Michelle, a missionary in Chad, shares three values she learned at Missionary Training School with Global Frontier Missions that have carried her as she's lived out her calling on the mission field.
When God called me to serve Him as a missionary in a different country and culture, I thought I would be on the field within a week or two. Boy, was I ever wrong, and honestly, thank God I was wrong! I’m sure that I made God chuckle with that kind of thinking. I soon found out that God had other plans for me. He would not call me, or anyone, to do such a huge job without the proper training first.
God used the organization Global Frontier Missions to train, educate, and prepare me to serve Him overseas as a cross cultural missionary.
Here are three takeaways from that training that have aided me greatly as I've served.
1.) Jesus has to be first.
This may seem obvious to state, but it is actually easy to lose sight of on the field. Jesus must come before, during, and after the work! Staying attached to the vine is of the utmost importance! We talk a lot about abiding here at AIM, and having this value reinforced while still in the U.S. helped me discipline myself here, which helped me greatly as I transitioned to life in Chad.
There are periods that we forget that in the pursuit of fruit, that if we just abide in Him, then fruitfulness is a guarantee. - Francis Chan
I have learned during my time in Chad that when you are in a spiritually dark environment, with less believers surrounding you, you have to be nourished, and nurtured by Jesus every second of every day. My relationship with Jesus has to come first. Yes that means above everything, even ministry. The temptation is to busy ourselves with ministry, with doing, rather than prioritize our time with Him. We must recognize that we need to be filled up to go back out, cup overflowing rather than empty.
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." - Colossians 3:12-13 esv
2.) Team unity is found in humility.
In our training I was given space to learn how to better understand myself and others. This understanding taught me how to work better on teams. My team is made up of different people from different places, male and female, single and married – all with different personalities, character traits, attitudes, gifts, and ways of thinking and doing ministry.
“In all things essential, unity; in all things nonessential, liberty; and in all things, love.” ― Thabiti M. Anyabwile
Living and working together on the field brings many opportunities for misunderstandings and conflicts. For example many of us teach English. Well, how do we decide the best way to go about teaching? We must decide wisely together as a team. Sacrificing and compromising some of our personal views to come to a united decision. I have to not only seek to understand others but must first understand myself. When conflicts arise I can then properly humble myself to seek a resolution. This has been vital to seeing our team be successful on the field.
"To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 esv
3.) Aim to belong.
I learned the importance of living in the community with the people God sent me to serve. This means not just living in the apartment next door, but cultivating a sense of belonging. This is a process. It takes time, energy, and hard work. Even though I teach English, I want to share the gospel in their heart language as a dear friend.
“Radical Christianity is not going on a mission trip or a big conference. Radical Christianity is staying steady for decades.” – Mike Bickle
While I am a teacher at heart, I have learned that I need to listen and learn from them rather than come in teaching. How does one successfully do this? I needed to take the appropriate time to know them, get past my assumptions, understand their language, and their culture, nuances and all. I would not have lasted very long on the field without understanding how important it is to belong to the people you are hoping to share the gospel with.
Chad is a dry, hot, desert land. It is not an easy place to live. Speaking a language that is foreign to me exhausts my mind. Seeing the physical and spiritual poverty of those dear to me breaks my heart. But there is no place on earth I’d rather be serving God than in Chad, Africa. I am thankful that I have been equipped to serve for the long-haul in a tough place.
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Pray.
Pray for Michelle and other missionaries who are serving in spiritually dark and dry places. Pray they will abide in Christ as they continue the steadfast work that is proclaiming the truth of Jesus among a people that do not yet know Him.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michelle serves the Lord in Chad, Africa. Chad is home to over 80 unreached people groups. Michelle teaches English as a second/foreign language at an English Center in the capital city of N’Djamena. She lives in a Muslim neighborhood near the English Center where she works. Fun fact: She doesn't have a car in Chad so she walks and/or takes public transportation everywhere she goes, which makes daily life very interesting!