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Home Assignment is called a lot of different things (furlough, stateside time, HMA) but they all mean the same thing. This is an extended period of time when you are reporting back to your sending church, connecting with your MTD partners, and receiving care from your network of people. You might take a trip to the US for other reasons, such as a wedding or family event, but these are not considered an official Home Assignment (although they can certainly be attended during a home assignment).

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You accrue 6 weeks of stateside time per year on the field. Most people take 12 weeks every 2 years, but we encourage you to talk with your supervisor to determine a good rhythm for both you and your ministry.

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You should start planning your HMA around 6 months before you get on the plane. Our HMA Checklist guides you through what to do in each month leading up to your trip.

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Home Assignment is not a long vacation. The reverse culture shock, living out of a suitcase, and trying to see everyone may leave you pretty tired. We encourage you to schedule down times, or perhaps a retreat/vacation at the end of your HMA.

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Home Assignment is considered part of your work responsibilities. You can reimburse any related expenses.

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You might be surprised how expensive things are in the US. Per Diem is a great way to access extra non-taxable funds without needing to submit a lot of receipts and forms.

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There could be tax implications. All states are different in how they handle temporary relocation. Please fill out the Home Assignment Notifcation Form to let us know where you'll be and for how long. We'll make any necessary changes on our end. 

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You do have a deductible when you use your insurance in the US and that in-network providers will be less expensive. If needed, you can apply for a hardship bonus to cover your deductible.

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We'd like to check-in with you while you are stateside. Schedule a Reliant Debrief during the first 2-4 weeks on HMA.

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Many people combine HMA with other transitions or major events, such as a sabbatical or having a baby. It's fine to extend your HMA as needed, as long as you've worked it out with your field supervisor

It goes by lots of names... Furlough, Stateside Service, Home Assignment. Whatever term you or your ministry may use for the time you spent away from your field ministry and in the United States, - and you may hear us use various terms! - it is an incredibly important part of the life and ministry of the cross-cultural worker. (If you have doubts, check out this great article to re-orient your heart and mind). The purposes of home assignments are many:

  1. Strengthen ministry financial support with individuals and churches by visiting and casting vision to ministry partners.
  2. Promote international ministry needs.
  3. Spend time with family, and reconnect with American culture.
  4. Take intentional time for your own physical, emotional, and spiritual rejuvenation.

Our guiding principle is that workers should take approximately 6 weeks of home assignment per year overseas.

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*Reliant recommends staying overseas 18-24 months during your first term before coming back. Returning within the first year may disrupt your transition and make it more difficult to acclimate to your host country.

These timeframes are meant to provide a framework for healthy rhythms. We understand every ministry and worker's needs are different and entrust you and your ministry to come to an agreement on the frequency and duration of being in the U.S. Some determining factors may include yearly work rhythms, size of your family, educational needs for children, etc.

We recommend you start planning about six months before you plan to come stateside. Below is a workbook specifically designed to help you think and plan through various aspects. You can make a copy in Google sheets and use it to the extent that it is helpful in your situation.

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titlePlanning for Home Assignment
urlhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LOBArJ8pUqMsZMXkKeIUclU0xwXTXlkHiUSsrCJcH2A/copy#gid=371945924

Note

Please notify Reliant as soon as you begin planning for Home Assignment:

We've put together some great resources for all of your home assignment questions. See the pages below.

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Are you a part of a country that has a totalization agreement? If you are a worker in one of the countries listed in the Furlough Request, you may need to plan a 6-month exit from the host country every 5 years to comply with the agreement, Please contact international@reliant.org if you have questions

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