Serving a mission is one of the most daunting, stressful, enlightening, and rewarding experiences I have ever gone through. Whether you have served one mission or twenty, you might be able to relate to these steps from preparation to reflection that feel like a right of passage for missionaries.
With so many options, how can you choose just one? Chastity talks or homeless ministry? One of the hardest parts is narrowing down which to apply for.
You did it! After filling it out the first day you got it, losing it for a week, only to find it crumpled in your bag and having to fill out another one just minutes before the deadline, your application(s) is finally in.
Rumors are going around about which missions will have interviews when, so you mentally calculate the most appropriate time for you to receive that call or text scheduling your interview, and you refuse to stop checking your phone every 20 minutes until it happens.
So you got the call and set a time for an interview. Easy. Now you have prep for the interview. Not as easy. What do I wear? How many jokes do I tell without looking desperate? What if they don’t understand my sarcasm? Just how much of my testimony do I share?
Part II is arguably more difficult since it immediately follows the interview. It’s so close… yet so far away. Here’s to hoping that closing prayer you led was charismatic enough for the mission leads.
You have been accepted on the mission team! Whoop whoop! There may be more grey hairs on your head than when you applied, but who cares! It’s time to spread the good news.
That initial moment of doubt typically happens at your first meeting when you meet the rest of your team. You already have an idea of who has served what missions in the past, and the intimidation alone is stressing you out.
Now that you have fully realized what you have gotten yourself into, you head into a panic prayer session in the chapel where God reminds you why the heck you applied in the first place. You walk out confident saying, “Jesus, I trust in you." You got this.
Some missions have months to prepare, some have merely days. Whether the time is spent fundraising, playing team bonding games, or planning talks and retreats, you will probably feel overwhelmed at one point or another. The majority of surrender and trust occurs during these meetings, because the control freaks on the team (leaders included) have to accept how much is out of their control.
The team is en route, offering up their travel rosary as soon as the wheels get rolling. Everyone is trying to put their expectations aside as they take in the last few moments of calm before the storm.
All the training has led to this marathon. This is what you've been waiting for. Here’s to a week of constant outpouring, desperate prayers, and growing deeper in our Lord’s love for us all for the sake of His Kingdom.
The end of the week is rapidly approaching, yet it feels like you barely arrived. You spent the last days in denial that your time in this ministry is ending. You begin to cherish every single moment where you’re at, with the people around you.
The single most heart wrenching question that always seems to come up. Your heart is desperately saying yes, but your brain is hesitant. Well, a novena asking to come back never hurt anyone.
You’re home, finally with a moment to catch your breath. Your prayers are filled with thanksgiving for the experience, and personalized prayers for each person you encountered. Everything you accomplished during the week begins to sink in, and you can’t help but be amazed by how the Lord worked in you and through you.
You don't know what you have until it's gone, and your team is the perfect example. You're constantly feeling nostalgic and want nothing more than to go back and relive it. When's that mission fair again?
