#BESTOFTHEBESTFRIDAYS: FREE Mental Health Assessment; 50+ BAM jobs; What to Know Before You Go

May 17, 2019Leave a comment

Free Mental Health Assessment (this month only!) before you go overseas

Here at Go. Serve. Love, we offer you four free self-assessements–and have encouraged you openly to see a counselor before you head overseas.

The stress as you head overseas is real–and a number of major sending organizations have decided to make a mental health assessment part of their application process. Your mental wellness and resilience have significant implications on the effectiveness of your ministry–and your longevity overseas. bestofthebestfriday mental health

So we’re pretty stinkin’ happy that Godspeed Resources for THIS MONTH ONLY, is offering free initial mental health assessments to global workers who complete an intake form during the month of May. We’re already halfway through the month…so grab an appointment right. Now. read more

How to Tell Kids You’re Moving Overseas as Missionaries

May 3, 2019May 3, 2019Leave a comment

kids moving

“When Should We Tell Them?”

I’d say–and most sites agree–as soon as possible. Your goal is well-adjusted kids who have ownership in your decision, and who can eventually follow God courageously in their own life decisions.

If your kids keep secrets as well as mine did didn’t, I know it can be hard to discern (“What if they tell people in Sunday School and our cover is blown? We’re not ready to tell the whole church”). But even before you tell-them-tell-them, you can start planting seeds in your kids’ heads. read more

#BESTOFTHEBESTFRIDAYS: Worldwide prayer for Muslims during Ramadan; Shocked by Your Host Culture; Free Bible Software

April 26, 2019Leave a comment

Pray with Us for the Muslim World during Ramadan

Ramadan is May 5-June 6 this year. What if you prayed every day of their holiday for the salvation of Muslims around the globe?

During Ramadan, Prayercast can send you an email reminder each day of Ramadan with a brand new video to inspire you to prayer and trust in a God who is revolutionizing the Muslim world!

Each of the 130 new, 4-5 minute videos Prayercast will release is led by a former Muslim who now follows Jesus. These videos are designed to stimulate focused, strategic, passionate prayer in the Church. (Even the header video makes our editor a little teary.) read more

The Cultural Iceberg and Identity: Collectivist vs. Individualistic Societies

April 12, 2019April 22, 2019Leave a comment

We’re excited to welcome back Sheri of Engineering Ministries International for her final post of her invaluable three-part series on “cultural icebergs”.

EMI mobilizes architects, engineers, construction managers, and other design professionals–including those through an incredible internship program–to provide design services for those helping the poor. We’re talking water projects, hospitals, schools, orphanages, you name it. Meanwhile, they raise up disciples and trained professionals in-country. read more

#BestoftheBestFridays: Reaching Muslims; Good from ISIS?; Corrupt Countries; Tech in Missions

February 8, 2019May 7, 2019Leave a comment

Upcoming MISSIONS Events CALENDAR

Missions Catalyst has put together an impressive calendar of upcoming missions events you just might not want to miss. Dealing with discouragement, isolation, fear, or feelings of inadequacy as you head overseas? This could be a great chance to get together with your tribe.

What catches our eye:

taking the Perspectives on World Missions class online
a second-language acquisition course
Creating an Annual Fundraising Plan–a webinar from MissioNexus!–and Support-raising Bootcamp
IMPACT gathering for those hoping to see Jesus among Unreached People Groups (UPG’s) of Southeast Asia (see here for our free printable prayer guide for UPG’s, and here and here or specific posts on the two largest UPG’s…both in Asia)

P.S. Did you know Johnson University offers a totally online Intercultural Studies course?

Building Friendships with Muslims: A $10 DVD Course

COMMA, the Coalition of Ministries to Muslims in North America, put this together–and from the feedback, it sounds like Journey to Jesus: Building Christ-Centered Friendships with Muslims will help you feel equipped and less offensive to those to whom you long to reach out. (Or wish you did.) read more

5 [Printable] Missions Scriptures to Memorize (*That You Probably Don’t Know Yet) for your Journey

January 25, 2019March 18, 2019Leave a comment

The journey overseas gets long, belabored with details and fundraising and emotions that somehow resemble peppering by a paintball gun.

Sure, you could go through the motions. But the Psalms speak of our souls blessing God.

So tape these babies up on a bathroom mirror or inside a cabinet, or tuck them in your books or Bible, or position them on your desk (whose surface is likely about to disappear right about now, either beneath papers or sold right out from under them). Memorize these like the gold they are (see Psalm 19:9-10). read more

7 Ways to Pray for Your Journey Overseas (Free Printable Infographic!)

January 4, 2019January 3, 2019Leave a comment

When I headed overseas, I was drowning in cardboard boxes, spreadsheets of to-do’s, and fundraising meetings. So many, I was dreaming about it. Sometimes my ability to string two words together in a sentence was severely tested. I can’t answer any more questions, make any more lists, get one more shot, take one more ugly passport photo, remember one more word in a language I don’t use yet, or smile politely at one more person.

The chaos of the journey overseas has an ability to bring that whole verse to a new level, where “we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

So to kick off 2019, we’re throwing an infographic at you for you to print out. (New Year, new infographic, that’s what we always say.) We hope it will offer you words when there are none. read more

How Ready Am I? A Self-Assessment for Global Work, Part I

July 31, 2018November 6, 2018Leave a comment

When I was 23, an editor position opened up at the publishing house where I was working. In the vein of having integrity, I approached my boss with my interest in the position.

“You don’t have the chops for that job,” he told me point-blank.

His blithe directness, to be frank, chapped my hide. But looking back now, there’s no doubt in my mind he was right. I’m not sure if I have the chops for that particular job now. Yet it did make me take a look at the job itself and gradually appreciate just how off my self-assessment was–as well as my understanding of the job itself. And honestly, I buckled down to eventually be the kind of person who could qualify for a job like that.

Free Printable Infographic: 10 Ways to Pray for Unreached People Groups

June 15, 2018July 27, 2018Leave a comment

MOTIVATED?

How could you make unreached people groups a regular prayer focus? A couple of ideas:

Choose one day a month to pray, and even fast, for these groups. (You could choose the 10th day, ’cause we’ve got 10 ideas.)
Choose one prayer request a day, starting again every 10 days.
Choose one day a week to pray for UPG’s.
Distribute this as a bulletin insert in your church, or make them easily available on a website or in a kiosk.
Invite your small group to pray with you.
Have a rice and beans fast on the 10th of the month, praying for these groups.
Hang this list inside a cupboard or medicine cabinet, and pray for one request whenever you open it.

unreached people groups

PRINT IT HERE! read more

FREEBIE FRIDAY: YOUR JOURNEY THERE–A FLEXIBLE TIMELINE [INFOGRAPHIC]

May 25, 2018January 18, 20193 Comments

Here at Go. serve. Love, we’re all about bringing you tools you can use to truly go there, serve Him, and love them well. So we’re stoked about today’s offering: a printable, flexible timeline infographic to help you start picturing the journey there. (You can find it on our T ools for Your Trip page, too, along with our first infographic: 7 Standards of Excellence for Your Global Work.)

Nope, this won’t encompass everything. But you’ll start to see how all this comes together, and maybe even if you’ve been missing anything. (In fact, if you think we’re missing a key element, feel free to comment below!)

Overwhelming? Sho ’nuff. But most journeys worth taking are. read more

Go. Serve. Love

Go there. Serve Him. Love them

Category: tools you can use