The Missional Handbook {a review}

You know what’s the hardest part of being a missionary? Explaining it– all of it– to others. Only missionaries really get other missionaries, just like only pastors truly understand pastors, only professional soccer players have lived inside the skin of other professional soccer players, and only mothers of multiples can truly empathize when they see a woman trying to discreetly nurse twins in public.

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is priceless. Even better is looking down at someone’s feet and realizing that, when faced with aisles and aisles of options, they selected the same pair of fire engine red Converse high tops that you did.

For this reason, talking with other missions-minded folks has become something of a lifeline for me. Having the common ground of surrendering this place, this food, this everything clears the ground for deeper conversation that doesn’t need a statement of disclosure.

Actually, I’m moving in a couple of months. No, it’s out of country. No, Asia, actually. Nepal. Kathmandu. Yes, it’s a real place. They’re called “developing nations” now. Yes, on purpose. Yes, with my family. No, I’m not crazy.

That last line– I’m not crazy— is pretty much always in question. Because folks, the line between crazy and called is a fine one indeed.

But when I talk with others who’ve been there …

They get it.

The Dad who leaves for a month at a stretch several times a year to serve in Africa, leaving Mom and the kids at home. They get it.

The couple who dream of retiring not to Florida or Arizona, but Turkey. They get it.

The family on furlough, recounting the trial of moving 6 times in 5 years in two different countries. They get it.

But that kind of one-on-one, that kind of connection … it’s hard to find. And I recognize fully that once we’re on the field, communicating who we are and what we do to our new friends and neighbors will be even more challenging. I admit it– I am currently treasuring up in my heart all these moments and actively devouring every bit of preparatory knowledge that can be gleaned from those who saw the Converse on the shelves among the high-end running shoes and knew that while everyone else would be comfortable in the fly sneakers, they’d be sporting the old school Chucks.

I know I’m blessed to walk alongside so many people for whom “Here I am, send me!” is a personal battle cry. But what if you’re interested in missions, and your circle is decidedly lacking in others with a heart for making disciples of all nations? What if you feel the tug of serving, and don’t know how to make it work? What if you have questions? What if you aren’t sure what missions should even look like? What if you have a kooky family member intent on moving their whole family around the globe and just want to try to understand, somehow?

If that’s you, may I gently encourage you to check out The Missional Handbook by Missional Call‘s Rosilind Jukic?

This book touches on nearly every conversation my husband and I had– usually late in the evening, after the kids were in bed– after we heard the call to train and equip church planters in Nepal. How do we do this? What does it look like? How will this change us? How do we build relationships in another country? How do we handle the 24/7 of ministry? How do we break into the culture? How have other folks managed this leap? How do we keep in touch with people? Will we see any fruit in our lifetime?

Rosilind’s casual, conversational tone introduces a whole host of concerns and offers loads of encouragement. Her decade of experience as a field missionary, an expat wife, and the mother of TCK’s gives her a unique point of view from which to share how best to write newsletter updates or mourn the death of the idealized mission dream. At the back of the book, former, current and future missionaries alike share their insights and advice. And while I can’t say I agree with everything presented (one writer, in particular, feels that homeschooling on the field is a major no no), more often than not as I read this book I found myself nodding and feeling justified.

This book is an excellent investment for anyone considering missions– full-time, part-time, or short-term– or anyone desiring to understand the life that follows the call. It’s an encouraging addition to any missions library, or could be used as a conversation guide for a small group with a missions focus. Anyone, anywhere looking at their own shoes and wondering if God is calling them to swap would benefit from spending time in these pages. If that’s you, check it out!