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Thinking about going overseas as a “Short-Termer”?  You’ve got lots to think about:  support raising, training, what to packing.  I’d like to suggest what not to pack.  Don’t pack your agenda!  Go instead, as a “learner”.

A learner lets his hosts determine what he’ll do, how, where and when he’ll do it.  He tells his hosts (national and missionary) that he’ll do anything, go anywhere.  He listens to what they tell him.  He observes and asks questions.  He learns. 

If you want to really see missions, don’t go with a preconceived agenda.  Let God set the agenda. Even going as a “servant”, can suggest you are expecting to do something in particular.  But I’m suggesting something even more radical:  Leave your program at home.  Don’t pack it. Be a learner. You see, “learning” is foundational for ministry.  In fact, you cannot be an effective cross-cultural missionary if you are not a learner.

Supporters want to see a list of goals and objectives for your trip.  These can be helpful if God directs them. But be cautious. Hold your own goals and objectives lightly.

Pray. Dream. Plan. But at the end of the day, lay your plans at God’s feet and learn. Then, when He speaks, you will have ears to hear and move at the sound of His voice. You’ll be in concert with what is happening around you.

As a learner, you will see more and do more than if you bring the baggage of your own agenda.