Volunteerism is, simply put, the willingness to say, "here am I; send me," whether you're responding to requests that come your way or "letting your wife drag you into something." So says a grinning Pete Larson, consummate volunteer and emeritus board member of Mission Builders International.

Pete has served with MBI ever since he and his wife, Donna, first heard of it. He might humbly tell you he is an ordinary guy, but God has done some extraordinary things through him because he is always willing to consider the opportunities that cross his path.

Pete spent his whole life in the Flathead Valley of Montana where he grew up in logging camps cutting and milling timber with his father and grandfather. Although he earned a university degree in physics as a young man, he says, "I didn't know what to do with my life after that." Pete ended up running the family business for 35 years, managing both the mill and the logging crews that fed it.

One cold winter evening, an evangelist stopped by Pete's house unannounced. That night, at 46 years of age, Pete got saved. "It changed my whole focus," he says.

"I discovered that several of my gyppo (independent) loggers were Christians and had been praying for me. One logger, a Nazarene, was headed to Ecuador for a mission trip. He called my wife and me and talked us into going. I was appointed pastor for the trip."

Once in Quito, the crew worked long hours building the Nazarene South American headquarters church and taught Bible studies in the evenings. Pete says, "On the last weekend in Ecuador, we took a bus trip over the Andes Mountains to the headwaters of the Amazon River. In a village on the river, I stumbled through a message, using an interpreter for the first time. When I was finished, the interpreter talked three minutes more, and I wondered what he said. He had given an alter call and nine people responded! I also found out these were Auca Indians - the same tribe whose people killed Jim Elliot and four other missionaries in 1955. I didn't know any of that at the time or that I was talking to the second generation. That was my first exposure to missions."

Pete's next major mission trip was to Nigeria. A Nigerian pastor had been invited to preach at his church, and Pete says, "I was taken by his over-the-top commitment. I invited him to come the next year and bring his wife, a medical doctor, and stay at my home. Subsequently, he talked me into going to Nigeria.

I'm not a preacher; I'm a teacher, so that's what I did there. I was exposed to a jungle setting where there were witch doctors. And the people honored me greatly by presenting me with some of their vegetables. They lived in poverty, but they smiled more than we do." Pete made five more trips to Nigeria, helping with local meetings and with the launch of a Bible school.

Pete had learned about MBI in 2001 when he and Donna were introduced to CEO John Briggs. "During our conversation, John said, 'I understand you're interested in missions. Have you heard of MBI?'  My wife and I decided to check it out." Pete joined the MBI board almost immediately, and the Larsons made two successive trips to volunteer at YWAM Restenas in Sweden.  

At YWAM Restenas, Sweden, young volunteers take up paint brushes, picking up where Pete and Donna - and many other mission builders - left off.

Grinning, Pete says, "I met Loren Cunningham (founder of YWAM) there. I was installing  a toilet when I heard a voice behind me. I didn't want to set it down, so I turned and greeted Loren with the toilet in hand. We both laughed."

When Pete began closing the family sawmill in 2003 in preparation for retirement, people asked what he and Donna were going to do. Pete said, "I guess we'll do mission trips for retirement, but I don't know where." A week later, he got an email from Ralph Mahoney of World Map saying, "Why don't you go to Albania. I know a pastor there who could use some encouragement."

The pastor had a burden to start a Christian radio station. Pete didn't know how to do that, but he knew someone who did. "I just acted on what the Lord showed me," says Pete, "and got someone who could help." Working closely with the pastor, Pete and his friend helped launch a radio station capable of broadcasting the Gospel not only to parts of Albania, but to most of Greece and Macedonia as well.

That same year, life took an unexpected turn for the Larsons when Donna was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Over the next five years, Pete helped Donna transition through the changes and into assisted care. While Pete hasn't been on any mission trips since Donna's diagnosis, he says, "God provided me with an opportunity to serve my community. I was asked to be on the board of the Kalispell Regional Medical Center. I'm involved in the workings of the hospital on many levels, serving in fundraising, in the chaplaincy department, and I've also been the chairman for two years. God has blessed me with many ways to function and contribute."

And not surprisingly, Pete is still one of MBI's biggest champions. Because he lives near Youth With A Mission Montana in Lakeside and the MBI office, he likes connecting people by bringing them to see what the ministries do. "I let the people at YWAM or MBI do the talking," he says. "I let them show people instead of me telling them. It's better to let them impart the vision and see what doors open."

For those who have the same willingness that characterizes Pete Larson, they will, as he says, "buy into something that is going somewhere and where things are happening."

