Changes in government may force missionaries from the field or endanger them. Currency-exchange fluctuations can cause their cost of living to increase substantially. Illness in a missionary's family can be an added strain. An illness that is eradicated in the States may still plague a host country. Missionaries also struggle with guilt over their inability to help or visit sick relatives who are an ocean away.
Missionaries miss their homes and their native culture and climate while in the field.
They experience culture shock as they adjust to their new way of life.