Re-Entry

Being a Transient

Someone who has been between two cultures several times has said that the only place they feel at home is on the aeroplane between the two countries!  Many of us may have felt that way, at least temporarily.

The blog Rocky Reentry is a fantastic resource written by and for returning international workers. From  questions of identity, fear and shame, to reverse culture shock , this blog addresses many aspects of returning ‘home’ in an honest and compassionate way.

The chapters recommended and linked below are from the booklet Coming ‘Home’: The Reentry Transition. To read other chapters click here.

Chapter 4 ‘Stuck Between Chapters: Being a Transient’

What has changed?

You have changed; your home country will have changed, and these changes may cause confusion! Chapters 5 and 6 explain this and help you prepare:

Chapter 5 – Beginning the Next Chapter: Part I— Outlines and Outcomes

Chapter 6 – Beginning the Next Chapter Part II— Challenging Changes

Reverse Culture Shock

When you arrive home, you may not feel ‘at home’. Normality will hit hard. Such feelings as ‘nobody cares about my travels and experiences’ and ‘people just don’t understand’ may hit you. To prepare for this, take a look at:

Appendix to Coming Home: The Re-entry Transition

Other resources

Some of the following articles or books will be helpful for you as the one returning, but some of them may be useful to recommend to your home church to help them know how to encourage you as you return.

Re-entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home by Peter Jordan (Amazon link) – an excellent book that gives insight into all the stages involved in leaving your ministry and re-entering your passport country.

Preparing for Re-entry A very practical online article on re-entry preparation, covering what you can do while still on the field to best prepare for leaving, and talking through ways in which to leave well and handle re-entry.

Re-entry forums – A site primarily for those returning to the UK; online forums discussing issues surrounding re-entry; some links to resources.

Coming Home: When Missionaries Come Off the Field An online resource for the home churches of missionaries coming home, but may still be a helpful read for the missionaries themselves. It is written regarding missionaries who are not necessarily planning to return.

The Reentry Team: Caring for Your Returning Missionaries (Neal Pirolo) – A book to help churches know how to help and encourage returning missionaries (Amazon link).

Doing re-entry well (online article) Based on a survey of returning overseas workers (which is an interesting read in itself and can be found here), the author talks through some of the challenges of re-entry.