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We worship a God of mission, a God who sends. As God the Father graciously sends the Son into the world to seek and save the lost, so Jesus lovingly sends his followers into the world to make him known (John 20:21).

After gathering together from campuses around Australia for the NTE conference, each campus is going out on mission to work in partnership with churches throughout Australia. What a privilege, to speak about our great King Jesus to those who do not know him! For "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Here are a few handy tips, to get your mind, hearts and bodies ready for mission:

Before Mission

Pray

This is such a fundamental and obvious truth that we often just take it for granted and therefore don't do it. Jesus' mission is not merely a work of our words, but of God’s Spirit. As we talk to people about God, we need to talk to God about people. To paraphrase comedian H.G. Nelson: pray hard, early, and often!

• Pray for your campus team and for your host church that God would unite you together in the work of the gospel, in all love, understanding and humility.

• Please pray that God will transform your mind, soften your heart and move you to action, so you can effectively witness to the Jesus who has saved you.

• Pray especially for those that you will speak to on mission, that by the power of the Spirit, people's lives would be impacted by the gospel and many would be saved.

Get organised

• Find out what you can about the church you're going to.

• Make sure there are two student organisers delegated to every event happening on mission. Their job is to organise the team, liaise with the church and make everything happen within the mission team for the event to be a success.

• Get a thank you gift and card for your host family. This can be organised before getting there, and you can even get things at the NTE bookstall – some suggestions include Christian music CDs, a NTE water bottle, or maybe something from the CMS Christmas Catalogue.

During Mission

Pray!

Ask the Lord to give you opportunities to share the gospel.

Seek to glorify the Lord in all you do

We need to approach mission with the right attitude; it is a great privilege to serve Christ and his local churches in this way. You can be a great encouragement to churches that may be lacking people in the student age group in their congregations.

Love and nurture your mission team

Mission follows an intense week at NTE. You've had a lot of new information thrown at you in a short space of time, had new-people overload, and experienced the emotional highs and lows of being at a conference like NTE. And getting enough sleep is always a factor!

With all of these things combined, by the time we go on mission some of us will be energized and running on adrenalin, but some of us might be feeling a little worn out. This is the time when we need to be extra loving and nurturing of one another, to encourage and build one another up, especially if and when things don’t go according to plan, there are personality clashes or just extra tensions crop up.

• Get some sleep. Mission is hard work and stressful. You will function so much better if you get a proper amount of sleep.

• Don't be lazy but give a full effort for everything, including relaxing on your day off.

Be willing to serve

• Be polite and a good example.

• This is your chance to have a go. Don't be scared. Be keen.

• Practice hard and present the gospel to the best of your ability. For some of the people you meet during mission, you may be the first and only chance they get to hear the gospel. Make sure you are clear, warm, vibrant and winsome.

• You might be stepping out of your comfort zone, but remember that you’re there to serve. Little things can make a huge difference, for example, at the church services try spreading the team out and chatting to people, rather than all sitting together in one group.

Be willing to learn

• Learn what they do at your host church and why. Don't get too worried about the fact that some things are done differently in your mission church to your church back home. Relax, learn and ask questions without being too critical. Debrief on the way home.

• Try not to step on toes: be respectful of the people in your host church. Usually they'll be happy to let you come in and run the show (if that's your team's brief), but just remember that the people from the congregation who turn up every week to serve in the church like to be acknowledged too. This is when communication between the team and the host church is really important!

Get to know your hosts

Time with hosts is prime time. They're opening up their homes to you, and one of the great benefits of Christian hospitality is the chance to grow relationships with other Christians.

• Aim for opportunities to share your testimony. Get to know your hosts, talk about how you have been serving God at uni and what AFES is about. You can have a big impact on the lives of your hosts and they can be a great help to you as well.

• Be good guests, and offer to cook or wash up, spend time with children, or help out when you can. Don't just lock yourself away in the bedroom.

• Dress modestly – e.g. don't walk around with nothing but a towel on!

After Mission

Be a bee

Bees pollinate flowers by talking pollen from one place to another. So work out what you can take from your mission experience back to your ministry on campus.

Pray!!

Keep in contact with your host church to find out what's happening, so you are able to continue praying for them throughout the year. Many people will have heard the gospel for the first time as a result of the NTE missions and we should keep bringing them to the Lord in prayer.