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EFM Opportunities for Future Missionaries!

If you are a person who is seriously interested in exploring the idea of missionary service, whether that be for a couple of years or for a long-term career, or if you are certain you are called to be a missionary overseas, EFM is calling you a “future missionary” and designing opportunities for you. Check out this video to learn more!

Please help us plan and to know how to serve you, the future missionary, by completing our updated survey. 

What is a future missionary? If you are a person who is seriously interested in exploring the idea of missionary service, whether that be for a couple of years or for a long-term career, or if you are certain you are called to be a missionary overseas, EFM is calling you a “future missionary” and designing opportunities for you. The opportunities EFM is providing for people in the U.S. include:

  1. Future Missionary Retreats. Our next annual retreat is scheduled for May 27- May 30, 2024, in Quaker Ridge, Colorado.
  2. Future Missionary Training Trips.
  3. Future Missionary Field Experiences. You can talk with Matt Macy to schedule a custom-fit experience!
  4. Future Missionary Cohort. Find the video conference call link and other information below for the 2nd Monday of each month at 5 pm Pacific, 6 pm Mountain, 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern.
  5. EFM Luke 10 Initiative. EFM has identified the locations of 10 potential new fields that we are exploring, and we need and invite future missionaries to join us on these trips.

Why participate in these opportunities?  We are observing that it is a mutual game-changer for groups of future missionaries and for groups of EFM mentors and for EFM staff to know each other face-to-face in relationship through retreats and trips.

What do you know about EFM? Check out and seek to understand EFM’s Mission and Vision and Statement of Faith! Please be familiar with EFM’s Five-Year goal and Luke 10 Initiative!

CONTACT: Please feel free to contact Matt Macy anytime at 316 706 5789 by text, voice, or email.

  EFM Future Missionary Retreat

SAVE THE DATES and make plans to join us!  Our next annual retreat is being scheduled for May 27- May 30, 2024, at Quaker Ridge Camp and Conference Center, Woodland Park, Colorado. The retreat begins with dinner Monday evening May 27 and ends with lunch at noon on May 30.  More schedule and logistics information will be provided with registration and confirmation communications.

What to expect at an EFM Future Missionary Retreat:

  • Gather with and get to know other future missionaries and their stories. Worship and learn together.
  • Meet mentors; people who have been missionaries who are willing to spend time with you to encourage you, provide teachings, and coach you in your journey from their life experience.
  • Connect with opportunities for future missionaries, including meeting EFM Directors, EFM missionaries, and others in the Friends Church family who help send missionaries.
  • COSTS: Your only cost is travel to the retreat. EFM will reimburse you for half of your travel costs to participate in this retreat. We have a travel agent and would be glad to help you secure travel as needed.
  • Lodging and meals are provided by EFM and the EFM donors who want to encourage and support you!

  EFM Future Missionary Training Trips

What to Expect on an EFM Future Missionary Trip

  • Future missionaries going with other future missionaries and mentors (current and former Friends missionaries) to an EFM mission field.
  • Serve the churches and groups that are established and join them in ministry and debriefing experiences.
  • Observe ministry work and learn discipling and multiplication methods.
  • Receive an introduction to language learning methods, practicing with a personal on-site language helper.
  • Experience cultural immersion, including a homestay, and enjoy debriefing and learning with both nationals and missionaries.
  • The emphasis on this trip is not on the destination, or for you to decide whether you want to go based on where it is that we are going. Rather the emphasis is on the nature of the trip:
    • to be with others who are serious about exploring or planning to serve as missionaries in the future.
    • to be with EFM missionaries and mentors who will provide coaching, training, and mentoring and engage in an ongoing relationship of encouragement to you.
    • to be on an EFM mission field.
    • to establish valuable relationships for the mutual benefit of all participants to the glory of God!
  •  We may not reveal the trip destination to you until after you have registered, but feel free to contact Matt as needed to gain insights. But we can assure you that we will be with you, with safety in mind, and with a desire for you to have an enriching experience that will not stretch you beyond what you can bear.

