Near the Battlefields
We like to think of this sort of home — an Oasis — as a MASH unit on the battlefield. It’s possibly located in a combat area of operations, available to patch up and restore weary or injured soldiers without needing to life-flight them back to the motherland. The houses are run by cross-cultural workers who fully understand the battlefield, and have been specially equipped to tend to those out in the front lines.
It exists solely to keep these soldiers in the battle, so that they don’t need to leave the war zone and either be replaced by newer units, or leave a gaping hole in the line-up, making the forces more susceptible to the enemy.
How it works:
A cross-cultural worker (or family) is feeling a bit weary. They’ve either experienced the usual wear-and-tear normal for 24 hour, 7 days a week on-call service, or they recently endured a particularly traumatic season of ministry — or both.
In order to prevent serious medical or spiritual intervention, they know regular regrouping is necessary:
• Perhaps they want to debrief with a trained life coach for a week.
• Maybe they need to take a slightly longer sabbatical, and a guest house would make an ideal pit stop on their journey to recalibrating their future ministry.
• Or maybe they simply need a frugal, simple family vacation.
An Oasis Guest House is there to help.
These cross-cultural servants can sign up for time at a house that’s set up for them, run by a fellow cross-cultural worker. These workers are equipped to help their guests debrief, find some counsel about future life choices, and point them towards resources that can help them dig deeper.
