Missionary Life

What if you could love your body no matter your size? We are often so self-critical of our bodies, we make our body the enemy instead of our friend. When we live overseas, we might gain weight because of lack of access to proper nutrition or exercise, and in ministry, church culture, or every day life, we compare our bodies to others. Amy Stern is a body-positive activist who grew up dieting at a young age, until she finally found freedom. She now loves herself the way she is and empowers other women in self-confidence. As we step into summer, learn how you can embrace your body, curves and all. Follow Amy for inspiration on IG @upstairsdaughter. To get my free ebook "Self-care for Exhausted Mamas" go to my website http://www.saritahartz.com and subscribe for my newsletter and it will be emailed to you. Support the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Re-entry is one of the most difficult experiences a missionary can go through and we are often unprepared for the grief and trauma associated with it. It is like navigating the world underwater, everything disorienting and muted. Shonna and I dive deep into her 3-phase Renewed Hope approach of Receive, Rebuild, and Restore to go through the transition of re-entry well and with peace. To connect with Shonna, her book, and her cohorts, go to https://shonnaingram.com/. And to download my new free e-Book on Re-entry go to my website http://www.saritahartz.com. Follow me on IG for more tips @saritahartz. I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

What if your marriage could thrive on the field?  Marriages on the mission field face complex suffering, stressors, ministry demands, and isolation. They are constantly being tested by grief, hardship, power and water outages, exhaustion, and parenting. Stephanie Gutierrez, host of the Modern Day Missionaries podcast, lived in Peru with her husband for 10 years and knows marriage in missions isn't easy. Through playfulness, community, and intentional connection she and her husband built a thriving marriage. Learn tools to fortify your marriage. To listen to Stephanie's podcast go to https://mdmpodcast.org/ or follow her on IG @stephanielgutierrez. Go to my website to read "9 Ways I Saved My Marriage" or to download your free ebooks on self-care. Or buy one of my favorite products: Your Best Self Intimacy Card deck which I mentioned in the show!Support the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Have you ever wondered how to develop grit on the mission field, the kind of resiliency that gets you through hard times? Or maybe you're wondering when is it time to leave and how will I know? Eva and Sue wrote the book Grit to Stay, Grace to Go, and in this podcast, we'll answer those burning questions and more! You can buy their book here and use the discount code  GTSGTG25 through the end of March. To connect with me about coaching please go here, and download lots of free ebooks on self-care and re-entry. Or follow me on IG for more tips @saritahartz.I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Burnout is an occupational hazard for missionaries, ministers, and those in helping professions. Merideth Hite Estevez is the host of the beloved Artists for Joy podcast. She speaks with beauty and wisdom on how rediscovering creativity helped her recover from burnout, how she lives life now as a working mother without succumbing to burnout again, and how you can tap back into the creative pursuits that make your life sing.  Go here to download Merideth's "Self-Portrait Worksheet" to help you get to the heart of what you love again.  Pre-order her book, The Artist’s Joy or Listen to “Artists for Joy” podcast. If you need help with self-care go here to download your free ebook "Self-Care for Global Workers" on my website by subscribing to my newsletter. Or follow me on IG for more tips @saritahartz.I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Missionary Kids and their parents can often face adversity on the field, and have a special identity that makes them who they are.  Mk’s are amazingly adaptable, thoughtful, cross-culturally wise, and yet many suffer from perfectionism, shame, and isolation, and are plagued by the traumas of their youth. With Michele Phoenix, MK advocate we uncover how we can better support MK’s and how as parents we can love them well and help them thrive, as well as when it might be time to go for the sake of your children. To listen to Michele's video for sending orgs go here: https://michelephoenix.com/2024/01/24/love-mks-better/.  Or go to my website http://www.saritahartz.com for coaching resources and free ebooks.I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

How do you know when it's time to leave the mission field? How do you do it well for yourself and your kids? On this podcast I interview Naomi Hattaway about her life overseas and her work with expats. We discuss what it means to be a triangle, what it looks like to trust your gut in the leaving process, and how to navigate re-entry with your family ensuring you can thrive in this transition. To learn more about Naomi visit https://www.naomihattaway.com/. For your free re-entry book on leaving well visit http://www.saritahartz.com. Support the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

