Explore News: "What Inspired You to Become a Missionary?"

BECOMING A MISSIONARY

November 2023

Our missionaries come from all sorts of backgrounds and God used different aspects of life to inspire them to join in on the work of reaching the unreached.

In this month’s Explore News , our missionary panel will talk about how God inspired them. We hope their stories inspire you to SEND a Message to the World!

I Saw Their Seeking

“I had some experiences growing up that made me realize that I wanted to tangibly be involved in work like this. I couldn't simply sit on the sidelines and watch. Because of this, I chose nursing as a career, which I knew was a skill that could grant me access to many places in the world. I carried this desire in my heart for years, finished school, and began a career. Then, I got connected with a community of Muslims in my town. We became close friends, and I realized that God was creating a heart in me for work with Muslims.

I saw the ways my Muslim friends were desperately seeking God with all their heart. Their seeking was beautiful, but they were missing him. It reminded me of Jeremiah 29:13, 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'

Muslims are already seeking God. I wanted to be a part of them finding Him!”

It Didn't Feel Right To Do Nothing

“I think the big thing for me was hearing the reality that so many people live in a place where they don't have churches, where they don't have Bibles in their languages and where there aren't Christians who can tell them about Jesus. It just didn't feel right to know that and not try to do something about it.

I think it also helped that those who discipled me and helped me realize how many unreached were out there, also encouraged me to know I could be part of reaching the unreached people groups of the world.”

God Gave Me A Heart For Spain Bit By Bit

“I never imagined myself or had a desire to become a missionary. When I was 14-years-old I had the opportunity to visit Spain, fell in love with the country, and told my parents that I was going to live there when I was an adult. The next week I started to study Spanish because I was so serious. But through several different events and circumstances, that was God moving in my life, I ended up doing a gap year in Mexico before college. Even as I left for a year for a missions-focused program in Mexico I never imagined that I would do missions in Spain. But that year God spoke to me and showed me a vision of how he had given me my heart for Spain, my gifting in event planning and connecting with young people, and how he wanted me to serve him with my life. I knew immediately that I was going to be a missionary in Spain. What exactly that meant or looked like, I did not know, but I knew God had a plan and I trusted Him with my life.”

My Professor Asked And I Answered

“My call to missions came during my missiology class in seminary. Hearing about the state of unreached places around the world made me start thinking more about my calling and where I was going to serve in ministry. As I started asking my fellow students I found that the majority of them were planning on serving in the USA. This is great, but if what we were learning was true and the majority of those who had never even heard about Jesus were outside the United States, why were the majority of us being trained for gospel ministry going to stay here? The question, as my missiology professor put it, hit me hard and made me consider missions for myself: Why do you stay where you are not needed instead of going where you are?”

Maybe the missionary panel's experiences have prompted you to take your next step on your missions journey. We’d love to talk with you about it and help you send the message of Jesus to the world!