Mission work is a collaborative effort. Just as Christ’s church has many parts but one body—see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27—so it is with missions. Some may be called to serve with their finances, while others with prayer; some may be called to serve overseas, dedicating all their means to spreading the Gospel, while others are called to serve administratively, ensuring the global worker is well looked after.
Sherri Ens has served both on the ‘front lines’ as a global worker in Rwanda and North Macedonia, and more recently in an office setting as a Personnel Director for SEND. Because of the effectiveness of collaboration, she has also branched out to the Sending Collective and now Greater Europe Mission Canada, where she serves as a pastoral figure to GEM Canada’s workers.
Leanne: You’ve served in North Macedonia for 22 years; what is it like being back home in Canada and now serving in a completely different capacity?
Sherri: It was hard to move overseas, and it was hard to come back. Canada changed a lot after 22 years! I’ve got the best of both worlds now, though. I’m still with the mission and I get to use my strongest gift: encouragement.
Leanne: You’re currently the Personnel Director with SEND. What does that role entail?
Sherri: I check in on workers and pray for them. I’m also, in some ways, their Canadian supervisor, overseeing their applications and whether or not they get accepted. Then, I’m overseeing what training they might need before they go to the field or how we can help them with fundraising. When they’re on the field, I touch base just to see if there’s anything they need. I send letters for visas; I oversee home service; and I debrief them when they get back.
Leanne: Does your new role with GEM Canada look similar?
Sherri: My role with SEND is broader. With GEM Canada, I am checking in with their Canadian workers overseas; I’m getting to know them and their ministries; I’m praying for them and asking how I can be a help or encouragement to them. Sometimes they have practical questions, sometimes they just need a listening ear.
Leanne: Do field workers typically reach out when they feel overwhelmed or are unsure of what to do?
Sherri: I find they aren’t always going to contact us for that reason. There’s the Wellness group for GEM, or member care for SEND, that they can contact, but you want them to reach out somewhere, and the home office is one more resource that is more than willing to help with that. It depends on what they’re comfortable with and where they need their resources.
When I was at my worst in North Macedonia, I would not have been able to reach out or even tell somebody what was wrong; I couldn’t see myself spiraling down. I was unaware that I had gotten into this tunnel because I was in my world, doing my ministry… focused. Sometimes you just need somebody to point something out and say, ‘What is happening here?’.
So, when a worker does reach out to us at the home office, the first thing we want to do is find out what’s going on. Then we analyze; is that something we can help with? Do we need to bring someone else from the team or from the field?
Leanne: To care for the workers, though, how do you make sure they’re taken care of if they aren’t always reaching out for help?
Sherri: Before they even become missionaries, we’ll have them do assessments that gauge whether they’re ready for the challenges that come with working overseas. Life is challenging anywhere, but we try to find out if there’s anything that will make it extra challenging. Any issues they are already dealing with here will become worse under additional stress, and the reality is that the first year or two living in another country is a lot of extra stress.
When they’re on the field, annual report-type assessments are helpful for the home office to know what’s going on in different places. It gives us a bit of a picture and helps us see if anybody needs to elaborate on something or call somebody.
“It’s not right to just send them and hope that they come back in a couple of years, healthy and happy. We need to check in on them and let them know we’re available… especially if they need help.”
Leanne: Thank you for clarifying that, even though the home office provides vital administrative services to those on the field, they actually offer more!
Sherri: The home office is there to support what you’re doing on the field. Yes, you need somebody to do the finances right, and you need that pension, healthcare and the other logistics taken care of. But the home office is a group of people who are 100% supportive of what you’re doing, and they’re praying for you and are willing to do more. We’re willing to walk through whatever you’re walking through… we’re available!
Some people can talk through issues with family back home, but sometimes the family back home isn’t as supportive of missions or doesn’t understand what they’re going through or why they’re willing to go through it. People from the home office 100% understand why somebody is there and why they’re doing what they’re doing and the sacrifice they’ve made, so they support you and are open to being that backing.
Field workers should never feel alone while fulfilling God’s call. The home office is one more place that should always be available to offer support, whether it be logistical or something deeper. We love and stand by our workers!
For more information on the Sending Collective and how collaboration between sending entities benefits us all, visit: https://www.thesendingcollective.ca/
Want to read more on the topic of office staff and the important role they play? Visit our past blog post: https://gemission.ca/serving-missionally-in-administrative-capacities/
