Going long-term
Eighteen months from a coffee to a plane ticket
Most people who go with us took two years to decide and then about eighteen months to get there. Here is the whole road, honestly.
Married couples, families and single adults all serve with us. Most are between 24 and 55 when they go.
The path
Six steps, each with a person beside you
You can stop at any step. About half the people who start do, and we count that as the process working.
Step 1 of 6
A first conversation
Coffee on Weber Street or a video call with a mobilizer. Bring your questions and your doubts.
Step 2 of 6
Discovery weekend
Three days in the Springs with workers on home assignment, our member-care team and other people asking the same questions. Held in March, July and October.
Step 3 of 6
Application and references
A written application, your home church's blessing, a medical check and a psychological assessment we pay for.
Step 4 of 6
Candidate school
Six weeks of training in cross-cultural life, language learning, team conflict and spiritual care, here in Colorado Springs.
Step 5 of 6
Building your support team
Most families raise their support in nine to fourteen months. A coach meets with you every two weeks until you are fully funded.
Step 6 of 6
Landing and language
Your first two years on the field are mostly language and learning. Your team leader meets you at the airport.
Candidate school
Six weeks in a brick house on Weber Street
Every new worker trains here before they go, with others headed to all five fields. Mornings are classes; afternoons are language practice with a Mongolian, Portuguese or Quechua speaker from the Springs.
Evenings are mostly suppers. Workers on home assignment cook, and you hear what nobody puts in a newsletter.
- Next sessions: January 11 and June 7, 2027
- Housing provided in our two guest apartments
- Children's program for ages 3 to 12
- Tuition covered by Far Shore
Questions
What people ask in the first conversation
Do I need a seminary degree?
No. About a third of our workers have formal theological training. Nurses, teachers, engineers, pilots and accountants are all on the field now. We do ask for a year of Bible and missions coursework, which can be done online while you raise support.
How long is long-term?
We ask for a first term of four years. Most people stay much longer; our average is over eleven years.
Can we go with children?
Yes. Ninety-three children live on our fields. Each field has schooling options, and member care includes a children's worker who visits every family.
What does support raising actually involve?
Meeting with churches and friends, telling them what you will do and asking them to give monthly. It is hard and it is also how you gather the people who will pray for you for twenty years. You will have a coach the whole way.
What if I'm not sure I am called?
Then you are exactly who the first conversation is for. Most of our workers weren't sure either.