If you have ever taken an overseas mission trip, you know that you need to pack carefully to ensure you bring the essentials like your passport, plane tickets, and personal items you’ll need for your trip abroad. All these items go into your backpack well in advance so that, when it’s time to head to the airport, you’re
fully prepared. It’s even more vital to properly pack your “spiritual backpack” before you go. Success on a mission trip requires more than logistical essentials. Several unseen items must be included to ensure you fulfill all that God has for you. Here are five items that are essential for your spiritual backpack.
Patience
In the West, we value control and create systems to ensure things go as planned. However, this is not true in many other parts of the world, where people are very comfortable with living moment by moment. What you might see as a lack of planning and preparation is, to others, simply living in the present. A change in plans can create stress and cause us to lose our temper, but that anger is inappropriate in many parts of the world. Remember that patience is more than a virtue; it is a fruit of the Spirit. As you walk in the Spirit, ask the Lord to produce patience in you so that when events don’t go according to plan, you can respond with love and grace.
Flexibility
Similar to patience, you should pack plenty of flexibility in your spiritual backpack before you board that plane. Plans often change quickly overseas. The best volunteers adapt and are willing to make changes on the fly. You might find the electricity is unreliable, the temperature is hotter than you anticipated, and the food is not what you’re used to. Be courageous, try new things, avoid complaining, and do whatever it takes to accommodate others. Do not violate scriptural principles, but avoid standing firm on personal cultural preferences rather than biblical truths. Successful cross-cultural ministry involves intentionally pursuing flexibility.
Teachability
Another vital trait is the ability to be a learner. This might seem counterintuitive because you’re going on this trip to help others and share the Gospel. That requires you to be a knower. However, you’re in a new culture, among new people with new customs and a different language. Approaching it with humility and a willingness to learn is key to success. In our rush to give the “answers,” we often fail to ask the right questions about what the real needs and deeper issues are. This mission trip isn’t just about what God will do through you; it’s also about what God is going to do in you. Going as a learner means not only learning from the people you’re ministering to but also discovering what God is trying to teach you on this trip.
Servanthood
Make sure to pack a servant’s heart in your luggage when you go and be prepared to work hard for Jesus. Approach each task with a desire to serve others and honor the Lord. Mission trips aren’t glorified vacations. We don’t go for the Instagram reels; we go out of obedience and to join Him in His work. Being a servant means you won’t always get your way. You serve in any way necessary. And it may mean letting others serve you, so that you do not deny them an opportunity to contribute but work together in a way that blesses them and respects their dignity as God’s image bearers. God is honored when we are interdependent with those we came to serve.
Faithfulness
The last thing I would recommend you pack in your spiritual suitcase is faithfulness. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Paul says that as servants of God, it is necessary that we be found faithful. If you are going to serve Him overseas this year, be sure you focus on faithfulness to Christ, to His word, to His church, and to sharing the Gospel wherever you go. That is truly what missions is all about. Success isn’t measured by how many people repented or how many you helped, but by remaining faithful to do God’s work in His way and trusting Him for the results.
In modern travel, it’s important to pack as light as possible. However, when it comes to your spiritual backpack, pack it carefully. Don’t skimp on these five essentials I’ve mentioned and consider other spiritual qualities you might need. At the end of the day, you’ll find these things more important than your passport or a toothbrush!
