During World Reach Week, speakers talk about the fun and exciting parts of working overseas. Some of you may be wondering if God is leading you in this direction, or if life in another country is truly as wonderful and awe-inspiring as our speakers suggest. If you are considering serving God in this capacity, it is best to learn the tips and tricks from those who went before you. Here are a few things I have learned in my travels to help you prepare for what lies ahead. 

1. Be mindful of what neighborhood you are in. You could be mistaken for a transexual prostitute and/or followed home. 
2. Girls, modesty looks wildly different depending on where you go. What you consider an extra piece of fabric over your hair may be seen as the equivalent of whether you are wearing a shirt. Please do not decide to rewrap your scarf in public. You will essentially be flashing everyone around you.
3. In Cairo, stuffed pigeon is eaten like a burrito, bones and all. This will require significant mental preparation and fortitude. 
4. When someone offers you food, accept it, even if they live in a dirt covered apartment filled with upwards of twenty pigeons. Even if it is the saltiest thing you have ever eaten.
5. If you have blond hair, you could get multiple proposals. If you have brown hair, you could get a pity proposal. 
6. Negotiate everything, but be willing to walk away. It is not an insult, and you could leave with a great deal and a new nickname. I am Fatima. 
7. The value of a good poker face should not be underestimated. I have encountered a surprising amount of nudity in situations which required me to pretend I did not notice the lack of clothing. 
8. Be aware that safety codes as we know them are practically non-existent in some places. It may not be unusual to see live wires dangling from a tangled knot over the street. Or you could walk on ancient ruins of crusader castles with no guard rails to protect you from the 20 foot (or more) drop in windy conditions. 
9. It may be a little known fact that when air conditioners drip onto stairs, they become slippery. Please be careful in order to avoid bruising your spine and spilling soup all over yourself.
10. Prepare your heart. In spite of all of these things, serving God and loving people around the world outweighs all of these experiences put together. Once you fall in love with the people and places, you’re done for. That’s it. You will never want to be the same. 

Serving God overseas will be the hardest thing you have ever done. It will bring late nights, and times of questioning why you did this at all. It will take you far out of your comfort zone, and you will do things you never thought you would. Your faith will never look the same as you wrestle with real questions. In spite of all of this, this journey will be the best decision you ever made. Your heart will be thoroughly broken, and beautifully pieced back together again like stained glass. Of course, the crazy experiences make sure you never run out of stories to tell, but the greatest story of all is how God can use us, totally inadequate, for His glory among the nations.