 Grief Journey Illustration This quarter has been difficult, as this is when the grief starts to settle in. Grieving takes time and energy and is like a journey that leads us through different neighborhoods, like anger, denial, and no hope to eventually a place of new beginnings. We all move at our own pace through the journey and can go back and forth between the neighborhoods. It can be hard to move through this journey as a family, as we are each at different places and must remember to have compassion and grace for one another. For me, I moved into the darkest place of the journey, the place where it is hard to find hope. This is a lonely place. It has taken a toll on my mental energy, and work takes that much more effort and concentration. For example, this newsletter is late as I struggle to find the words. I have also continued to experience some anger as well, but mainly, I feel very sad. We have done a lot of work at my grandma's house, and her headstone was put in. These things make her loss feel final. Holidays are coming. Could you check in with those you know who have lost a loved one? I now dread the next few months, knowing they will look very different. Yes, it is time to start some new traditions while mourning the traditions that have now been lost. One of the most helpful things you can do when someone is grieving is simply to listen as the person shares their story. I serve on various teams and am thankful for my Global Outreach teammates. We had our GO retreat in June in the Dominican Republic. Because a few families had to cancel, I could step out of the responsibilities of serving on the TCK (third culture kids) team and enjoy the retreat as a participant. I have partnered with GO since 2016, and this was my first retreat as a participant. They saw my weariness and opened up safe spaces for me to cry and process loss and showered love on me. That week, ministry looked like a group of us meeting daily at the pool to share life: the good and not-so-good. We also had genuine, deep-in-the-gut laughter with some team-building exercises for a training day after the retreat. I had not laughed like that in a while. It was what I needed to be recharged for returning home. This was a personal reminder of why we offer these retreats to our missionaries. This quarter saw an opportunity for me to get hands-on experience using Unstuck: a Teen's Guide to Uncertain Times. I partnered with the Ron Burton Training Village (RBTV) and Boston Collaborative to hold sessions during RBTV camps. The first was in July, with over 100 teen boys participating, and we did a 2nd one in August with 94 girls. We are now in the final editing stages of this resource, and it will soon be available. I am excited to see what the Lord will do with this resource. RBTV will pilot this in the spring with their students. They sent an interest survey, and 70 teens out of 207 wanted to participate! This is huge and exciting, but it also shows the need as youth are hurting. I also had the chance to facilitate small groups using the new app-based version of the Trauma Healing material with Awana Latino. It is encouraging to see them now also holding their own groups. This quarter saw continued partnerships with Compassion International as we worked together on developing a new youth program that will be rolled out in 2025. Training videos will be produced, and scripts will be finalized this next quarter. I also took a real vacation to Newfoundland (stunning landscape) and explored Boston, too! If you would like more details, please feel free to reach out to me. I would love to give an update on what God is doing. Thank you for your support and love, Misty  TCK team Prayer requests:
Want to help right now due to the disasters in the US? Here are 2 organizations I can personally vouch for; check them out: IDES: https://ides.org/ Crisis Care International: https://www.crisiscareinternational.org/ Would you prayerfully consider becoming a partner of Misty Bodkins in 2024? There are 2 ways you may donate to Misty at Ministry Care. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax-deductible. If you have any questions feel free to email us at [email protected]
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AuthorMisty Bodkins has a Master's degree in clinical psychology. She has worked both stateside and internationally doing counseling, training, teaching, and research. Her passion is working with people who are in crisis. Archives
April 2025
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