USA (MNN) — Serving like Christ has its downfalls. When you consistently put others first and forget about your own needs, “burnout” is sure to follow.
For Jann Bradford, that moment came on the mission field in Cameroon. So, Jann and her husband Kevin took a one-year hiatus in the United States at Wycliffe USA’s counseling center.
“Because of that, we could go back to Cameroon for another four-year term,” Jann says.
“If I had not had that help, I could not have gone back.”
Inspired by her experience, Jann is currently working on her Master’s degree in counseling. She hopes to apply that knowledge in Cameroon with the Trauma Healing Program. The program “has been there for several years; they’ve had a lot of training classes for trauma healing with pastors and leaders,” Jann says.
Cameroon isn’t an easy place for Gospel workers. Trauma comes in many shapes and sizes. During one of the trauma healing courses, a Cameroonian pastor learned his son was in trouble. “He had to leave the class to go and deal with his son,” Jann says.
“Because of the principles [the pastor] had learned during that training class, he was able to listen instead of coming down hard on his son the way he was used to doing,” she continues.
“[The pastor] and his son connected, and he found out his son was acting out of some trauma that he had experienced. It made a huge impact on him. He was able to finish out the training and testify how that had impacted his life and his son’s life.”
(Photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash)
Find your place in the story
Whether advising academy students or mentoring at-risk kids at the youth hostel, Jann found her calling in helping others. She says, “I can’t say I’ve had huge challenges” when counseling others.
“People are just hungry for help and happy to receive it.”
Learn how you can serve God alongside Wycliffe USA.
Pray for wise time management as Jann balances her studies with Wycliffe USA’s career development specialist training.
Pray the Lord will match Jann with people who need guidance, like the Korean academy student she helped in Cameroon. “Her parents, being Korean, didn’t know anything about the university system in North America, so we walked together through this whole process,” Jann says.
“She spent many afternoons in my office, got accepted to a university in Canada, and is there now.”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Trung Thanh/Unsplash.
