The Wrong Angle

Missionary Care is not necessarily a new field. It's been around, without the title & direct purpose, for years. Within the last 8 to 10 years (as I understand) it has become much more prevalent in mission organizations who are developing new programs to address the needs of their missionaries. Yet, somehow, I still feel like a trailblazer and this is why...

• I am developing my career in this field, entry level, at a young age. It is the goal of my education and training. Yet, almost every missionary care provider I've met was either first a psychologist who saw the need or a veteran missionary asked to shift careers by their organization. In other words, they had a different career goal & then happened upon missionary care. Why does this make me a trailblazer? Because no experienced missionary care provider can adequately counsel me in making career choices at this stage of my life/career.
  
• I am pursuing a Masters of Social Work instead of a Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy. So, far, every experienced missionary care provider I've met encourages me to study social work over counseling. And every single one of them are counselors. They see a deep need for this variety of professionalism, yet cannot describe exactly what it might look like...since there aren't many social workers breaking ground in this field.
  

Last weekend, at my grandma's 80th birthday, my wealthy & business savvy uncle challenged my way of thinking. I've been placing a lot of weight on my Masters level education as training for missionary care. In considering jobs to pursue while in graduate school, my criteria has been to find a job that pays well & fits my school schedule. And apparently, this is inadequate.

My uncle, quite persuasively, told me to get a job as a mail clerk in the company that one day, I'd like to run. Now, he admits that he doesn't understand the world of non-profit mission organizations, but he has a point. Hands-on training is what will make me good at what I do. Education enhances my ability & influence to make me great at what I do. Therefore, I should seek a job that offers the best training in this field regardless of my previous prerequisites.

Now, I am already doing missionary care with Alternative Missions and love it. But Alternative Missions isn't big enough to pay me a salary and God has not provided sufficient support to continue to live on & pay for graduate school over the next 4 years.

So now begins the journey to pray & network to see what job God provides.