My last article on missionary burnout went viral and so many of you asked for missionary care resources. I’ve also written an article, “How to Recover from Burnout,” which offers great tips from my personal life because the last thing I want is for missionaries to be stranded, alone in a foreign country feeling isolated and unsupported by those who sent them out.
This is a list of missionary care organizations with whom I am familiar that can offer you rest and retreat. If you know of any awesome missionary care/burnout resources that I’ve missed, then please email me at saritahartz@gmail.com so we can connect. I’m trying to develop more of a network of resources for global workers so please contact me if you are in this field so we can help each other reach this vision of having missionaries thrive on the field.
Also my brand new eBook, A Global Workers Guide to Resilience in Re-entry is now available- subscribe to my newsletter in the sidebar of the homepage to receive your free guide! Check out my Amazon store for my favorite self-care products on and off the mission field!
Missions Training & Member Care
- Iris School of Missions – Mozambique/Great schools
- Expression 58 School of Ministry – L.A.; Awesome friends; love their heart for justice
- Father Heart Schools – Changed my life; Great for preparation and rest
- Missions Training International – Colorado; I have heard good things
- International Care – helps missionaries with logistics, insurance, and ongoing inner healing
- Elijah House
- World Indigenous Missions
- Barnabas International
- Missionary Care
- Bethel School of Ministry – Redding, CA
- The Rest Initiative – Great self-assessment tools
- Paracletos
- ELLEL – UK
- Headington Institute – Online training for coping overseas
- Trauma Healing Institute- Training on healing trauma on the mission field
- Heart Sync- Trauma training to work with individuals who’ve been through serious trauma
- Regent University- online training in Psychological First Aid; Disaster response, compassion fatigue
Restoration & Retreat
- Oasis Sanctuaries– Cape Town, South Africa
- Shelter Pines, Retreat Center Colorado
- Oasis Ministry Retreats– Brazil
- Paracletos– Debriefing & Retreat
- Catalyst Breathe Retreats– Switzerland
- For those passing through Bethel Church in Redding, CA please contact me (saritahartz@gmail.com) as I am building a missionary care resource network here of providers and hosts who can help you
- Christian Hospitality Network– All over world; helps provide free “Missionary getaways” in 4 star hotels for rest and renewal
- The Well– Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Soul Care Retreats – Colorado; run by a friend Brandi Lea
- Intermissionary Retreats: 1 week debriefing retreats for those in transition, beautiful places
- Life Impact Ministries -Hosted oasis homes with trained life coaches in beautiful locations (suggested donation) For missionaries/pastors
- Link Care Center
- Catch the Fire Leaders School – Toronto, Canada; I’ve been and its amazing
- Destiny House – Redding, CA
- Heartstream Ministries
- 631 Solutions- Retreat- Corfu, Greece
- Zoe Roots- Retreats in Haiti
- Eden Ridge – Affordable retreat center in TN
- Drink from the Spring – Affordable home in Vista, CA
- Sanctuary Inn – Beautiful space near Portland, OR
- Potter’s Inn – Cool retreat center
- Alongside – Michigan
- Mto Moyoni – Jinja, Uganda; I love this place
- Living Well- Cambodia- offering training, counseling and renewal
- Sonscape Retreats– A 7 day retreat for individuals or couples
- Thrive Ministry Retreats – Provide retreats around the globe for global worker women
- Singing Waters, Ontario
- Additional Resources – Including individual homes
- For a more complete list of individual retreat centers by state
- More Homes/Inns by State with discounted rates for missionary stays
Debriefing
- Returning Well- Re-entry groups
- Velvet Ashes– online retreats re-entry
- Girl Catch Fire- Life Coach Erin Kirk (one of my personal favorites)- specializing in debriefing
- Recalibrate Debriefing for Burnout with Dave Lewis
- Missions Training International – DAR
- ELIM
- Catalyst Int’l
- Le Rucher Ministries – International
- Intermissionary Retreats
Counseling/Coaching
- Sarita Hartz– Coaching & Compassion Fatigue Therapist
- Valeo, Geoff Whiteman, LMFT
- SIL Global Counseling for Missionaries– Have therapists around the globe who can do debriefing for trauma and therapy
- Olive Tree Counseling – Turkey; Trained counselors for International workers
- Living Well– Cambodia; Training, counseling and renewal for Expatriates
- Life Journey Center, Penang (online therapy)
- International Therapists – Therapists specializing in re-entry and missionary care
- Narramore Christian Counseling – International therapists overseas run by Karen Carr
- Emerge
- Charis Foundation
- Love After Marriage Workshops – Incredible marriage counseling; I loved it!
