Many individuals, couples, and families are in their final stages of preparing for cross-cultural ministry. Please uphold them in prayer for the needs and challenges mentioned below — and in whatever other ways the Lord prompts you.

• Many of these missionaries will be serving in places where they will have only limited opportunities for meaningful worship with other believers. Pray that they will develop deep spiritual roots in preparation for living in a spiritually isolated and dry environment.
• These future field missionaries must have sufficient prayer and financial partnerships before they transition into their cross-cultural ministries. Pray that God will raise up the teams of prayer and financial partners they need as they share the vision for taking His Word to the unreached.
• Obtaining visas, residency permits, and other paperwork required by their host governments can be a long and costly process. Pray that their applications will be viewed favorably and processed in a timely manner.
• Some personnel begin learning the primary language of their host country before moving there. Pray that God will enable them to gain a solid foundation in this language through whatever formal and informal learning opportunities are open to them.
• Packing — deciding what to take, what to store, what to dispose of — can be very stressful. Pray for wisdom and peace.
• Children in families who are preparing for cross-cultural ministry seldom fully grasp the changes that are about to occur in their lives. Pray for healthy family dynamics that sustain them through each transition.
• Saying good-bye to family, friends, and church is not easy. Pray for grace, comfort, and peace for these individuals and families as they prepare for long separations.
• The final weeks before departing for their overseas home can be filled with many kinds of uncertainty: not-yet-settled details on their departure timeline, unexpected flight changes, and unknown aspects of arriving in their new home. Pray for peace, for healthy stress management, and for unwavering trust that is rooted in God.