Cheri and I were introduced at a mission conference last year as “career missionaries” and later people asked us what this term means. There is some confusion about mission terminology in churches – short term, full time, career — perhaps because missionary work today often consists of summer trips by teams to regions both inside and outside the U.S. By today’s definitions of missionary work:

• Short-term means from one to several weeks or months of missionary service
• Full-time can mean a two-year term or longer
• Career missions means multiple terms of missionary service

We have been career missionaries since 1982, when I completed my seminary training. We served approximately 13 years in the Philippines, and in 1998 transferred to ministry in Ukraine. We continue to live and work in Ukraine , with occasional trips back to the U.S. where we promote our ministry and serve the needs of our mission agency, Equippers Network International.

Our ongoing, major assignment in Ukraine is at the Kiev Theological Seminary, where I direct the World Missions Department and teach mission courses. Cheri teaches Communication courses at the seminary and maintains a weekly outreach teaching English as a means of evangelism. As you know, each of us conducts conferences also – I promote missions throughout Ukraine, and Cheri trains women leaders in various Eastern European nations.

However you define “missionary,” we praise God that His Word continues to spread worldwide. And our desire is to be faithful in the work that He’s given us. Thank you for your continuing prayers!

Thanks for caring,

Rich and Cheri Strahm