(I) Introduction

There’s that old joke about the guy whose house is in danger from an impending flood.  A policeman drives by his house and offers to evacuate him but he replies, “Nope.  I’m staying.  God will take care of me.”  A few hours later the flood comes and begins to rise.  The man is trapped in his home on the second floor.  A ranger’s boat passes by and offers the man a ride to safety.  Again he replies, “Nope.  I’m OK.  God will provide.  He always does!”  Another few hours pass and now the situation is dire.  The man is on his roof holding on to his satellite dish for support.  A news crew in a helicopter flies...(to be continued in book) 

(II) Sending Body Options

Which Sending Body Should Send You?

There are many types of sending bodies but I’ll talk about two - (1) Churches and (2) Professional Sending Organizations (PSOs) like YWAM or Africa Inland Mission.  Each type of sending body has its own strengths and weaknesses where support of their missionaries is concerned.  It would be nearly impossible to find a sending body that was perfect in all areas of support.  Each sending body will have strengths and weaknesses.  Every sending body is unique so pay close attention in your...(to be continued in book)

(III) Support You'll Need

You’ll need a lot of support.  And I’m not just talking about money.  You’ll need prayer, counsel, financial support, personal care, and administrative support to name a few.  If you plan for this ahead of time it will be much easier.  Just think of the difference between knowing someone over email or Facebook and knowing them personally (meeting them in person).  I've done a lot of business supporting other regions of the world.  Meeting someone (even once) face-to-face can improve a relationship...(to be continued in book) 

(IV) Nice-to-Have Support

There are some support mechanisms that would be nice to have through your sending body but may be left up to you.  Nonetheless, I’ll list the support I think is important and let you research and decide.

Health Insurance

I am a strong advocate of having some level of health insurance in the field.  Granted, most comprehensive health insurance programs would be a waste.  Medical care and prescription medicine is usually inexpensive in third...(to be continued in book)

(V) The Contract

There are many websites and forums out there that can provide sample missionary contracts so I won’t go through all of that.  What I will touch on in this chapter is the things I feel are really important to include within the contract.  Some may look at this list and think it nitpicky.  However, I found that a lot of misunderstanding in these areas resulted in a sometimes unforeseen negotiations between us and our sending body.  Everything is negotiable but no one...(to be continued in book) 

(VI) Some Fundraising Tips

There’s so much to be said about fundraising that it would do me no good to go through it all.  There are more comprehensive books on the subject than I could write.  However, we found things about fund raising (some surprising) that I’ll share with you:

People give out of their poverty - Like the story of the widow’s mite, I found that...(to be continued in book)

(VII) Funding Your Day-to-Day Expenses

Cash is King - We get so used to paying for everything with our trusty debit card but in the third world, cash is king.  Get used to the idea that you’ll need to withdraw cash from ATMs on a regular basis.  One last thing on cash.  If you can find even a little of your host country’s currency, carry it with you on your initial trip.  You never know what you’ll find in the airport before you exit customs.

Debit/Credit Cards - Credit cards are still...(to be continued in book)

(VIII) Things To Do On Your Own

Power of attorney

If you have a trusted family member or friend you’re leaving behind in your home country, consider giving them power of attorney (or the right to make decisions, sign documents, etc. on your behalf)  There are online services that can put together a simple or more complex POA for you.  I’d advise spending the extra $10-15 to have the document notarized...(to be continued in book)

(IX) Leaving "Stuff" Behind

When leaving for the mission field you will inevitably have to leave “stuff” behind.  I’m defining “stuff” as everything from your most prized possessions to mail and bills you haven’t received yet.  Here are a few things that you may or may not have thought about:

Prized possessions – Some things are just sentimental like pictures and mementos...(to be continued in book) 

(X) Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this book.  I enjoyed writing it.  As I was writing it, I was able to reminisce about my experiences - which overall were good.  Mistakes will be made, regardless of whether you get good advice or not.  I can only hope that my advice will help you reduce those mistakes.  I often look back on our journey and am amazed that we lasted through all that we did.  Others have had it easier and many have had it much harder.  We had it just right and...(to be continued in book)