Becoming More Fruitful in Cross-Cultural Work
Did God call you to the field to set others free in Christ while you stay trapped in an unintended form of ministry bondage?
Everyone, whether individuals or organizations, has metrics of what success looks like. But over time, those metrics can become the primary way we evaluate our fruitfulness. Much like the Galatians, cross-cultural workers can inadvertently turn our metrics into a modern version of “the law” and be enslaved by it.
Amy Young, viral communicator and veteran of eighteen years in China, understands that burnout on the field is often related to being more focused on fruitfulness in ministry than in our spiritual life. As Paul advocates in his letter to the Galatians, she desires that you walk with the Spirit and experience true freedom in Christ. This freedom and fruitfulness exist in three directions: with God, others, and yourself.
Let’s redefine fruitfulness in cross-cultural work.
Available in Kindle and Print. Contact Amy to buy in bulk for your organization.
Looming Transitions
- Keeping your soul fertile as you stay grounded in Christ
- Looking for the lighter moments
- Learning about yourself
- Helping others
- Making lists
- Leaning into grief as you prepare for your transition
How can you keep your soul fertile and sanity intact during transition?
This book is for those who will be going through a major life transition, either moving to the field or preparing to return to your ‘home’ country. Looming Transition is on Amazon (both Kindle and print)
Connected: Starting Your Overseas Life Spiritually Fed
You’ve made the leap and said yes to serving God cross-culturally. You’re anticipating your big adventure and prepared to serve whatever the cost. But you might have underestimated how you will need to relearn everything . . . even connecting with God. As much as you love God, finding meaningful ways to spiritually feed yourself takes time.
Connected isdesigned to feed your soul and nurture your relationship with God as you adjust to cross-cultural life. When so much of life is new, connect with God by focusing each month on a fruit of the Spirit.
Staying connected to God isn’t a given, but it can be cultivated. Picture your first nine months marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This book will help that picture become your reality.
Can all your days on the field—whether few or many—be marked by the fruit of the Spirit?
They can.
Available in Kindle and Print. Contact Amy to buy in bulk for your organization.
Getting Started: Making the Most of Your First Year of Cross-Cultural Service
You’ve made the leap and said yes to serving God cross-culturally. You’re anticipating your big adventure and prepared to serve whatever the cost. But now the questions and practicalities flood in: How do I make friends quickly? How will I fit into the new culture? Do I have anything of value to offer? (And what if I don’t like the food?)
Amy Young, viral communicator and veteran of eighteen years in China, guides you through the maze of your first year on the field. With storytelling and research, she offers encouragement, practical tips, and plenty of humor to help you navigate the unexpected cultural, emotional, interpersonal, and spiritual aspects you’ll face.
Getting Started enables you to glean from those who have gone before you, to stay close to God, and to grow in cultural knowledge—all the while flourishing in fulfilling your call.
Available in Kindle and Print. Contact Amy to buy in bulk for your organization.
Enjoying Newsletters
You might not think of yourself as a writer, but you are. Whether on social media, newsletters, or reports, writing is a part of your ministry life. What if improving as a writer allows you to communicate with friends, family, and co-workers more effectively? What if improving your writing is simpler—and more fun—than you remember from school days.
Viral communicator, Amy Young is the perfect person to guide you through the maze. With encouragement, practical tips and plenty of humor, she shares all that she has learnt in her twenty plus years of writing and ministry. All the News enables you to write compelling letters that communicate quickly, connect to the heart, and bring better support. These simple tricks will turn your monthly letter-writing from a chore into a pleasure.
You might think you are the worst writer in the solar system, but by the end of this book, with a spirit of adventure, you may discover that writing is fun and has become a highlight of your work.
Available in Kindle and Print. Contact Amy to buy in bulk for your organization.
Love, Amy: An Accidental Memoir Told in Newsletters from China
Too often we believe that our stories don’t matter. They do. Love, Amy: An Accidental Memoir Told in Newsletters from China shows the power of a life story unfolding over time. Amy Young quit her job, packed up her belongings, and moved to China to teach English, initially for two years. She anticipated making cultural faux pas, trying new food, seeing God at work, and growing in her knowledge of language and culture. What she could not foresee, though, was nearly dying, experiencing political unrest, taking a job that involved traveling around China, training hundreds to live and minister in China, witnessing the craziness of SARS, or experiencing multiple medical situations. Join Amy, a natural storyteller, as she shares her life in China letter by letter.
Bonus: Nine short articles to help those who write newsletters.
Available in Kindle and Paperback and Audible
Also available
22 Activities for Families in Transitionis a companion guide to Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service. It is available as a downloadable PDF for $5 or on Kindle for $2.99 (PDF and Kindle). These twenty-two activities will help your family to:
- process through your transition as a family
- create a fun vocabulary to connect as a family
- stay together, maybe even come through stronger, as a family
The activities follows structure in Looming Transitions and are adaptable to the ages of your children. Know a family you could buy this for as a gift?

- in your organization preparing to go to the field
- In your organization preparing for a Home Assignment or Re-entry
- a team going through transition
- several friends you know who have a looming transition
Check out the multiple copy option where the more you buy, the cheaper the workbook is.
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