When Home Becomes the Mission Field (featuring Nate & Brittany Bruns)

<p>Missionaries spend years preparing to go to the field, but few are prepared for what it feels like to come home.</p><p></p><p>After serving six years in Germany, Nate and Brittany Bruns share the unexpected challenges of returning to the United States, navigating reverse culture shock, raising third-culture kids, and rebuilding community.</p><p></p><p>Ultimately, they discovered God was calling them to live as missionaries in their own country. </p><p></p><p>Their story offers practical encouragement for missionaries, churches, and anyone walking through an unexpected ministry transition.</p><h2><b>Key Takeaways</b></h2><ul><li>Reverse culture shock can be more difficult than moving overseas.</li><li>Missionary transitions affect spouses, children, and the entire family.</li><li>God often prepares leaders for future seasons long before they understand why.</li><li>Returning missionaries bring valuable wisdom that can strengthen the local church.</li><li>Waiting on God is an active posture of trust, not passive inactivity.</li></ul><h2><b>Chapter Markers</b></h2><p><b>00:00</b> Job loss, the desert season, and God's unexpected call to Germany</p><p><b>04:30</b> Reaching a post-Christian culture through relationships</p><p><b>07:15</b> When God said it was time to come home</p><p><b>11:15</b> Reverse culture shock and becoming strangers in your own country</p><p><b>16:00</b> Helping third-culture kids navigate transition</p><p><b>20:15</b> How churches can better care for returning missionaries</p><p><b>23:30</b> What America can learn from post-Christian Europe</p><p><b>26:45</b> Financial transitions and rebuilding support</p><p><b>30:00</b> Waiting on God and discerning what's next</p><p><b>34:00</b> The Bruns Tribe and engaging the spiritually disengaged</p><p><b>36:30</b> Encouragement for missionaries in transition</p><p></p><p>If you're navigating a ministry transition, we'd love to help. Start a conversation with a specialist at<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ministrytransitions.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank"> Ministry Transitions</a>. Learn more about Nate and Brittany's ministry at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.brunstribe.com/" target="_blank">The Bruns Tribe</a>.</p>