A book written to provide encouragement and support to those who live overseas has been released in print and electronic versions.

Singing the Lord's Songs in a Foreign Land, Biblical Reflections for Expatriates, written by Kenneth D. MacHarg, a pastor who has served seven international English-language congregations in five countries, provides inspiration and insight for those who know both the excitement and struggles of living in another culture far from home.

More than five million Americans live abroad, not counting military soldiers serving around the world. Added to those are five and a half million British citizens who live overseas, or around ten percent of the British population. One million Australians, almost three million Canadians and an estimated seven million Chinese live outside of their own countries, plus others from every nation on earth.

Those often adventuresome people are commonly known as expatriates or expats for short. They live in teeming cities and small mountain towns. Others live in jungle communities or along the beach. And they are found in every country of the world.

The most common expats are diplomats, business people, oil workers, educators and students, missionaries, relief workers, employees of NGOs, Peace Corps volunteers or those who serve as maids, nannies, tutors or laborers. To those can be added millions of refugees fleeing violence or poverty and others dislocated by war or natural disaster.

No matter where they are from each expat has experiences of unparalleled joy and excitement, new adventures, fascinating cultural differences, wonderful food and supportive new friends from around the world. Each also faces the challenges of living in another culture, learning a sometimes difficult language, feeling home sick, experiencing grief at the loss of what is familiar while asking God why He seems to have taken them so far away and why life is so difficult.

The Bible speaks to these and other emotions. The Israelites lived in exile and felt deeply the pain and hurt of being in unfamiliar territory. Yet they found confidence in the Lord who, they discovered, was with them in the foreign land just as much as He was with them back home. Their perspective away from home was different, but God remained the same.

In this book of reflections the reader finds biblical insight into those feelings and questions that they have while living overseas. They were written to be read on an extended but regular basis such as one a day or a week.

The books topics include adjusting to a new culture, dealing with loneliness, cynicism, keeping pure in a tempting situation, preserving in the face of challenges and remaining faithful to the Lord in a foreign setting.

The author, Kenneth D. MacHarg, has served as either the pastor or interim pastor of the Margarita Union Church and Gatun Union Church in Panama, First (International) Baptist Church and English Fellowship Church in Quito, Ecuador, Escazú Christian Fellowship in San José, Costa Rica, International Christian Fellowship in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and International Church of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, he and his wife were missionaries with HCJB Global in Ecuador and the Latin America Mission in Costa Rica and Miami, Florida.

He has written seven previous books. Rev. MacHarg and his wife live in Carrollton, Georgia, when they are not serving a church out of the country.

The print edition may be ordered for $8.95 from createspace.com or from Amazon.com. Also available for electronic readers from Kindle, Nook and Kobo. For more information and a sample chapter see: GlobalVillagePress.org, or write to missionaryjournalist@gmail.com.