Missionary life: The 6 R's of a successful home service
By Julie Paden in the Philippines —
My daughter was recently doing a report for school and asked me, “When you moved overseas the first time, how different did you find things and was it hard adjusting?”
Her question made me remember back to those early days when I first arrived in the Philippines. Everything was different—weather, culture, food, people, language. It was all an adjustment. Everything was hard.
But it got easier. I have now lived in the Philippines for more than 10 years, and sometimes I forget how far I have come. The things I used to think were hard and that drove me crazy are now a normal part of daily life and routine.
Which is why I sometimes am at a loss for what to say about our lives when we are on home service (a.k.a. home assignment or furlough). By God’s grace, we have adjusted so well to life in the Philippines that we forget how to describe it, because to us it just looks normal.
But sharing about our lives in the Philippines is one of the main goals of our home service. This is our third home service with SEND, and each of them has looked a little different, but they share the same objectives— the 6 R’s of a successful home service
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In the last few months we have shared in many churches and with many small groups about how the Lord is using us to instruct and send out the Filipino people in missions and discipleship. We are so thankful to him for the partners we have all over the country who may not make the trip across the ocean themselves, but accept their role in making it all possible. We can’t do it on our own!
We miss many things from the Philippines ( see the beautiful poem my daughter wrote about this) but we also love many things about being in the States. Such is the life and challenge of people living in two different countries; a part of our hearts are in both.
We can even relate this to our Christian life. As believers we are not called to get comfortable and make this world our home, because our home is in heaven. Sometimes when I start to feel sorry for myself and want what others have, it does me good to remember this truth.
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?



