Missionary life: Figuring out furlough in the age of Facebook
fur·lough
noun ˈfər-(ˌ)lō
(a) a leave of absence from duty granted especially to a soldier;
(b) an antiquated word still used by churches to describe time missionaries spend in their home country.
(a) a leave of absence from duty granted especially to a soldier;
(b) an antiquated word still used by churches to describe time missionaries spend in their home country.
By Anna McShane —
“When is your next furlough?” the letter from First Church asks us. Furlough? Leave of absence? Here in the 2000s, missionaries don’t get furloughs
anymore. Home service, home assignment, or just a few weeks of time in the home country before returning to their REAL home, where they live and work – is that furlough?
Furlough was what missionaries did every fifth year when they took a boat to go to the ends of the earth. Like the leave of absence from duty granted to a soldier, it was a time to return from the rigors of working in a foreign land, to recover physically, to reconnect with churches and family members who had not been seen face to face for four long years.
Life has changed
Missionaries can be in daily, almost hourly, contact with friends, churches, and family in other parts of the world thanks to Facebook, Twitter, email, Facetime, Skype, etc., etc., etc. In fact, many missionaries say they could do with a little LESS Internet contact, not more — but that’s another story.
Need a mission speaker in your church? It’s not unusual for the church to fly one of their missionaries home from Europe, Asia, or Africa for a conference.
The Internet does have a downside
The constant exposure of little notes, messages, quick back-and-forth interactions means that most churches feel they know what their missionaries are doing and don’t need any extended time with them. The “furlough” updates where missionaries gave detailed reports to their supporters have turned into one- to five-minute mission moments in the Sunday service. Rather than gathering together for prayer, requests go out on email. These changes aren’t wrong, but they can leave missionaries at a loss about how to interact in-depth with their supporters and churches. Facebook is a great place to post news, but it just doesn’t cut it when there are gut-wrenching prayer needs and spiritual battles going on that could use some genuine face time.
Not a vacation
“Furlough” is not vacation, and that’s why missions call it “home service” or “home assignment.” No matter what you call it, most missions still ask their workers to commit much of their time to nurturing relationships with their support base (and often raising support) — aside from continuing education, training to further enhance their ministry, and interacting with aging parents, grown children, extended family, and close friends who live in the home country.
When someone says to a returning missionary, “I wish I got that much time off,” this reflects a lack of understanding of what the missionary needs to be doing during those three months, or one month, or even a year for those folks who keep to the traditional schedule of four years on the field/one year off the field.
“Furlough” is part of the entire work schedule of missionaries and is vital to their ongoing spiritual development, mental health, and ministry effectiveness. Have you ever discussed “furlough” with your missionary friends? Does your church understand how to use swiftly changing communication to the best advantage, while still allowing for extended face-to-face interaction when your missionaries are nearby? Do you ask your missionaries how you can strategically use them? Conversation is valuable. Communication is absolutely essential. Embrace the present and work together to figure out what works today.
Additional Posts

Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?



