Growth Archives

Watch My New Video on Compassion Fatigue & Latest Podcasts

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

I also had an enlightening conversation with Michelle Phoenix, an MK advocate in my podcast, “Loving Missionary Kids Well,” where we discussed the unique challenges that MK’s face including additional stress, perfectionism, isolation, anxiety and depression, as well as the many benefits and gifts MK’s gain through their time overseas including a heart for ministry, […]

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A Letter to My Younger Self

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

This post was originally published on Velvet Ashes. Dear Younger Self, I wish I could go back and tell you that it’s good to take care of yourself—that people-pleasing, wanting to be perfect, and the good intentions that drive you to meet every need will eventually end up destroying you. You have the heart of

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Expat Faith, Mystery & Culture Shock with Rachel Pieh Jones

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

A new year and a new podcast episode which I’m very excited about. I have the amazing and prolific author and expat, Rachel Pieh Jones with me on my podcast Missionary Life as we talk about her new book Pillars, How My Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus, and what it means to navigate the mystery

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Millennial Missionaries, Failure and Knowledge Transfer with Seth Barnes

Leave a Comment / Growth, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Why do we need millennials in missions even though they make mistakes? How can we learn from the failures and experience of older-generation missionaries who have gone before us? Seth Barnes knows a lot about failure, but he parlayed that failure into launching one of the biggest missions sending organizations in the world: The World

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Grief, Rituals & Allowing Joy with Amanda Held Opelt

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Guys, I’m honored to have Amanda Held Opelt, author of A Hole in the World, and sister of the late Rachel Held Evans on my podcast Missionary Life today. This is my favorite episode so far! We share about the excruciating grief Amanda went through with the loss of her sister and how through the practice

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I’m Finally Doing it! Want to Guess My Secret?

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Dear Tribe, Well hopefully you guessed my secret! After many years of saying I was going to, I’m FINALLY launching my very first PODCAST in January 2024, Missionary Life, all about how modern-day helpers can thrive in their mission. This is in preparation for my book launch in June 2024! Whether you are in ministry,

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Healing Missionary Trauma

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

The sad truth is I’ve heard too many stories of abuse and missionary trauma happening on the mission field to ignore this subject. I’ve experienced my own traumas. When I was a young, new missionary to Uganda I was told by a leader I would only hurt people and told to go home, even though

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7 Steps to Prepare for Christian Missions

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Have you ever wondered how to prepare for a short-term missions trip or long-term missions overseas? You know you are called, but now what? Gone are the days of Elisabeth Elliot and the white savior complex. Missionaries, churches, and millennials today want a new paradigm for how to do missions sustainably and without abuse, or

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New Free Ebook A Global Workers Guide to Resilient Re-entry

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Have you ever wondered how to be resilient in re-entry? I recently did a survey on my blog and the majority of you asked for a guide on how to do re-entry in a healthy, resilient way. So I’m pleased to announce I’ve created this eBook with you in mind to give you the tools

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4 Benefits of Being a Solo Missionary

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Being a solo missionary can be extremely difficult and lonely. I know that when I served in Uganda as a solo missionary, I often felt like I was alone in the world without support or member care. It’s also a greater risk for solo missionaries to experience sexual or spiritual abuse, to develop anxiety and

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Why the White Savior Complex is so Dangerous in Missions

Leave a Comment / Growth, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

I just finished watching the very recent and disturbing documentary, Savior Complex on HBO Max recounting the story of Renee Bach, a twenty-something white evangelical missionary, and her well-intentioned but misguided actions with her organization Serving His Children, where she administered medical care to malnourished babies in Jinja, Uganda without any kind of medical degree

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5 Steps to Heal from Missionary Compassion Fatigue

Leave a Comment / Growth, Mental Health, Missions / By Sarita Hartz

Sadly, compassion fatigue is an occupational hazard for those in helping professions like missions or social work. If you’ve developed compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma as a missionary, there is nothing wrong with you and you shouldn’t feel any guilt. These are simply the byproduct of the sacrifices you’ve made to be with people in

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