What is a Long Term Missionary Volunteer?
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If you were looking for a job as a carpenter, the easiest question to answer should be “What is a Carpenter?”  Any hesitation and an employer may choose not to hire you.  Your desire is to serve as a missionary volunteer.  Ok!  What is a Long Term Missionary Volunteer?”

According to the Church’s manual, a Long Term Missionary Volunteer within the SDA Church is a baptized member of the SDA church who is 18 years or older and who may receive some form of financial compensation in the form  of a per diem (allowance).  Lodging and meals are generally provided.  Accident and Sickness Insurance is provided for the volunteer during his/her assignment which may last between 2 months to 2 years.

Ok! That tells us something about what the volunteer receives and how he/she qualifies.  But what is a Missionary Volunteer?

From many years of experience, missions offices have agreed that this is a Missionary Volunteer:

The Missionary Volunteer is an individual who has first of all sensed a call from God to serve a group of people by

  1. meeting their needs and by
  2. sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The 3 most important qualities that a missionary must possess are:

  1. LOVE FOR PEOPLE
  2. A CALL TO SERVE
  3. ADAPTABILITY
  1. Jesus told Peter “If you love me, feed my sheep.”  Obviously, we cannot serve people if we’re not “in love” with Jesus Christ.  A strong prayer life is the single most effective way to strengthen our relationship with God.  It is also connected with the first and most important Commandment “Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with all they strength, soul and might.”  We have to love God in order to have a LOVE FOR PEOPLE.
  2. Jesus was specific when He send his disciples out as missionaries.  “You shall be my witnesses buth in Jerusalem, Judea and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.”  It is important to note that the first New Testament Missionaries were sent to either a specific location or to a specific assignment.  Before you choose a location, first ask God to reveal to you where you have been CALLED TO SERVE.
  3. A Missionary named St. Francis of Assisi said that it is more important to understand than to be understood.  A missionary is like a guest whom you’ve invited to spend an evening in your home.  Imagine that guest telling you how to run your house, how your children should behave, how to decorate your home…or even worse, that the guest would take his shoes off, get into a pair of pajamas and plop his feet up on your coffee table…ALL IN ONE EVENING.  HOW RUDE!  We have been invited, as GUESTS, by the people of that culture.  We must be ADAPTABLE to their home country.

If you can accept this definition, then we welcome you to the exciting world of Missionary Volunteers.  Someday Jesus Christ is coming back.  But He will come back only after the gospel has been preached to all tongues and tribes of the earth.  You are the Key that will usher in that glorious day.  Thank you…and I look forward to seeing you…my Co-laborer…in His vineyard.

With much Gratitude

Ernest

Ernest Hernandez
Volunteers Processing Coordinator
North American Division