LOGISTICS

  • Costs and Deadlines will be announced before registration opens up.
    • Dates: TBA
    • Base registration cost: TBA per person
    • Registration: You will be asked to make a $300 non-refundable deposit when you register for the trip, which will go towards your trip costs. On June 15, $700 is due and on July 20, the final $2,500 is due.
    • After you register and pay your deposit, We will give you more information about the destination, along with further applicable information about orientation and the trip as soon as we are able!
  • We will help you with advice and resources for fundraising to help you cover your costs for this trip. You will be blessed by people who want to support you!
  • Base registration cost includes all airfare, transportation, meals, lodging, and ministry expenses.
  • Items not included with base registration:
    • Your flight to and from the departure city.
    • Passport costs. Click here for more info.  You will need a passport with an expiration date of 6 months later than the trip dates.
    • Personal items necessary for the trip.
    • Personal spending money, souvenir money, and offering.
    • Any minimal immunizations. We ask that you have had a tetanus/diphtheria shot in the last 10 years.  Check the CDC website for recommendations for destinations but understand that their recommendations are not required.
  • You may be required to participate in virtual orientation and/or book reading, to be announced.
  • We don’t anticipate that this trip would need to be canceled due to the logistics of the pandemic, but we will work with you and refund your deposit or any refundable registration payments in the unlikely scenario that something changes due to the pandemic that makes it not possible for you or the trip to continue.

Future Missionary Field Experiences

Field Experiences are typically provided for persons to gain experience, training, and discernment, who are serious about pursuing a missionary career and are usually 2-12 months in length. A field experience is kind of like an internship. Field experiences are usually custom-designed for each future missionary, and are often best served in teams of 2-5, or as a family, but occasionally can be solo. It is an option for EFM to provide a salary during the field experience to free persons up from employment/income concerns. Just like any short-term or long-term/career missionary service assignments, EFM equips participants to successfully raise all funds necessary to cover all costs to complete an assignment.

If you are interested in any of these opportunities or would like to talk about a custom fit for you to have a 2-12 month field experience, please contact Matt Macy at matt@friendsmission.com or 316-706-5789.

  EFM Luke 10 Initiative

Read about the Luke 10 Exploration Trips here, and see what to expect.

Here are the 10 Luke 10 Trip destinations being actively planned by 10 different planning and travel teams.  We are completing exploration trips to the last destinations in early 2023 plus making plans for 2nd trips in 2023 before November 8, 2023, when we have a National EFM Luke 10 Think Tank with hopes to identify which fields EFM will commit to launching by the end of 2025 (goal is to launch at least 5 by end of 2025).

Please let matt@friendsmission.com know which trips you would like to receive information on, to consider joining the exploration team.  You are invited!

  1. Northern India | February 20-March 4, 2023
  2. Mexico | April 24-May 1, 2023
  3. Shuar People of Ecuador and Peru
    • Trip 1: June 5- July 31, 2023
    • Trip 2: June 5-15, 2023
  4. South Sudan | September 4-17, 2023
  5. Tanzania | September 17-25, 2023
  6. Greece | September 20-30, 2023
  7. Northeast Brazil | October 6-17, 2023
  8. Nepali-speaking people in Doha | October 19-31, 2023
  9. Eastern Europe | June 7-22, 2024
  10. Lahu People of Thailand, Laos, etc. | TBA
  11. Unreached People Group in Southeast Asia | TBA

  EFM Future Missionary Cohort

Future Missionary Cohort virtual video teaching and discussion sessions are held each month on the 2nd Monday night at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, 8pm Eastern (unless announced otherwise).

For this month’s video link and other details, visit this page.

At this time, cohorts are only available for US Citizens or residents. If you are interested and in another country, please email Matt Macy to discuss opportunities.

What to Expect in an EFM Future Missionary Cohort:

  • Stay connected with other future missionaries and experienced mentor coaches.
  • Connect regularly through virtual video meetings.
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