Why was she willing to fly over 6,000 miles into unknown territory to serve in unfamiliar environments without even knowing any other volunteers? Because she trusted that God had made her ready and the Thrive staff had done so much to get her set!

This Thrive volunteer came to serve because of the confidence that God had already brought her experiences and equipping that will benefit the global workers who come to be refreshed. Adding to that confidence in God is the intentional preparation by Thrive that is given to every volunteer, both before the retreat and on the prep days.

It started with a welcoming Zoom call from her retreat mentor soon after her application was approved. “Hey, this is Dorothy, and you can ask me any question you want. Watch the retreat volunteer videos, and let’s talk about expectations, roles, and responsibilities. And I can give you some travel tips, too.”

Then this first-time volunteer was set at ease very quickly by what she encountered on the Prep Days:

• Intentional introductions and multiple mealtime groups to nurture personal connections




• Small group conversations to establish camaraderie and understanding between the volunteers




• Worship and prayer with other volunteers to reorient and remember the “Why” of our coming




• Brainstorming discussions about effective facilitator skills




• Exercises to understand the dynamics of the small groups – internal processors vs external processors




• Encouragement and ideas to create space for the attendees to hear God in the small group time




• Reminders that God will do the work, and Thrive volunteers come to cooperate with His purposes

All of these preparation gifts from God and Thrive have brought this volunteer from Get Ready to Get Set all the way to tomorrow’s GO!!