Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2:1-4

I recently returned from Anchorage, Alaska, where I served for the second year in a row. I’ve thrown around enough statistics to answer all the “Why Alaska?” questions I’ve fielded both times, and I’ve also dealt with jealousy from people who would take any opportunity they could get to visit Alaska.

“Do you want to sleep in air mattresses or bunk beds in crowded Sunday school classrooms and share three toilet stalls and four showers with, say, 50 or 60 women?” I ask. Suddenly people are slightly less envious when they realize I’m not embarking on a dream vacation.

This is not to express a lack of gratitude. As I wrote in my last post, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the tiny remnant that hosts us. But it’s a reality: You must be willing to surrender your right to comfort if you want to be a short-term missionary. This is certainly not the experience for every short-term missionary, but it has been my experience every time.

Similarly, you must be willing to give up your right to privacy, and with so many people around you at all hours, you must be flexible about sleeping and showering and getting away to have your quiet time and making those regular calls home. The schedule I observe in Alaska is a far cry from the one I maintain in my natural habitat. And that’s okay. After all, I’m there to serve Christ and to further His kingdom. I’m not there to seek my own comfort and convenience. I can do that at home.

Neither am I there for drama. Before I board the plane, I enter into duck mentality so any offense against me will just roll off. People will get overly tired; alphas will dominate; hormones will erupt; feelings will get hurt. But blessed be the peacemakers. If someone snaps at me or another team member, he or she must be exhausted, stressed or overwhelmed, and thus in need of prayer. It will happen. Deal with it as Christ would.

You also give up your desire to avoid heartbreak. After my trip, I ran into someone I know at Costco who, upon hearing about the terrible things the children of Alaska must endure, said, “I could never confront that.” But selfishness is antithetical to the heart of Christ. He gave not only till it hurt but till it killed Him. We must open our eyes, arms and hearts to a lost and hurting world, and that world is often in our own back yards.

Before you sign up for a short-term mission, regardless of where you’re going, remember to take with you the armor of God (and that naturally includes the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God). And leave behind your self – because, trust me, it will get in the way of everything God wants to do in and through you. Now go and tell. The world needs you.