It takes a lot of training to be a missionary...

But not the kind of training that most people think of.

It takes a lot of training to learn how to live and move, and then speak and pass on the words of Jesus in a foreign land. There’s a million little things someone has to learn about how to ride the bus, say hello to people, sit down and stand up, go to the bathroom, let alone learning to talk, make conversation, and make yourself understood. And the only way to do this is by spending all kinds of time figuring things out, ie. ‘living’ in a new foreign land.

This is not a training that any school can give. It’s a training you get in the streets, living rooms, and everyday conversations you have in the land you’re wanting to reach. And it does take a lot of time.

Without doing this though, without getting active and accustomed in the new language and flow of life, a person can’t do much without becoming quickly exhausted or giving up.

I believe this is one of the more critical tasks that often gets overlooked.

People can get all kinds of education, years of training, or read all sorts of books. But remember, you will need to actually get over there and spend years just ‘getting used’ to life in a strange language and land. You will need to give yourself tons of time, patience, and grace as you slowly adapt.

So when should you do this?

People use the prime of their lives, even put off marriage, to get university degrees, or to do grueling internships, because they now that the experience and training will pay off for years to come.

So why not give the prime of your youth to this kind of training: learning to live, drink tea, and speak your turn in a place where people don’t get to hear about the cross…

Could the reward–the knowledge of Jesus being spread to the ends of the earth–be any less worth it?