Questions about Training for Missions

Do I need training? If so–how much? (And how long?) And BTW…is there anything you wish you knew before you went? Missionaries offer advice about prepping for the field.
Right from the Start
- What perspective should I take towards missions training?
- How can I be spiritually and emotionally prepared to live and work in another culture?
- Should I skip a degree and go into missions now?
- Is there any room in ministry for “regular” Christians without special training?
- I am in my late teens. Should I do some missionary training now before I go to university?
- I have years of schooling left. How do I prepare and persevere?
- What are some steps commonly overlooked by aspiring missionaries?
- How do I find a mentor to help me prepare for missions?
Avenues of Training
- What does it take to be properly trained for cross-cultural service?
- What types of training should I consider?
- What type of biblical education requirements are there for a missionary?
- Does the spouse of a missionary also have to get formal Bible training?
- How should I get evangelism training?
- Why is God training me now in a way that doesn’t make sense?
Academically Speaking
- What degree or major in university would be most helpful to have on the mission field?
- Should I get a secular degree to get into a closed country?
- Should I major in teaching English?
- What training would be appropriate to establish orphanage programs and foster care programs in developing countries?
- What training for missions should I get to serve people with special needs?
- How do I get into a competitive graduate school or medical school?
- Which correspondence programs in Bible can you recommend?
- Should I pursue a graduate degree in my profession or stop at a bachelor’s degree?
- What seminaries do you recommend for a graduate degree in missions?
- I think God is leading me to work with the disabled and am exploring how I should prepare. What area of therapy would be the most useful? What is the greatest need on the field?
- I’m a teenager. Are there any specific classes that would be helpful to take in high school for getting into missions after school?