Missionaries Are Real People Quotes

“You have to taste a culture to understand it.”
- Deborah Cater”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“it is so good for my soul when I recognize that my home is not in a physical place. My home is with Jesus in heaven. Psalm 90:1 says, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“You cannot go abroad without coming home a changed person.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Choose wisely where you live, but choose even more wisely how you live.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“What happens when we release our anxiety over being in the right location and instead pursue a lifestyle that is in God’s will? What peace, joy, and freedom flood our lives! We can focus on the important things like how we are leading our family, how we are investing in others, how we are handling the resources God has blessed us with.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“When we focus on God’s will as a lifestyle and not solely about a location, our view of God becomes fuller and less restrictive. He is who He says He is: loving, gracious, full of freedom, light and life. He loves us, not what we do or where we are.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“my righteousness rested on Him, not me, and not because He had to save me but because He wanted to. He saved me not because of me, but in spite of me. He saved me not because I was perfect enough but in spite of my imperfections.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“our relationship with God affects all others. What we believe about Him, how we think about Him, and how we talk about Him impacts every area of our lives.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“The degree to which we see fruit and success in ministry will largely depend on how we are doing emotionally, physically, and spiritually”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Whenever you say yes to something, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your yes is worth the less.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“our role, first and foremost, is being a child of God and then living that out as we relate to and minister to our family and then others.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“When we base our identity on ourselves, our work, or our experiences instead of basing it on who God says we are, our own created identities will fall short. Why? Because when my identity rests on me it is faulty. With God, it is sure. If I form my identity on my experiences it is unstable. With God, it is stable. When I allow my circumstances to define my identity, I will find that it is temporary. With God, it is eternal. When I rely on my own flawed estimation of who I am to determine my identity, it will pale in comparison to God’s perfect vision and declaration of who I am.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Ministry can become inseparable from identity. It may feel like “you are what you do.” If your identity is so tied up in what you do, then when the ministry is struggling or failing, you will believe that you are failing. Don’t believe that the state of your ministry is a full reflection on who you are.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Who you are matters more than what you can do.”
- Jason Archer”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“If and how we care for ourselves will directly influence our effectiveness in ministry. It is ironic that as we are caring for others we can render ourselves ineffective if we are failing to care for ourselves.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Unlearning is hard, but it is so worth it. Why? Because when we unlearn our former habits and prejudices, it opens us up for even more growth, for more learning to happen. It will also build trust and authenticity in our relationships within our host culture. And overall, it will grow in us an attitude of humility and gratitude as we live in a culture that is not our own, in which we are guests.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“If you are a friend of a missionary, ask the hard questions: “How are you really doing?” “What is it really like?” “How can I pray more specifically for you and your ministry?” And then, really listen. We need to know that you care and that you will make an effort to understand or at least offer empathy even if you don’t fully get it.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“I’ve never met a missionary who loves fundraising. In fact, I think most missionaries have a hard time asking for money. It is not an easy task and can be filled with worry, guilt, and discouragement.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Hold material goods and wealth on a flat palm and not in a clenched fist.”
- Alistair Begg”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“No matter how hard I had tried, I would not measure up to the perfection of God’s own Son. Thinking that I could do so was folly. And it was actually hindering, not helping, my relationship with God. All that gain was actually loss.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” - A.W. Tozer”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“As we are vulnerable about our own struggles, we model to the culture around us that there is healing and help in this approach rather than guilt and further hurt resulting from keeping it hidden.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“If you are a missionary preparing for the field, be aware and not naive about depression. Be ready and armed with resources”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken.’” - C.S. Lewis”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“As the place where the divine presence dwells, our bodies are worthy of care and blessing….It is through our bodies that we participate in God’s activity in the world.” - Stephanie Paulsell”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.

“He loves me more than I can ever imagine and not because I am a missionary. Not because I am a wife. Not because I am a mom. But because, and only because, I am His child. Not because of what I do, but because of who I am.”
― Ellen Rosenberger, Missionaries Are Real People: Surviving transitions, navigating relationships, overcoming burnout and depression, and finding joy in God.