“Reaching the Unreached = Danger” and More Missions Myths Debunked

March 5, 2019Leave a comment

One of our most popular posts ever kicked over some of the missions myths we’re all prone to: I should have the gift of evangelism. I should plan on leading Bible studies, prayer, service projects, and all that 24/7.

So we’re still messing with (or just scribbling out) some of our stereotypes of missionaries: the fetching jumpers-with-tennis-shoes combo, the slideshows, the mud huts, the untrimmed hairstyle, the image of white-person-hugging-cute-brown-child.

(Wanna help identify our weird stereotypes? Comment below.) read more

He Said/She Said. You Say? “Am I cut out for this? What kind of character do I need to be effective overseas?”

February 27, 2019February 28, 2019Leave a comment

It might come to mind as you’re taping another box shut, or when you’re about to pass one of those points-of-no-return: Selling your house. Selling your wheels for pennies on the dollar.

You might think, Well. If I go over there and bite it big time, this is going to be pretty embarrassing. Not to mention expensive.

(If you haven’t thought that? Just ignore those last two paragraphs.)

Red Pill? Blue Pill? 4 Irreversible Side Effects of Going Overseas

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019Leave a comment

We talk a lot over here about what you wish you knew before you went overseas. We’ve called it a rabbit hole. So maybe it’s a little like The Matrix: Red pill? Blue Pill?

So I’ll tell you today what you might want to know: Going overseas will mark you indelibly.

Back when my husband and I were considering adoption in our host country, I wrote, read more

9 Reasons You Won’t Make It to (or Stay on) the Mission Field

February 15, 2019February 14, 2019Leave a comment

Editor’s note: GoServeLove.net is geared up to welcome Shane Bennett. He’s speaker and writer for Frontiers, a super-cool organization who describes their aim this way: With love and respect, inviting all Muslim peoples to follow Jesus.

(If you’re interested, consider signing up for Shane’s Muslim Connect, a 300-word weekly email –with 2100 subscribers–helping Christians think about Muslims the way God does and love them like Jesus does.)

Shane explains, “I live to help people who love Jesus connect with people who’ve never heard of him.” read more

Entering into a Cultural “Marriage”: Do I Need to Like the People I Serve?

February 13, 2019February 15, 2019Leave a comment

Photo credit: Imb.org

Question. How important is it to be physically attracted to the person you want to marry?

Obviously a person can be attracted to other qualities about a person. But then there’s the Song of Solomon, where a husband and wife are exclaiming over the beauty the see in each other’s bodies. read more

Beginning Packing List: East Africa

February 1, 2019January 31, 2019Leave a comment

Wondering what to pack to go overseas long-term? It can get tricky. Every country has different items available…or not. (If you know someone available to write a list for another area of the globe, please contact us here at Go. Serve. Love to equip more global workers to go overseas!)

This is shaping up to be a long post, so let’s get to it.

On your first trip over, prioritize items you absolutely cannot get in your host country, or that will be of considerably less quality. I should add “or are really expensive.” Don’t panic if you can’t get them all. Rebuilding a home is a process of slowly accruing and adjusting what you need. (See our post on Worked for Me Wednesdays #WFMW: The Luggage Edition.) read more

Your Career, Globally: What Could I Do with a Business Degree in Overseas Missions?

January 9, 2019January 11, 2019Leave a comment

So we might already be tipping our hand a little here: We kind of like debunking myths about global work overseas, and maybe getting people to freak out of their box about what it looks like to go there, serve Him, love them.Maybe you think that your degree is sort of wasted when you choose global work–aside from the other intangibles that happen when you go to college, or the work experience you’ve been able to gain because of it.But in case you’re flirting with that idea–or even wholly convinced you got the wrong degree for what you actually ended up wanting to do with your life (only 27% of grads have jobs related to their major)–we might challenge that a bit. Because as my (Janel’s) mom is fond of saying, There are no wasted experiences in God’s economy. We’re guessing God actually knew, and had a considerable hand, in you getting that degree.But wait! There’s more!

You might actually be surprised at ways global workers are using their degrees around the world in missions.

So today, we’re homing in on a business degree. How can you use that?

Turns out the possibilities are pretty close to endless. read more

Meet an Agency: WorldVenture

November 30, 2018January 25, 2019Leave a comment

We’re geared up to bring you a new, ongoing series as a little meet-and-greet with organizations that can help you go there, serve Him, and love them even better. (For more thoughts about why you might join an agency–and a handful of reasons you might not–make sure to check out He Said/She Said/You Say? “Should I go overseas with an organization?”, both the pros and the cons.)

Today, say you’ve pulled up a chair for a cup of coffee with a representative from WorldVenture.

Tell us briefly what your agency specializes in. What are you passionate about?

At WorldVenture, our vision is to see multitudes of disciples compelled by the love of God and willing to risk all so that people are transformed by God, impacting their families, communities, and world. read more

“I Should Have the Gift of Evangelism” and 5 Other Missions Myths Debunked

November 9, 2018March 4, 2019Leave a comment

MYTH: Don’t go unless you plan to stay for life.

Maybe you were corn-fed on stories of missionaries who brought their coffins with them, or like Amy Carmichael, said goodbye to their families and homelands for life. Now, we’re pretty sure you’re familiar with FaceTime, Kayak, Marco Polo, and all sorts of amenities shrinking your distance around the world. Your folks and friends may well come to visit you, and your parents won’t be kissing grandbabies goodbye for life.

This ain’t your mama’s mission field.

HE SAID/SHE SAID. YOU SAY? “WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN BEFORE YOU WENT?” PART II

November 6, 2018November 8, 2018Leave a comment

Missed Part I? Grab it here!

“I wish I’d known how hard it really is.”

I would have gotten more cross-cultural training, especially focused on the culture to which I was going. I would have taken more time in language learning. But most of all, I needed realistic expectations.

Working in a foreign field is the same as being in a war. I know: I’ve fought in both. And the similarities are striking.

There is not much glorious about warfare. It may look exciting on TV or in the movies, but in the trenches it’s a lot of hard work. And the enemy has ambushes everywhere. Often you can’t tell the enemy from the friendly. And your friends get injured and killed. It hurts. read more

Go. Serve. Love

Go there. Serve Him. Love them

Category: He Said/She Said. You Say?