- The Center for Relational Care – Marriage Intensive retreats
- Missions Coaching
- Advance Global Coaching– Life Coaching, Melissa Chaplin
- Godspeed resources – Online coaching/counseling
- Kathryn Ray- Field Support– Counseling online
- TCK Counseling
- Strength International- Therapy services to global workers
Books
- Sarita Hartz Ebooks– (Re-entry, Burnout)
- Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events, Spiritual First Aid
- Zeal without Burnout
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Workbook & Skills
- Serving Well, Jonathan, Elizabeth Trotter
- Misunderstood, Tanya Crossman
- Between Worlds, Marilyn Gardner
- Go Light Go Local – Conscientious short term missions
- Digging in the Dirt, Jonathan Trotter
- As Soon as I Fell, Kay Bruner, memoir missions
- The Five Minute Journal – Use every day for gratitude and focus
- Leading on Empty
- The Mind of a Missionary, David Joannes
- Essentials for People Care Development, Geoff Whiteman
- Running on Empty– Fil Anderson
- Dangerous Territory, Amy Peterson
- Facing Danger—A Guide Through Risk
- Holding the Rope, How the Church can Care for Sent Ones
- Soul of a Helper
- When the Body Says No
- Present Over Perfect- Shauna Niequist
- One Thousand Gifts – Ann Voskamp
- Experiencing the Father’s Embrace – Jack Frost
- Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship – Jack Frost
- Try Softer (trauma) Aundi Kolber
- Trauma & Resilience- Schaefer
- Trauma Stewardship- An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self while Caring for others
- Mental Health & Your Church
- The Body Keeps Score-
- Expectations & Burnout
- Looming Transitions – Amy Young
- Returning Well – Re-entry/Transition- Thriving after live overseas- Melissa Chaplin
- The Compassion Fatigue Workbook
- The Road Back to You- An Enneagram Journey of Self-Discovery
- Assimilate or Go Home– Notes from a Failed Missionary
- As Soon as I Fell – Kay Bruner
- Missions Smart– 15 Critical Questions to Ask Before Launching Overseas
- Honourably Wounded- Stress Among Christian workers-Marjory Foyle
- The Space Between Memories -David Joannes
- Will I Ever Be Good Enough?
- Codependent No More
- The Anger Management Workbook
- The Grief Recovery Handbook
- A Hole in the World (grief) Amanda Held Opelt
- Broken Hallelujahs– Learning to grieve the big and small losses of life
- Every Season Sacred, Kayla Craig
- Disappointment with God– Phillip Yancey
- Searching for Sunday- Loving, Leaving & Finding the Church -Rachel Held Evans
- Everything Happens for a Reason & Other Lies I’ve Loved– Kate Bowler
- God is Good – Bill Johnson
- Supernatural Ways of Royalty – Kris Vallotton
- Runaway Radical- Amy Hollingsworth– A Young Man’s Reckless Journey to Save the World
- Dangerous Territory (My Misguided Quest to Save the World)- Amy Peterson
- When Helping Hurts- How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor
- Helping without hurting in Short-Term Missions
- Short-term Missions: An Ethnography of Christian Travel- Brian Howell
- Love Warrior – Glennon Melton Doyle
- Jesus Feminist- Sarah Bessey
- The Artists Way
- The Path- Creating Your Mission Statement For Work & Life
- The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
- Spiritual Rhythm– Mark Buchanan
- Hold Me Tight -Marriage
- Loveability
- Every Bitter Thing is Sweet
- Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds
- We are NOT the Hero: A Missionary’s Guide to Sharing Christ, Not Dependency
- Go Light, Go Local: A Conscientious Approach to Short Term Missions in a Global World
- Serving as Senders- Neal Pirolo
- The Re-Entry Team– Neal Pirolo- Caring for Your Returning Missionaries
- Toxic Charity
- How to (NOT) to Start an Orphanage
- Hands That Heal- FAAST curriculum for sex-trafficking survivors
- Healing Life’s Hurts– Transformational Prayer (formerly Theophostic Prayer)
- Effortless Forgiveness
- Accidental Saints– Nadia Bolz-Weber
- The Great Spiritual Migration– Brian McLaren
- The Irresistible Revolution– Shaine claiborne
- When the Heart Waits, Sue Monk Kidd
- Learning to Walk in the Dark, Barbara Brown Taylor
- Searching for Sunday, Loving Leaving and Finding the Church
- Set Adrift, (Deconstructing faith)
- Supernaturally Single
Missionary/Self-care Products
I have a huge list of products I use for my own self-care and recommend to other missionaries. Please check out my Amazon store.
Meditation
Podcasts
- Global Member Care (Harry Hoffman, Youtube)
- Modern Day Missionaries
- Global Missions Podcast
- Redeeming Eve (Breathe collaboration, Nicole Kuhl)
- Tara Brach- Self-compassion
- Everything Happens– Kate Bowler
- Typology: Ian Crohn- The Enneagram
(Note: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or affiliate link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you real information about health, missionary care, and holistic wellness. These are my real, personal recommendations based on experience. There is no additional cost to you.)
