Raising awareness about a struggle that's more common than you might think
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This week's topic is very personal.
Monique (co-host, "All The Things") spent 4 1/2 years overseas as a full-time missionary in South Africa.
However, a funny thing happened on the way to doing Kingdom work. While helping traumatized children in Cape Flats, Monique was attacked several times, including receiving a death threat. She was forced to cut her work short so she could recover from PTSD.
Traumas on the mission field aren't uncommon, but not often discussed. Much more needs to be done to raise awareness about this issue. More research is needed as well. Here are a few resources to help further the conversation:
Krista's daughter, Emily, wrote an article about Monique and another friend about their experience recovering from mission field PTSD: "I'm OK, I'm OK" (flip to page 10).
Article (summarizing a small study): "Trauma and Traumatic Stress in Cross-cultural Missions."
Podcast: "What Missionaries Need to Know About Trauma"