resilience training

Okay, so yesterday I went to a training that was talking about resilience and living a resilient life, particularly being a missionary in West Africa.

Actually, all week I am attending different training sessions in regards to missionary living and I am very excited about it. There were about 50 or so missionaries present yesterday.

I am going to write to you just some interesting facts that were shown to me yesterday. I hope you take this information, and even if you are not particularly interested in it in full, it will better help you to know how to pray for us. Okay, here goes, here are some information pieces I found particularly interesting yesterday:

5 to 10% of missionaries living in the USA deal with traumatic events

30 to 47% of missionaries living in Europe deal with traumatic events

64 to 70% of missionaries living in West Africa deal with traumatic events

Okay, now the top ten traumatic events dealt with by West African missionaries are as follows:

1. serious illness

2. car, train or plane accident

3. death of a family member or close friend

4. around a riot, war or crisis event

5. robbery but not physically harmed

6. serious threat/harm with a robbery to a friend

7. seeing injury or death as a result of violence or war

8. burglary outside of home without confrontation

9. evacuation

10. being in the midst of a riot

Okay, isn't this interesting. So, these percentages lead me to believe that these traumatic events won't "maybe" happen, but will and I should be prepared for it at some point and time. Now, John and I and the kids have already dealt with a few of these and the Lord has been faithful and we are so blessed. BUT, I am also excited to learn more about how to handle these after they come. They gave great insight into pre and post traumatic courses of action and I just have a huge desire to tell you all, but I can imagine that maybe this isn't as interesting to you as it is to me.....

SOOOOO, all of this to say, you can pray for our family and the staff living here.

P.S. Today's training is on developing a theology of suffering, risk and change..... I am super excited!