What to Do When You're Struggling With Life Overseas

I moved overseas with my husband and children in 2015, and a little over one year into life abroad I found myself struggling, but I didn't know why. I really loved our life in this little town. The initial culture shock had come and gone, or so I thought, and I couldn't figure out where the feelings of despondency and overwhelm were coming from. I had adapted well to the culture and language, and although I knew we still had much to learn, it seemed like we were actually handling the transition to life abroad quite well.

So why did my heart feel so heavy?

I knew I should pray, but it was almost as if in learning a new language, I had forgotten the language of prayer. How could I make sense of what was going on inside of and around me enough to verbalize it all? What was there to say? Was it possible to to put to words what I felt? 

Have you ever felt this way? 

The experiences we have as expats are unique and filled with loss and grief. If we don't learn how to acknowledge and work through our experiences in a healthy way, we might be able to push through for a while, but eventually we will reap the detrimental consequences of unprocessed emotions. 

In the early years of my life abroad, I allowed myself to isolate from God in my cross-cultural experience, rather than inviting Him into it.

Now, I've learned a better way, and a huge part of that is liturgy.

Writing liturgies became a way for me to process and pray through my life, inviting Jesus into the hardest moments so He can make them holy. 

In my new book, I want to show you how this spiritual practice of writing liturgies can help you see your life abroad in a new way through the lens of prayer. You don't have to be a writer to write liturgies; you just have to be a pray-er. 

I will walk you through six easy steps to not only write a prayer, but to emotionally and intellectually process the unique moments of life abroad with Jesus as your friend and guide. I've also included plenty of my own liturgies for you to pray and be inspired by as you write. 

If you've enjoyed what I've written at Liturgies for a Life Abroad, I feel confident you'll be blessed by this book. 

Ready to get started? Order your digital or paperback copy on Amazon HERE. 

Sojourning with you,

Heather