managing-anxiety

General websites

These websites are general sources of information, inspiration, and encouragement for your missionary ministry.

• Velvet Ashes (https://velvetashes.com)
• A Life Overseas: A Cross-cultural Conversation (https://www.alifeoverseas.com)
• Global Trellis (https://globaltrellis.com)
• Harry Hoffman’s series on Member Care (https://youtu.be/gqZCshJpCrM)

While there may be many more quality resources available, I hope this list will help you deal with the ongoing effects of the global pandemic. It is my prayer that your hearts will be encouraged and that you will gain perspective and freedom from whatever may be challenging your heart right now. And we also know that the greatest resource we could ever have in any situation is our heavenly Father, who cares for us in so many wonderful ways.

The prophet Isaiah encourages those going through trying times in this way: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you…” (Isaiah 43:2–4 NIV).

Other Scriptures you may want to go to are Psalm 18:16–19; 34:18–19; 94:17–19; Matthew 11:28; 2 Corinthians 4:16–18. These are just some of the passages that speak of God’s care as we face trying times. May our heavenly Father’s words be an encouragement to you in these trying times.