SOAR Heartland recovery

Dear Families of a SOAR Heartland participant,

Thank you for your prayers, gifts and support to the one(s) you know and love that participated in SOAR Heartland 2012.  You may be wondering, “What happened to my son/daughter/brother/sister on SOAR Heartland?” This brief letter from me to you has some ideas of ways to continue your support so that the stories are told and the transformations take root.  The stories will leak out slowly over the next few days and weeks. It is our hope and prayer that transformation will continue for a lifetime.

Even though the participants have served well and learned much about culture, team dynamics and discipleship over the last 10 days, they may not come home with a godly glow. The fact is that they have worked very hard, slept very little and had a singular focus of ministry for over a week. Be prepared for:

·      Tiredness & fatigue

·      Grumpiness

·      Possible illness (usually colds)

·      Loneliness because they miss their team and their ministry partners.

How can you help? Have patience.  Post mission trip fatique is common. Ask a few questions each day and the participant will have a chance to process the experience with you.   As a loving family member will also learn about their week and have opportunity to share about your week.

Ask simple questions everyday for a the next few weeks:

1.     “Tell me about where you slept, ate and showered?”

2.     “Share a highlight from your ministry assignment?”

3.     “What seemed to impact you the most?”

4.     “Did you get anything out of the sessions?”

5.     “What do you remember about the Learning Tour?”

6.     “What did you do for solo time?”

7.     “What workshop did you attend on the Saturday?”

8.     “How did you deal with team conflict?”

9.     “Are there things that confused you?”