Am I called to missions? How to know guide.

I love travel, and I started traveling when I was 18-years old. Just after two months of turning 18, I moved to a different country to become a missionary and share the gospel to the world.

But how did I know I was called to go? For me the first time I just knew it was what I was supposed to do. I felt in my heart this peace and persistence to go. So I went and lived in France for over two years as a missionary.

Now that I have worked in missions for over 30 years and lived in several countries, done all types of missions, from orphan outreach to constructions. I’ve led short term missions, lived long term in missions, hosted teams, sent teams, leaded teams. If it is missions I have been a part of all types.

But how do you know if you are called to go on a mission trip, short term or long term. What are things you can do to know that is what you should do?

A feeling in your heart that you should go.

Do you have this feeling in your heart that you should go? If it’s a yes, then you need to pray about going.

It sounds so romantic, actually it kinda is a little bit romantic. You hear about a country or heard someone talk about a place, a mission or an organization, and something in your heart connected. And you had the feeling that you want to do that. This is where it all starts. A connection happens.

Start praying and seeking God.

Do you continue to feel like you should go when you pray and seek God?

This is the most crucial part after you have that feeling. Start praying and seeking God daily. Spend time in prayer and start reading about the country or organization that you want to go to or with. Discerning if you are called to that place. Start finding out more information and opportunities for where or with who you want to go and serve with.

Listen and seek guidance from trusted people.

Do those you trust feel like this is right for you?

After you have prayed then start to ask friends or leaders that you trust to pray with you and for you.

To be brutally honest with you I have at this point asked for a sign for some missions trips. I know you might be a person who thinks this is silly or you might be a person who thinks this is wise. Either one listen to my story please. I was praying about going to Eastern Europe for missions. Specifically, Romania.

My small group was praying for me and we all went to a Womens luncheon at the church it was a professional in business who was guest lecturer. In the middle of her talk she stops and says, if God called you to go to Romania then you need to go!

Well, I took that as a sign and so did my small group as well. So I went to Romania and lived as a missionary for over seven years. Now this is the only trip that this happened with and sense I don’t usually ask for a specific sign. But I faced so many challenges when I moved to Romania but I never doubted that I was supposed to be there, not once.

A sense of peace.

Do you have a peace in your heart about going?

If the answer is yes, then it might be time to start raising funds to go.

I don’t think you need to have a sign to know you are supposed to go. But I do believe you should have a sense of peace to go. If you don’t have peace then you should rethink and pray more about going.

Peace is one of the most important things you need when you are called to missions. There will be challenges you face when going somewhere with a different culture, language, food, communication style. And if you have peace when you go and know in your heart that is where you are supposed to be then any challenges you might face you will have a sense of confidence that you are in Gods plan.

Money comes in to go.

Do you have the finances to go?

This is also one of the biggest challenges we face in going on missions. If God provides all the funds for you to go on the trip then it is answer to your question. Yes, you should probably go if you got the money provided for you miraculously.

But if you are in the stage of raising funds just continue to seek God and pray through, it will come if this is the right timing just continue to believe in faith.

If you have answered yes, to all the questions then this trip is probably the one you should go on. If they are not all yes, just continue to seek God to show you what you should do and wait and see how answers to prayer come.

If you have experience in missions please let us know how you knew you were called to missions.