So, you want to be a missionary with LifeLink International?

We meet people on a regular basis that start to feel the pull on their hearts to serve in foreign missions with LifeLink International after going on a short-term trip. If you can relate, here are a few important considerations that will get you moving in the right direction.

1. We’ve been trained.

Every LifeLink missionary has attended the LifeLink Mission Internship Training Program in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Mike and Deborah Turner, the founders of LifeLink International, personally teach and evaluate every trainee. With over thirty-five years of experience in ministry, they are experts in the profession of missions. If you want to minister with LifeLink, the program is required, although many people who take the course also serve elsewhere.

2. We work as a team.

All LifeLink missionaries learn how to work as a team to achieve a common goal. There are no independent missionaries. We hold each other accountable and celebrate each other’s victories.

3. We raise our own funds.

We all have raised support to be able to live and work on the foreign mission field. If your considering missions as a vocation, you will be required to raise your own support. If you want to be a missionary, you will have to raise all of your living/ministry costs. Even our president and founders raise all their own support. This is common for all foreign and domestic missionaries.

4. We are passionate.

As a group, we are passionate about spreading the love of Jesus Christ. We do not stop, there is no quitting, and obstacles exist to be overcome. If you join the LifeLink team, a high level of commitment is expected.

5. We understand and respect authority.

Approximately seventy percent of missionaries that enter a foreign field return home within eighteen months. There are several factors involved, but one of the largest is accountability. With no one to answer to, many well-meaning missionaries simply stop working. Every member of the LifeLink team has an authority to answer to.

6. We share the same core values.

Things like excellence, community and culture are core values we all share. We talk about them,  remind ourselves of them, and live them on a daily basis. If you’re not familiar with the concept of core values, please see number one.

7. We adapt culturally. 

We learn bus routes, another language, and a different lifestyle. We attend church in a new culture and tongue. We have friends from the country we serve in and make a point to build relationships. We live in neighborhoods that have no other North Americans. This is an integral part of our foreign mission call.

8. We are strong in our faith. 

We have all been Christians for a substantial amount of time. We understand biblical theology and can share in a way that speaks to familiarity with God’s word. We live a life that reflects Jesus.
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Being a foreign missionary can be the most rewarding experience of your life. Our hope is that you will read this article and understand that there are very real costs that must be counted before you land in another country. If you have any questions, please leave a comment or email us at info@lifelinkint.org.