Preparing for an extended season cross-culturally is a much different process from preparing for a short-term trip. ORIENT is a two-week, pre-departure training that equips cross-cultural workers to thrive in their new context. From navigating the stress of transition to dealing with culture shock and team dynamics, we’ll prepare you for the challenges ahead and equip you for long-term effectiveness.
In this unique training, we partner with Discovery Ministries in Eminence, MO to incorporate a multi-day wilderness expedition. You’ll participate in a variety of activities that will help you understand your personal and cultural values, conflict resolution style, problem-solving skills, and the ways you function on a team (as a leader, under stress, and more).
We also include classroom instruction and group discussion, allowing you to process what you’re learning. Our ORIENT training covers common challenges that cross-cultural workers face, including dealing with unmet expectations, learning to embrace the unexpected, developing healthy relational skills, maintaining a vibrant spiritual life in a cross-cultural context, adapting to a new culture, managing stress, and understanding team dynamics. We’ll help you gain the self-awareness and the practical tools necessary to implement these lessons in your new environment.
In addition to the hands-on training we provide, we work with each worker’s sending agency and local church to discern what support systems are in place and how workers are well-prepared. Studies show that over 70% of global workers who return from the field prematurely do so for preventable reasons. Through ORIENT, we prepare cross-cultural workers to not only remain for the duration of their service, but to grow and thrive while serving.