Source: Global Frontier Missions, June 12, 2024
Growing up, I knew I was going to be a missionary. Did I know what that actually meant? Absolutely not.
My bookshelf was filled with stories of missionaries from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their dedication and pioneering spirit continue to inspire me. But as I took steps in my own missionary journey, I began to learn that God equipped me for a different type of ministry.
My childhood idea of a missionary included mud huts, canoes, and malaria. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout to prepare myself for such a rugged environment. If backcountry skills were needed to reach the lost with the gospel, I was fully prepared.
Upon arriving at Missionary Training School, I quickly learned that my concept of missions was incredibly narrow. Remote villages without access to the gospel are abundant, but even more so are globalized cities home to millions of souls lacking that same access. Rugged, pioneering spirits are still needed, but in our modern world that is far from the only skillset valuable in missions.
See also The Two Most Common Questions in Missions (also from GFM).