Counsel #3 — Prepare To Serve

Picture: Counsel #3 — Prepare To ServeCCL 82.1

Deciding to serve as a volunteer missionary requires commitment and planning beyond simply finding a place to go.^{[107]https://vividfaith.com/} First, the mission field needs responsible volunteers who can be trusted.^{[108]https://www.adventistvolunteers.org/long-term/qualifications/} After all, missions are often stretched for resources and serve vulnerable people. Second, decisions must be made regarding personal plans. Will the volunteer placement align with college breaks? Will it require postponing job opportunities or pausing a romantic relationship? While these factors don’t prevent someone from serving, deciding what to do about them is important. Short-term missionary service isn’t glamorous or like a vacation. It's real life with real consequences.CCL 82.2

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." Luke 14:28CCL 82.3

“Education and culture… will fit our youth for usefulness when they shall leave school to engage in mission work at home or in foreign countries. They will not then be dependent upon the people to whom they go to cook for them, to sew for them, or to build their habitations; but they will be prepared to educate the ignorant, to show others how to do all manner of labor by plans and methods that will produce the best results; and they will thus become more influential and helpful.” Ellen White in Letters and Manuscripts, vol. 13, Manuscript 172, 1898, par. 9CCL 82.4

Reflect: What barriers exist in your life that might make service difficult for you? What can you do about those barriers?CCL 82.5