Customer Reviews

Re-Entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We just returned from Russia when my father gave me this book, and said, 'read it'. That was good advice.

Returning from an extended period in a foreign country can be a difficult experience. This book describes problems you can fall into, and how to avoid them.

It talks about how people fail to notice you've even been gone. Or don't seem to care that much what you did. When you understand these are common experiences, it helps those problems become a lot less personal.

Overall, we've applied the principles of this book, and haven't experienced most of the 'reverse culture shock' that many do. And we've been home nearly a year now, so we'll probably do okay.

Good book to give a returning, or retiring missionary, as a gift.

We received this book before we returned from the mission field 10 years ago and found it very helpful. We are re-reading it now to be ready to welcome our daughter's boyfriend home from the war. We haven't found anything else as helpful.

I always keep many copies of this book and give it out to everyone! It is perfect for both short-term missionaries and career missionaries who are returning home to the US.
Returning home is such a challenge, and most of the issues one faces unfortunately are all to common. It is wonderful to read this book and realize you aren't alone, that people have the same experiences. Believe me, you aren't the only one!

I lead short term mission trips and this is one of the most helpful resources I have found to help folks prepare and transition to life back home. This book goes beyond "it will be hard when you go back home", but offers practical reflection points to help you think about the time and what you learned from your time abroad while you are preparing to leave. I love that he focuses on the preparation before you leave the field rather than only on what to expect after you return.

Some friends recommended this book to me after I returned from a year in East Africa. My only regret is that I didn't know about this book earlier! It is a very useful and practical guide for people who have spent time overseas, have experienced changes during the time away and are now returning to a "home" that has also changed during their absence. It provides specific questions for reflection and introspection BEFORE someone leaves the field, helps the person anticipate common reactions once s/he gets home, and suggests ways for the person to reintegrate back into life and community. The book actually suggests that a person who is returning start the reflection portion BEFORE they leave the field, and I concur. The language and style of the writing is very simple and direct. This is not a book about the theory of reentry; it's a practical guide. The book was written a while ago so some of the analogies are rather outdated, but that was the only negative.

This book is super helpful for missionaries who have had fairly normal missionary experiences. I lived on the mission field with my family when I was a teenager, and this is a great book to prepare you for reentry if you had a good mission experience.
If you've lived through catastrophic events while on the mission field, it's likely that your reentry will be the exact opposite of what this book prepares you for. I lived through a natural disaster that was well publicized while on the mission field and did disaster relief work. I stayed in-country for 10 months after that natural disaster, and read this book when I prepared for reentry.
I wish I hadn't!
My experiences were exactly opposite from what this book prepares you for. I anticipated that life at home may have changed, and I was excited to engage my friends and family with inquires into their lives. What I got was bombarded with questions about my experiences, and I felt entirely unprepared and that my experiences were the exact opposite of this book.
I'm sure that this is a great book for most people; I just wish I had never read it.

For those returning from a mission and feeling as though you'll never be the same, you NEED to read this book!

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.

This book is great. It's a wonderful tool and help aid for those entering or re-entering a culture or country. I only wish I had purchased it before I returned to the U.S.