Peace Corps can be a great service and I do encourage believers to do it. Along with helping the local people, your example of Christian service could win other Peace Corps volunteers to Christ. However, the Peace Corps do require you to sign an agreement saying you won't proselytize, making it difficult to share Christ should the opportunity present itself.
Terri, I completely understand the problem of being in debt, not knowing how to get started in missions, and not feeling gifted at evangelism. A couple things to consider... First, there's a lot of missionary work that deals more with meeting people's needs than it does with classic "evangelism." There are a lot of Christian ministries that feed hungry kids, provide medical care to AIDS victims, teach people how to read and write, help people find sustainable ways to support themselves, and a million other things. Just like the Peace Corps, along a Christian missionary work is helping people with the problems their communities face. The list of things you can do as a Peace Corp volunteer in similar to what you can do as a missionary - you can teach any grade level, any subject; you can help with IT needs or teach computer classes; you can teach English; teach people how to avoid contracting AIDS; feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or help develop sustainable businesses that allow people in developing area support themselves. All along the way, you're helping to make God known among the nations, but you have the support of other missionaries who are focused on Bible teaching, preaching, and evangelism.
In missions, you don't front the bill, but you do usually raise support. You can usually defer your student loans, though, so you don't have to make payments while you're gone. It's also not as hard to raise support as it may seem, so long as you've been involved in your church or another local ministry (whether that's the homeless shelter, a crisis pregnancy center, tutoring at-risk kids, or whatever).
In terms of getting involved in missions work, I'd suggest looking at
RightNow.org. They have tons of missions opportunities from lots of different groups listed. You can learn about the kinds of things you could help with, and if you want, RightNow has free personal coaches who will help you choose and apply for an opportunity.
I haven't done any missions work long-term, but I plan to once I can get medical clearance (had some problems in college, but fairly normal now). I've spent 6 weeks in Peru and Ecudaor helping with Christian anti-drug/pro-family presentations at elementary schools that allowed us to distribute Bible magazines to the kids. More recently, I spent a week in Mexico as part of an team exploring the possibility of starting a ministry for college students there. I've also led ministries for international students studying at my college, and I now work for a Christian missions agency here in the States as a graphic and Web designer, helping to promote their financial, prayer, and personnel needs.
Terri, I'm not all that great at "evangelism" either. But I like to use my professional skills to support those who are, in an effort to make God known around the world, bringing his peace and love to them in the process. Whether you choose the Peace Corps or a missions group, I just encourage you to be involved in bringing God's love to people everywhere.
God bless!
