Advice for Those Preparing for the Field – Part 1

Eric Absiror – Global Worker in Argentina

In our several years on the mission field, here’s the advice that I have most frequently passed down to others.

Count the cost. Even with the joy of missions, there are challenges. Living in countries less modern and clean than the U.S. takes adjustment. Leaving family behind, especially grandparents, creates an emotional cost for everyone. The shift in identity, such as moving from being a pastor to a missionary, can be disorienting. Even celebrating holidays differently, or missing them entirely, requires adaptation. There are many other costs to consider. But remember: God provides the grace needed to walk this path (Luke 14:28-33).

Consider your gifting. As you prepare for missions, consider how you are gifted. Ask others what your gift is. This will inevitably narrow where and in what capacity you will serve. There are many needs, but the Lord has specific plans for your life and gifts. You can’t and don’t have to do it all (1 Pet 4:10-11). 

Commit yourself to the church. Missions is about the church. We plant new churches and strengthen existing ones. So join a healthy local church as soon as possible. Learn to submit to your elders. Practice the one-anothers. Be an integral part of the local body of Christ wherever you are right now. Allow your local church to shape your call to the nations. Help them discern where you might go, how you might serve, and what organization might be the best for you and your family (Heb 10:24-25).

Cherish your spouse. Whether or not you are not married, be committed to purity. For those who are married, I can’t emphasize enough having a relationship that is strong in the Lord. As the pressures mount, those weak spots in your marriage will be revealed even more (Eph 5:22-33).

Pay close attention to your life. Paul told Timothy to consider his doctrine and life (1 Tim. 4:16). Uproot and kill indwelling sin in your life. Don’t believe the lie that your sin will magically go away when you arrive on the field. It will sometimes, maybe even often, intensify. Preach the gospel to yourself continually, and live a life of continual repentance (Rom 6:11).

T.J. – Global Worker in the Middle East

If you’re reading this, you’re probably as eager to go overseas as my wife and I were 16 years ago. Here’s some advice for those who aspire to missions.

Friend Raising. Before you get to know an unreached people group or raise money for the field, get to know people in your church and raise friends. The best investment we made before going overseas was befriending folks who believe the gospel. Get to know people in your church and other churches. Be genuinely interested in them. Pursue their spiritual good. Follow the Apostle Paul’s example. A host of Christian friends stood behind his missionary efforts (see Romans 16). Raise gospel-loving friends. Lots of them.

Gospel Clarity. Before you get clarity on a location or a sending organization, understand the gospel. Don’t get so distracted by the uncertainties of preparation that you neglect clarity on the gospel. Looking back, we’re so thankful we saturated our minds and lives in the gospel. We memorized cross-centered verses, sang cross-centered songs, read cross-centered books, and listened to cross-centered sermons. So, when we were confronted with false religion and bad teaching on the field, we were prepared.

Daily Grind. Proclaiming the gospel to the unreached in a faraway land is exciting and significant. Working as a bank teller in North Dakota was not. But looking back, I’m so thankful I served as a bank teller for two years before moving overseas. The job was repetitive and mundane, like language learning and a list of other tasks that lose glamour overseas. Be faithful with what is in front of you. Cultivate the ability to plod. You’re building endurance for the daily grind that’s waiting for you on the field.

A Theology of Suffering. Suicide bombers attacked the capital city of our planned destination six months before we moved overseas. Our team leader said there would be no shame if we backed out. If we decided to come, we needed to clearly state why. It was a helpful exercise. We stared risk in the face and reaffirmed what we see from Genesis to Revelation: God has a plan to save a people for himself. He accomplishes that plan through the suffering of his Son and the suffering of his people. The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive the reward of his suffering. Before you go, settle that in your soul.