08/31/2026
Shunem Ministries - Shunem House has been our home for this past week as we get our youngest two kids settled into university. It is a beautiful place and like my coffee mug says this morning, I am grateful to be here.
The missionary life is one of incredible joy and privilege and it is also one of deep pain and suffering. I had a long, quiet car ride last night to think over all the precious moments we have shared with friends and family and all the goodbyes. I thought of all the loving support we received and all the difficulties and uncertainties we head back to tomorrow. I thought of how happy I was to spend quality time with my kids and how much I will miss them all when international borders separate us. When I arrived at Shunem House at 9:30 pm, Jeanette Vermilya was still up and greeted me in the kitchen.
The weight of everything hit me in that moment and I started to sob. Jeannette asked me if I was okay and I said:
"I am just going to cry for a while. I am feeling all the things, all at the same time."
Jeanette nodded, hugged me, listened to me, encouraged me, and made me a hot mug of tea. I went off to bed so loved. Missionaries need cared for, too. That is what makes Shunem so special.
Terry Wardler said, "ministry is a series of ungrieved losses."
Missionary life is full of losses: transitions, goodbyes, failures, rejections, and waiting. Don't let people tell you otherwise.
But they don't have to go ungrieved and we don't have to go through them alone.
Sometimes I am the crying missionary as I move from one season to the next but I go with Jesus and a thankful heart for all those that cry with me. We don't make these sacrifices in vain.
From Sarah Schmitz
