Michelle, a missionary in Chad with Africa Inland Mission, shares three values she learned at Missionary Training School 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.

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 Africa Inland Mission, 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.

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.

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.

Living and working together on the field brings many opportunities for misunderstandings and conflicts. For example, many of us teach English here. 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 must first understand myself and then seek to understand others. Now, when conflicts arise, I can properly humble myself to seek a resolution. This has been vital to seeing our team be successful on the field.

I learned the importance of living in the community with the people God sent me to serve. Not just living in the apartment next door, but cultivating a sense of belonging in the community . 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 and as a dear friend.

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, home to 80 unreached people groups. 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.

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.

Interested in serving in Africa? Explore how you can be a part with Africa Inland Missions! 

Need to get training first? Learn more about Missionary Training School!

Written by: Michelle, a long-term missionary serving in Chad, Africa. 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.

Published on: April 14, 2023

Joint-published with permission from Africa Inland Missions