If you have been in missions any length of time, you have experienced disappointment with a national person you’ve trusted.
It’s not a question of if, but when.
Someone will break your trust, they might steal from you, or worse.
I know of national workers who were entrusted with a ministry only to overthrow the leader; stealing the work.
Extreme. Maybe.
But at the very least we will have people we invest in disappoint us.
It could be through sin. At times they fail in areas of money, sex, or power. Perhaps they just vanish.
I’ve recently had this happen to me…(again).
Someone I believe in and spent a lot of time with went AWOL. They fell off the deep end. The guy disappeared from the face of the Earth. Choose whatever word picture you want, he is gone.
He didn’t steal from me. There was never a hint of inappropriate action towards my wife or children.
He just left.
I’m disappointed.
My story is common.
So when, (again, not if), this happens how should we (I) respond?
Head over to A Life Overseas. We are a community of current and formers missions workers who share our experiences and learn from each other. Visit and see my ways of response to disappointment, as well as draw on thousands of years of experience. CLICK HERE and head on over.