The simple reason is that missionaries sometimes just need to get away from the stress of living in another country. They need a vacation just like you do. We want to provide somewhere cheap but nice for families to get away – someplace that they can look forward to going every year.

It won’t be a fancy resort that costs hundreds of dollars per night, but it will still be a place where they can relax and have fun, swim and play, etc.

This resort will allow missionaries and missionary families to just come and get the rest and refreshment they need before heading back to their work.

But there’s also another need we want to meet.

In our time as missionaries (over 20 years), we’ve seen a number of friends leave the field for various reasons. Some of these were simply to go home to take care of aging parents, or they felt their work was done, or they felt God leading them elsewhere. But we’ve also seen a number leave the field due to sin, relationship issues, depression, and other similar reasons.

We know of two men (missionaries) that cheated on their wives, and later left their wives and children. The year before we moved to a city in NW China, a missionary threw himself off of a high-rise. We’ve known a few women who have had to leave due to depression which led to conflict with others (both locals and foreigners). Some have left the field due to other family relationship issues. We know two families that were sent home by their sending agencies due to trouble they brought to the field (especially in how they related to others).

A lot of these issues could have been resolved if the missionaries had someone they could talk to – to counsel them, coach them, pray with them, minister to them.

We want to provide that for them.

On the one side, we want a resort that is simply that: a place to relax and have fun. A place to meet with God and enjoy the quietness without being pulled in different directions. A place to get refreshed before jumping back into the work.

On the other side, we want a place where missionaries can get the help they need without traveling to the other side of the world…and possibly leaving the field for good. A spiritual MASH unit, if you will.