As missionaries, caring for our bodies can be difficult and feel like an after-thought. Self-care on the field sometimes seems impossible so many of us stop taking care of our physical bodies, and the results are disastrous, resulting in everything from adrenal fatigue, to autoimmune disorders, gut imbalance, hypothyroidism, weight gain, exhaustion, and burnout. Talia Alanis is a health coach and self-care guru who specializes in genetic testing through NBX wellness and she healed herself from Graves disease through holistic methods. We discuss why God wants us to take care of our bodies, practical and inexpensive tips and tools to do so on the field, and supplements, teas and other resources that will help heal your body so you can continue your mission. To connect with Talia you can go to her FB page. If you're sick you don't have to face this alone.  I offer coaching as I healed myself from adrenal fatigue and burnout, so you can go to my website if you need support. To download my free e-Book on Self-Care for Global Workers subscribe to my newsletter. Support the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Sadly, spiritual and sexual abuse is very prevalent in missions, with those living overseas being three times more likely to experience some kind of abuse, and almost 30% experience some kind of sexual harm. Rebecca is a journalist for Christianity Today and we explore what constitutes spiritual  and sexual abuse, why there is so much of it on the mission field, and why reporting, accountability and justice are much more difficult for global workers. If you or someone you know has experienced abuse on the field, please reach out to me to tell your story, or for trauma informed coaching by emailing me at [email protected]. You do not have to suffer alone. To connect with Rebecca go to https://rhopkins.substack.com/. I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Marilyn Gardner spent the majority of her childhood living in Pakistan and attended boarding school there, and later raised her own 5 children in Egypt. She describes the beauty, joy, and heartbreak of living as a TCK, and being a mother to TCK's and feeling out of place when she returned to the States. TCK's face unique challenges and have a special makeup that allows them to be resilient in hardship, and travel the world with ease. We all have a map in our bodies, and we discuss what it feels like to live well when you belong to many countries. We share practical tools for how to navigate transitions and how TCK's can claim their identities and live a life of meaning where they can thrive. To connect with Marilyn go to her website: https://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/ or download her book Between Worlds. To reach out to Sarita or download her new ebook on Re-entry go to www.saritahartz.com or message her on IG @saritahartz. I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Wow! This is a significant and nuanced episode where I speak with Anna Hampton, author of Facing Danger, A Guide Through Risk,  and Facing Fear, about her life in Afghanistan, and how global workers can take mitigated and Holy Spirit-led risks on the mission field. We discuss how we as mothers can both protect and entrust our children to Christ as we serve in hostile countries, as well as practical tools to prepare for a life of taking dangerous risks for the Gospel. What does it look like to have courage in the face of danger, or life-threatening circumstances, and how can we reconcile the trauma that occurs as a result of our sacrifice? We'll answer these questions and you'll be left inspired and with practical tools to courageously and wisely give your life away for Jesus. To connect with Anna or take one of her Risk Management courses go to https://theologyofrisk.com/. To download free resources from my website on missional living go to https://www.saritahartz.com/. Please subscribe and leave a review for this episode, I'm so grateful! I'd love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

I'm delighted to have Rachel Pieh Jones with me as we talk about her new book Pillars, How My Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus, and what it means to navigate the mystery of faith when we are confronted with other cultural beliefs like Islam. Rachel spent the majority of her life in Somalia under Taliban rule and had to deconstruct her faith when she was inspired by the Islam faith of her Muslim friends and welcomed into their community and a deeper revelation of Jesus' love. We also discuss how to thrive amid culture shock when moving overseas, especially in hostile nations, and what it looks like to be a learner instead of a white savior. To connect with Rachel go to https://rachelpiehjones.com/ and to connect with me and download your new free book on re-entry go to https://www.saritahartz.com/. And please subscribe and leave a review it's so helpful as we reach a wider audience. Support the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

Why do we need millennials in missions even though they make mistakes? How can we learn from the failures and experience of older-generation missionaries who have gone before us?  Seth Barnes knows a lot about failure, but he parlayed that failure into launching one of the biggest missions sending organizations in the world: The World Race. He believes we need Gen X and Gen Z missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission and he's working to ensure they have coaching from older missionaries. How can we use failure as a launching ground for our next career move? You'll learn all this and more in this episode. To connect with Seth go to http://www.sethbarnes.com and to download your free eBook, "A Global Worker's Guide to Resilience in Re-Entry" go to my website: http://www.saritahartz.com, or follow me on IG @saritahartz. I would love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail and I'll answer it! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

This is my favorite episode so far as I'm honored to have Amanda Held Opelt, sister of Rachel Held Evans, and author of A Hole in the World, sharing about the excruciating grief she went through with the loss of her sister and how through the practice of rituals she was able to heal and reconnect with her faith. We also discuss her humanitarian aid work, and how she learned to allow joy and grief to coexist, as well as what it looks like to grieve alongside others. This is a special episode you won't want to miss. To connect with Amanda or read her new book Holy Unhappiness go to https://amandaheldopelt.com/. To connect with me go to http://www.saritahartz.com or follow me on IG @saritahartz. I would love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail and I'll answer it! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook

In this very first episode of Missionary Life, I speak with Pastoral Counselor Jonathan Trotter about his life on the field in Cambodia, and his new book, Digging in the Dirt. We dive deep into maintaining your emotional health in ministry and discuss practical tools to move through anxiety, anger, grief, and the trauma missionaries experience overseas. We mention the app PTSD Coach, Calm, and the Holmes Rahe Stress Scale. To connect with Jonathan go to: https://seeingtheheartsofthehurting.com. If you'd like to seek more support, I offer coaching, pastoral counseling, and free eBooks on my website at http://www.saritahartz.com. You can also connect with me on IG @saritahartz. I would love to answer your questions on air! Leave me a voicemail and I'll answer it! https://www.speakpipe.com/MissionaryLifeSupport the showWebsiteInstagramFacebook