Creating “Home” in Your Host Country
By JG, one of our workers in Eurasia
Home. So much meaning can be felt in this one word. While most of us have heard and believe sayings such as “home is where the heart is,” there are also some elements of security, stability, and familiarity that we long to experience when relocating to a foreign land. We feel this all the more when our lives on the field are often anything but predictable or within our realm of control. We need a place where we can fully be ourselves. A place where we can rest. A blessed place where we can share our hearts with others.
Our family has lived away from the United States for 18 years now, and these are some ways that I have found to create a sense of home when we are away from our homeland:
We have found that for our family, it’s been important to keep certain routines and traditions. We eat breakfast together every morning. We pray together before bedtime. We have game nights. We celebrate major holidays from our home country and also important holidays of our host country. Even though my kids aren’t crazy about football, they are always excited to host a Superbowl party each winter because it’s something we do every year. The tradition can be something really easy like eating macaroni and cheese for lunch every Saturday. The importance lies in consistency—something that can be counted on.
Home. So much meaning can be felt in this one word. While most of us have heard and believe sayings such as “home is where the heart is,” there are also some elements of security, stability, and familiarity that we long to experience when relocating to a foreign land. We feel this all the more when our lives on the field are often anything but predictable or within our realm of control. We need a place where we can fully be ourselves. A place where we can rest. A blessed place where we can share our hearts with others.
Our family has lived away from the United States for 18 years now, and these are some ways that I have found to create a sense of home when we are away from our homeland:
Routines and traditions
We have found that for our family, it’s been important to keep certain routines and traditions. We eat breakfast together every morning. We pray together before bedtime. We have game nights. We celebrate major holidays from our home country and also important holidays of our host country. Even though my kids aren’t crazy about football, they are always excited to host a Superbowl party each winter because it’s something we do every year. The tradition can be something really easy like eating macaroni and cheese for lunch every Saturday. The importance lies in consistency—something that can be counted on.
Beauty
Our first few years overseas, I think I undervalued this and had a lack of beauty in my life. We lived in a polluted city with grey buildings. I had a baby, and it was harder to get out. At one point, I realized how good it is for my heart to be around beauty. Maybe it was something as simple as walking near a patch of trees, lighting a scented candle, or buying flowers and putting them on the kitchen table. But I realized that being around beauty helped me to feel more at home. I also realized that locals didn’t expect me to have home decor all in their style. It’s interesting for them to see decorations that I’ve brought from my home culture. Some of these items include pictures, cozy blankets, throw pillows, and photo albums. They help a house feel more like home and can also be great connectors and conversation starters with new friends.
Gratitude
A discipline I have found to be powerful in my life is keeping a gratitude journal. I bring the book with me and record blessings (both big and small) as I see them. This really has helped me to have a sense of joy and to see blessings all around me. It is a reminder of God’s nearness, even in the midst of difficult situations.
Praise Music
In the early years of our lives overseas, we were constantly coming up against obstacles, frustrations, and difficulties. Our hearts were constantly heavy, and it felt like there was nothing we could do. One of our friends who had lived overseas for years encouraged us to play praise music in the house. We began this practice and really felt a difference in the atmosphere of our home and hearts.
Conveniences can be good!
It’s often hard to know as an overseas worker which modern conveniences are appropriate to have and which will make you stand out too much from the culture. I remember when we had two little ones, staying up late many nights doing dishes after large groups of guests, with a baby strapped to my back and my legs so sore from standing on the hard floor. I thought that if we got a dishwasher it would seem extravagant to our local friends. But my husband came home one day with a dishwasher, and it was a game changer! It saved so much time and helped me to be happier and more willing to have guests. It turns out that soon after, many local families got dishwashers, too! Some conveniences make it possible for you to spend more time with your family or others. Be prayerful about this decision, and be sure to include this consideration in your decision-making process.
Don’t Skimp on Language Learning
Learning a new language is hard, and it can be even more complicated if you have young children when you arrive on the field. It can be easy to give up or to end the language-learning process before you can interact freely with local people. But don’t skimp on this! Keep working on language learning until you can communicate freely. This truly will help you to feel more at home in your new country.
Rest and Outlets
It can be so easy with the nature of our work to never stop working or serving others. But God made us to need a sabbath. We need time to pull away. Time to rest and rejuvenate. Protect these rest days and protect time with your family. Also, whether it’s through exercise, a hobby, or finding a way to be creative, make sure you have regular outlets in your life.
Abide in Christ
While there are many physical things we can do to create a sense of home in a foreign land, it’s important to remember that this world is not our home. We will never completely be at home until we are at home with Christ. We are not living overseas so we can be comfortable, but we are here to know Him and have Him formed in us. Only by staying close to Jesus will we have the security and belonging that our hearts long for.
Conflicts, culturally-insensitive mistakes, health issues, difficulties with teammates, and other challenges will come unexpectedly and shake our world. But we have a Rock we can count on to uphold us and use us despite our difficulties. It’s best to expect these things, to know these things will happen because we are in a spiritual battle in a fallen world. We have His promise of ultimate restoration of home and relationships when we leave our earthly home for Christ’s sake. Let’s not forget that home is where Christ is.
Above is one SEND worker’s journey and the wisdom she gained along the way as her family created their home in Eurasia. Global workers who follow Jesus have the unique challenge of creating a home that blends elements of their passport country and their host country, a place of both retreat and hospitality. A place that makes sense to a family living as foreigners, as well as to the host community they live amongst. Please pray for global workers as they create “home” in their places of service. May these homes reflect their rootedness in a God in whom they can abide with safety, intimacy, and joy.
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?
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