A New Orientation

Adjusting to life on the mission field can be a challenge. We go from a place where daily life is somewhat predictable and familiar to a place of needing to be reorientated at every level. At times it can be nearly debilitating. So how do we press on through the challenges of adjustment into a new orientation of ministry? I often share with new missionaries and those who are preparing to go to the field to record what happened when they knew God was calling them to the mission field. I challenge them to answer these questions: What verses were impressed on your heart? Who affirmed that calling on your life? How did you know God was leading you into missionary service? There will come a time when you wonder what you are doing and why you are here and you will need to review what you wrote down. Sometimes the motivation to remain on the field comes from knowing you are where God has placed you and you want to be obedient. You may not feel like staying but it is better to be obedient—no matter how challenging—than to try to return to your original place of familiarity, comfort and predictability. Actually, once you've come to the field, that place you left doesn't exist except in memories. You will inevitably return home changed. For me the verses God used to direct me were Job 23:10-14. How about you? What passage of Scripture did God use when He called you?