As Jerry Jones of ‘the Culture Blend’ says, ‘Leaving is a process, not an event’. Getting ready to leave is what you have been doing since you first announced that you felt called to GO! Your friends and family will have sensed it back then, and already they may be making plans that no longer include you, which can be quite painful, as you sense them starting to pull away! But now, in any case, you will be busy with your own plans – packing, buying tickets, acquiring visas etc. This is a time for being very intentional in building a RAFT, a useful tool for transition and good closure. (The acronym stands for Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewell and Think Destination). This also requires time – build it into your countdown schedule or it simply won’t happen. Before you know it, D (for Departure) Day will have arrived!

Read Acts 13. You will see that this is more than just a rousing send-off, with a ‘fare you well’, at the end. The sense of still belonging, even when serving at the other end of the world, is so, so important. Maintaining that connection through thick and thin might make all the difference between success and failure. However, the fact is that the departing cross-cultural worker also has a deep responsibility to maintain the connection from their end of it as well and to build an ongoing support ecosystem from a variety of sources to facilitate their own thriving for the long haul.

As Jerry Jones of ‘the Culture Blend’ says, ‘Leaving is a process, not an event’. Getting ready to leave is what you have been doing since you first announced that you felt called to GO! Your friends and family will have sensed it back then, and already they may be making plans that no longer include you, which can be quite painful, as you sense them starting to pull away! But now, in any case, you will be busy with your own plans – packing, buying tickets, acquiring visas etc. This is a time for being very intentional in building a RAFT, a useful tool for transition and good closure. (The acronym stands for Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewell and Think Destination). This also requires time – build it into your countdown schedule or it simply won’t happen. Before you know it, D (for Departure) Day will have arrived!

Read Acts 13. You will see that this is more than just a rousing send-off, with a ‘fare you well’, at the end. The sense of still belonging, even when serving at the other end of the world, is so, so important. Maintaining that connection through thick and thin might make all the difference between success and failure. However, the fact is that the departing cross-cultural worker also has a deep responsibility to maintain the connection from their end of it as well and to build an ongoing support ecosystem from a variety of sources to facilitate their own thriving for the long haul.