Re Entry

So incredibly helpful and eye opening. Highly recommend this book to anyone undergoing the daunting task of returning home whether from mission life or military life. Great examples that are easy to understand. Life changing book right here.

I'm a minister and have been involved in missions quite a bit. I found this book to be very helpful as my wife and I with our children moved to Serbia to preach the Gospel. This book addresses things that you should do BEFORE getting on the field as well as how to make a successful trip back into "regular" church life.This book could have rescued some people I know who fell into the pitfalls the author mentions concerning Re-Entry. I would recommend this book to anyone involved in missions of any form. For the misunderstood street preacher, the short term missionary or the long term ambassador for Christ, this book has helpful insights in what we are involved in.

No matter where you are in your journey of following Christ's call upon your life, you should read this book. Taking the Gospel to the world as a faithful witness is one of the primary purposes of the Church. Whether you are called to send or called to go, the insights contained in this short book will help you fulfill this calling.For missionaries about to step into the field, the issues discussed here will alert you to the right questions to have in mind as you proceed into your new setting, even if you might not be able to answer them all at this point. Knowing ahead of time the potential areas in which the reality of the mission field might contrast with your life at home will help you process those differences and keep them in mind throughout your time away from your home country. You will also benefit from identifying those relationships which you should actively maintain with the people and institutions "back at home", preventing those from falling by the wayside as you get busy in your new context.For missionaries already on the field, it is never too early to think about the changes that have already happened—to you and to your home country—and how they have affected you and your family. Being mindful of these will give you precious opportunities to avoid mistakes which might come back to haunt you down the line—and allow you to speak truth in love to your colleagues in the field who may have to leave for one reason or another.For those who remain "at home", you will gain empathy and clarity regarding how to best receive the missionary families and individuals who are coming back to you. You will be able to adjust your expectations and communicate on a deeper level with returning missionaries. You will also learn about ways in which you can use your gifts to assist these brothers and sisters and ease their re-entry.And of course, there is the primary audience for the book: returning missionaries themselves! This is indispensable information for your re-entry process, and will help you to make your reintegration much easier than it would otherwise be. Peter discusses what will be involved in bringing closure to your time in the field and gives you specific steps that will prepare you for your return, both before and after your trip home.

This book is a great read for anyone coming off the mission field whether you have been gone a year or 20 years. I found so much truth in the counsel the author gives readers and so much comfort in his words. It helped me personally deal with issues I did not even know I had after returning from 7 years in Mexico as a Christian worker. If you are getting ready to leave the mission field or know someone who is I highly recommend this book. The insights within it will grant a much smoother transition back into 'normal life'.

Very easy to read format and very helpful to get some ideas to help work through the transition process and prepare well. And it is plain that the author walks with God. Highly recommend to anyone transitioning from cross-cultural ministry. Use it as a workbook and to spark conversation with Jesus in your time with God!

This really an eye opener and a good way to prepare missionaries before they go back home or move back from the field. We can all be susceptible to any of the fallbacks that this book talk about and it is important to have a core group to seek counsel with and be mentally and spiritually prepared when anyone comes back from being a missionary.

A great book with practical application for the returning missionary, I would say if you can try to begin reading it a month or two before leaving the mission field, yet it will still be beneficial to you if you do it after returning home

This book should be required reading for all missionaries serving abroad. A valuable resource for those involved in member-care - the information contained in this book can and should be used in a counselling or debriefing setting. Highly recommended!

It can be very helpful in the process to come back home from missions. There are many good tips on this book!

My husband and I read several books while preparing to return to Canada after serving as missionaries in South Africa. This was by far the best at suggesting how to ease the transition as well as the most thorough at providing practical suggestions for easing our children back into the North American life. While it is specifically geared at missionaries, it could help any cross-cultural travelers or third-culture kids and includes help for short-term teams too

Ein sehr wertvolles Buch zum Thema Reentry, dass ich Menschen empfehle - vorallem Missionare -, die aus dem Ausland zurückkommen und wieder Fuß im Heimatland fassen wollen. Das Buch gibt viele Gedankenanstöße und hilft beim Reflektieren. Es hilft Verständnis zu entwickeln für ein Umfeld ohne Auslandserfahrung und unterstützt die Einlebenphase im Heimatland. Fazit: sehr gut!

I read this book before leaving Africa to return to the UK and found it helpful for preparing emotionally and mentally to resume 'normality'. It has also been very useful in the settling phase and moments of feeling utterly displaced, purposeless and miserable! This is a very good (and short) book and whole-heartedly recommended.

This book was on my 'must read' list as I'm going to be returning from a 2-year period of mission soon. It is an easy read and fairly good. It also made me realize how fortunate I am to have a supportive church who have been interested in what I have been doing and dedicated to supporting me in an organized and caring way throughout my time overseas. However, for me the book's shortcomings lay in the fact that it assumed that all missionaries a) worked in teams and b) were in the business of evangelisation of a local culture. Neither applied to me, so I felt that my situation (as a professional working for an indigenous Christian organisation, with the clear remit NOT to proselytize but to show my faith by the way I live) was not reflected as an option. It is also dated (although the Kindle edition is dated 2011, it was first published in 1992, it talks about tape recorders and slide shows!). I think it would be worth an update by the author to reflect both more modern times and also the diversity of mission service undertaken today, so I hope that he will see this review.