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St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 2 | April 2012 three, four or even five or more terms of service, then I would suggest there are areas to be looked at that could build that longevity in workers when difficult times come in a foreign climate and culture. I am the last person who could have imagined that I would clock up nearly 29 years working abroad. I was a reluctant responder to the call, not believing that I could offer anything of much value to the encouragement to ‘go into all the world and preach the good news’. That call came when I was 19 years old and I left my home country when I was 21. I agreed to do ‘my bit’ by giving three years of service abroad, and then I would return to my home country to pursue a regular life, to build a secure future for myself there. That never happened and I returned, in today’s terms, as a ‘veteran’. Five countries later I’m still out here, despite a large number of crises and a few more even this past month (a burglary and trashing of my office followed by an operation on my knee!). So what is it that has kept me abroad in service? I often wonder that myself! The Bible verse that was on the top of my favourites when I left my home country originally was Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need” -­‐ such a popular, and simple verse, but profound in that it has given me a promise and been my security and hope for every situation I have faced since. Security and hope are two things that I believe are key to longevity. Feeling secure internally is a basic human need that helps keep us content, no matter what is going on around us and what life throws at us externally. (Read Abraham Maslow’s theory for human motivation). Security is a feeling of certainty that everything, somehow, is going to be alright and that my basic needs will be provided for. Whether we are in our home country or adopted country abroad, there will be times when we feel insecure – that’s life! However, unless that basic need for 107