To join a wider community with the re-entry journey, spend some time with this blog: www.rockyreentry.com
Whether you need a little validation, or a reminder that you're not alone in this process--or even if you think you're quite normal--Rocky Reentry has a lot of encouragement to offer.
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A few years ago, this article was published from Adventist News Network. It highlights the very real and common challenges of re-entry through some personal experiences of a few returned student missionaries.
As I have talked with former SMs–who served from the 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond–many of the symptoms of re-entry are the same, no matter the decade or century. I’ve also found that some return SMs don’t like to be labeled in a category of “reverse culture shock,” and tend to think it only has to do with getting used to shopping malls and traffic. But I think the process of re-entry and adjusting back to life at home often has a lot more to do with relationships–feeling lonely, displaced, misunderstood, and a bit left-behind. You could experience some of the same feelings if you’d just dropped out of school for a year and returned, but it can often be intensified by your mission experience because it ran so deep and few are willing or able to take the time to try to understand that. And similarly, you might have a lower appreciation of the changes that happened at home because you were off having your adventures. Eventually, you find your middle ground with new shared experiences, and even a few people who enjoy your mission stories. Until then, you can know you’re not immune, and you’re not the only one. Whether it’s easy or hard, fast or slow, everyone gets to go through some adjustments. But the same God who brought you through your mission experience will not leave you now. What was the most helpful thing(s) others did to help you adjust to being back home? Or what do you think would have made it easier? Here are a few answers from some returned missionary facebook friends (who will remain anonymous):
“Having people to talk to or not talk to about the experience. Without the pressure of having the ‘right’ answer. It is especially hard after leaving the college scene.” “Finding people to relate to. Another is keeping your life active. Spiritual, outdoors, and other areas should have a challenge and purpose. Having God reveal His purpose helped my mind adjust to the change.” “It is a tremendous help to be able to talk openly about things that may have bothered you, doubly so if you went to a place with tremendous political upheaval. It is not uncommon to have our sense of justice and fairness assailed in other cultures since our values systems may be different, or even things that both cultures deplore must be accepted because of the circumstances. Sometimes, the work can seem so overwhelming, especially when one leaves and can see there is still so much to do…” “Just letting me talk about my SM experience.” “My biggest struggle was feeling like I was shoved from a very adult, independent life back into the land between adulthood and childhood. I felt like my life as a student was painfully trivial. I really needed a meaningful and challenging job to distract me and build on the skills I depended on rather than abandon them. I eventually made that for myself , but I think the transition would have been much easier if I have been given that much earlier.” “Keeping connected with God and staying busy. It was hard getting home and everyone went to work and I had nothing to do all day.” “It was hard to go from a small, by the end of the year closely knitted group to being back at university where I didn’t know where and when friends would be around. Also, to go back from living off cash to having to use my ID card again and living in the dorm with an RA when I had lived in an apartment for the previous ten months. I’m not sure what would have helped, but I did enjoy getting to talk about my experiences.” “Ohh man….still adjusting. lol. I’ll get back to you when I’ve adjusted. :)" |
AuthorA few returned AVS missionaries share their "Re-Entry" journey. Share your re-entry journey! Categories
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