Beth Barthelemy, Author at TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Helping Our Children Through Uncertain Times

How do we help our kids find peace in the midst of uncertainty when we’re struggling to find peace ourselves?

Oct 07 2021

We were supposed to fly back to our African home over a month earlier. Instead, we found ourselves settling in another completely unexpected place. My children had laid their heads in dozens of different locations over the past seven months. “Home” had become this fluid word meaning wherever we had currently been staying for the short while, and somehow even my 4-year-old understood. We had been hoping and praying that we would return to South Africa soon, but our future was very unclear. Thankfully, our children were doing well. They had embraced the nomad life like champs and had taught…

Care packages and emails are a great encouragement to long-term missionaries. But what if the best way to support your missionary is giving them yourself? Photo courtesy of Beth Barthelemy

Jul 17 2018

Last fall, my family had our first visitors since arriving on South African soil a year and some months ago. After months of anticipation, our pastor and friends from our Chicago church arrived to spend a week with us. They didn’t come as a short-term team, with a particular ministry focus. We had no projects lined up for them. They didn’t come to “check up” on us, to make sure we were worth their investment. They didn’t have a list of questions with which to assess our effectiveness or success. They came with a simple purpose: to be an encouragement…

Missions work isn't always safe. But TEAM missionary Beth Barthelemy uses the Psalms to remember that no matter what we do in life, there is true safety in God's sovereignty. Photo by TEAM

Sep 21 2017

In the summer of 2008, I spent two months in the Middle East. My time was focused on discipling Christian women by training local teachers in English and leading Bible studies among nurses at a local hospital. My first day there, I accompanied my hosts to a local wedding reception. Upon arrival, we saw a group of men celebrating by shooting guns straight up into the air. My hosts explained that this was a cultural celebratory tradition, regretfully sharing about the unfortunate deaths that occur from falling bullets. I lay in bed that night, listening to gunshots in the distance,…

Beth hasn't been on the mission field long, but she's had a crash course in what it's like to help her children transition and thrive overseas. Here are her lessons learned. Photos courtesy of Beth Barthelemy

Mar 21 2017

I have three kids, all 4 and under. And six months ago, we moved across the globe. To be honest, some of the thoughts I’ve had are: Am I crazy? Am I irresponsible? Definitely not, I’m so equipped to not only raise my own kids but also to write a fantastic blog post about how I do it so well! I’m sure there are many others who’ve been overseas longer, who have golden nuggets of wisdom on parenting overseas. But all this aside, here are some reflections from a fresh-on-the-field, young mama of three on what it’s like to raise my…

Author - Beth Barthelemy

Helping Our Children Through Uncertain Times

Why Churches Should Visit Their Missionaries

What the Psalms Taught Me About Safety in Missions

What It’s Like to Raise My Young Kids Overseas