He's right. That's why you're invited to join us in going where things are happening and God is at work. Visit us at www.missionbuilders.org or contact us at +1-406-844-2683 and see where God might take you!  

Can you hear it? Opportunity is calling from the far corners of the earth! Find out which one is calling your name. Check out the locations below, visit our website at  www.missionbuilders.org, or give us a call at +1-406-844-2683.

Pack your wooden shoes! 

 YWAM Heidebeek  

in the  Netherlands is welcoming help in the areas of carpentry, masonry, housekeeping, hospitality, graphic/web design, administration, IT,  

   reception, and kitchen.

Go Down Under to Australia and assist YWAM Townsville with carpentry, plastering, plumbing, food services, landscaping  grounds, facilities, and maintenance. Or, on the other side of that continent, consider YWAM Perth, where the services of mission builders in everything from gardening to construction, renovations to cooking are the driving force behind the ministry's growth.

If Asia tugs at your heart, ask us about the many possibilities to serve with YWAM Bangkok, home of the Thailand National Office, the nerve center for the whole of  YWAM Thailand. One ministry under the Bangkok umbrella is  

YWAM Chiang Rai. They appreciate assistance with substitute teaching, library work, administrative needs, accounting, IT, grounds keeping/landscaping, maintenance, hospitality, and cooking.

But if mercy ministry to children is your strength , consider  Baan Santisuk (Home of Peace and Happiness) in Phang Nga. They're looking for new house parents for their girls home as well as a helping hand with general  child care, English tutoring, supervision for the children's activities, or, as always, facility maintenance. (The minimum commitment is 3 months, but house parents would need to commit to at least one year or longer.)

Nevada is home to YWAM Las Vegas where staff and students seek to serve the cause of orphans and of abolition of human trafficking in their city and around the world. You are invited to help with their practical, hands-on needs: cooking, vehicle maintenance, administration, landscaping and construction, interior design, and more. Go where the lights are bright-and shine brighter!

YWAM Mendocino, California, located on 28 beautiful acres called The Lord's Land, has a small staff with big logistical needs as they press into knowing God and making Him known. If you have from two weeks up to three months to serve, you can apply your skills and abilities to everything from laundry to firewood, renovations to garden and property maintenance. You'll also be part of regular events in this YWAM community. Bring your RV, or, if you'll be there during the winter months, put in early for one of their quaint cabins.

YWAM Boston, Massachusetts, is located in one of the most significant and strategic cities in the world. Help them make spiritual history by pitching in with their ministry needs, which can change with the seasons. Come prepared to do anything and everything from kitchen work to cleaning, or maintenance to renovations.

Head to the Pacific Northwest to  YWAM Discovery Bay, Washington. Nestled on a bluff at the northern tip of the Puget Sound, it's a place you can really get your hands on as you pitch in with ground and facility maintenance, remodeling, childcare, Web and communications design, IT, and more. This place has been "discovered" by mission builders with RVs, so bring yours!

YWAM Chicago, Illinois, is always excited to partner with  people who have a heart for cities. Go for a day, a week, a month, or more to help with cleaning, food preparation, and gardening. Volunteers are especially welcome to help serve summer teams by preparing the building, planning and serving meals, and facilitating ministry times.

My name is Shara Chapek, and I was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. Ever since I was three years old, I was determined to become a doctor. Since I was so passionate about medicine, I figured it was the right path for me. I never imagined in a million years I would be serving as a full-time missionary!

My life was radically transformed after God spoke to me very clearly and asked me to give up my dream of becoming a doctor to serve Him on the mission field. I struggled a lot with the decision, but knew that God's ways were far bigger and better than mine. I traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, where I did a five-month Discipleship Training School.

After my DTS, I couldn't get enough of YWAM and felt strongly that I was supposed to do the School of Biblical Studies. I moved to Lakeside, Montana in 2008 and completed the intense nine-month course. Then I served on SBS staff for four years.

After an intercession time one day, I felt a stirring in my heart to leave the SBS world and join Mission Builders International's staff. In September 2013, I became a full-time MBI staff member, heading up the Volunteer Department.

I love getting to know people from all over the world who want to serve as short term missionaries, and I'm so excited to see how God is going to expand Mission Builders in the future!

Shara Chapek brings her own superhero to MBI.

I'm married to an amazing man (editor's note: Our hero!). Matt is a musician/worship leader and the Director of Security at the YWAM Montana Lakeside campus. In my free time, I love to crochet and started up my own business on Etsy. Shop name: IvoryandWool.