Six Reasons You Should Serve as a Journeyman

I remember going to my mentor and telling her that I thought God might be leading me to do Journeyman (a two-year program for young adults to serve through the International Mission Board). She immediately pulled up the website and asked, “Why not go ahead and fill out the interest form?”

Up until that point, the only thing that had kept me from committing to serving overseas as a Journeyman was the fear that two years was too long. Two years away from family and friends, two years of missing big life events, two years of being gone – it felt like too much until suddenly it didn’t. Would I really say “no” to God because of fear of missing out? If I was going to follow Jesus and pick up my cross, it meant I had to be willing to walk away from what was familiar. And so, while my stomach twisted in fear and excitement, I said yes that day to clicking on the interest form.

Little did I know how big of a “yes“ that was. I didn’t know all the joys and costs, challenges and adventures that would follow that “yes.” Looking back, I’ll always be grateful that I said yes to serving as a Journeyman. And here’s why I think you should consider it, too….

Say yes to Journeyman because… you’ll grow in your walk with the Lord.

I walked away from Journeyman with a deeper knowledge of the Lord. When everything familiar was stripped away and all that remained was new and uncomfortable, I had nowhere to turn but to the One who never changes. It’s true that we need the Lord in the same way in America, yet the discomfort of life overseas forced me to recognize that need more fully. My daily quiet time became a lifeline, and I fell in love with God’s Word. That pattern of abiding has stuck with me even after I left the field.

Say yes to Journeyman because… you’ll grow in knowing who you are.

The stress of living in another culture can bring out the worst in people. As I was stretched physically, emotionally and spiritually, long-forgotten sins welled to the surface. You’ll get to know the ugly inside of you but also your giftings. As you work in the trenches with your team towards the missionary task, your strengths in ministry will be made evident. For example, my heart for life-on-life discipleship grew because my team modeled it for me. So often when I sat across from a younger gal, helping her learn to read the Word, I would have a knowing in my heart – this is what I was created to do. As Journeymen, we join a missionary team in the work and learn to live out our giftings for the glory of God.

Say yes to Journeyman because… you’ll meet and be shaped by people of different worldviews.

My Muslim friend Belle doesn’t know the Lord, yet I know Him more deeply because of her. Her questions about Christianity pushed me deeper into the Word and challenged me to make sure I really knew what I believe. Belle showed me her culture and taught me what it means to be Arab. I learned about hospitality and food, how to say no to more food when an Arab grandma pushes it on you (really, you just can’t) and so much more. She is just one of many friends who forever changed my worldview. We go to share the Gospel with those who haven’t heard, only to find that those same people have much to teach us as well.

Say yes because…. it’s only two years.

Signing up for Journeyman doesn’t mean committing to a lifetime overseas. It’s a two-year commitment. Do you feel called to long-term missions? Then go. Are you unsure if God is calling you to long-term missions? Then go. Maybe God will use those two years to confirm you’re called to longer-term overseas work. Maybe He’ll lead you back to the states. Either way, you get to spend two years joining God’s work among the Nations. Two years go by much quicker than you think. And what better time to commit two years to the Lord than your mid-20s?

Say yes if you want to… share the Gospel with those who have never heard.

There are people around the world who have never had the chance to hear the Gospel. They are in rural villages in Africa, walking the crowded streets of Tokyo, and passing empty cathedrals in Europe. They are hidden away in the unreached mountains of the Himalayas and the barren deserts of the Middle East. As a Journeyman, the statistics about the unreached become more than numbers. They become friends with names and faces. Suddenly the unreached man isn’t across the world, but your next-door neighbor. The gap between you isn’t distance but language and culture. It takes hard work to learn their language and foreign ways, but always it is worth it to share Good News in a way that they can understand.

Say yes because… you’ll gain a life-long community.

There’s a legacy and community that comes with being a Journeyman. Through the Journeyman program, I met people that are some of my dearest friends to this day. There are some things we just “get” without having to say a word. Being a Journeyman means you are part of a long-line of people who gave years of their life for the cause of Christ.

In fact, his year marks the 60th Anniversary of the Journeyman program.

60 years of God using Journeymen to take His Gospel to the Nations.

60 years of God working in the hearts of those that He sends.

60 years of people like you and I simply saying yes to going for two years.

Is God asking you to join that legacy? 

If you believe the answer is yes, then I encourage you to seek counsel within your local church. Ask those that know you best to speak in. The conversation I started this article with took place in the context of community. My mentor had served with me cross-culturally, and she (as well as others) affirmed that God was leading me overseas.

So if you believe God is calling you to Journeyman, and your community affirms your call, then I have only one more question… The same one my mentor asked me years ago,  “Why not go ahead and fill out the interest form?” https://www.imb.org/students/go-2-years-journeyman/