From the nations to the nations
This is part of a series of stories that illustrate how our workers around the world see SEND’s new vision statement—
A global movement of Jesus followers making disciples among the unreached
— becoming reality. This story focuses on “ global
.” We believe that missions work is more effective when missionaries from many nations unite to reach many nations. Our members come from almost 20 different passport countries. Today, Maricel, a Filipina missionary to East Asia, shares about her experience.
• • •
In East Asia, patience is key.
“It takes a long time to introduce God here,” said Maricel, who has served several terms in East Asia. “I had one disciple where it took me almost a year of Bible study just to introduce who God is.”
Maricel learned patience back home, in the Philippines. Before she went with SEND to East Asia, she worked in corporate banking in Manila for close to a decade. She resigned from her job in 2002 and joined the staff of her home church where she was mentored and taught church-planting principles by two veteran SEND missionaries.
“I learned so much from them and from that experience,” she said. “I learned patience, hard work, perseverance, the value of discipleship and how important it is to invest in people.”
Moving to East Asia in the mid-2000s, Maricel worked first with an English language school and then moved to a central city where her primary ministry is discipling women.
She finds that her Asian heritage helps her make connections.
“I think one of the advantages of having an Asian face is that people are not intimidated by me,” she said. “I think this is generally true for all Asians — we tend to be quite easily intimidated by Westerners. Because I am not intimidating, women tend to open up more easily and express themselves freely, which leads to deep friendships.”
She sees great value in learning the language and adapting to the culture.
“There are matters of the heart where only your heart language can share and understand,” she said. “Culture is also very different even though I’m from Asia.”
It all takes energy, Maricel says.
“I spend most of my waking hours with the people that I am ministering to. I eat a lot of meals with them, visit them, meet their families and friends, hang out with them, go shopping, play games, watch movies — in short, do everything and anything possible just to get to know them and spend time with them. It is hard work, but it is so worth it!”
Maricel’s believes Asian workers are very effective in the country where she serves.
“The people here want you to listen to them, to be there for them, care about them. Of course my Western co-workers are caring and genuine, but Asians can really empathize with fellow Asians, especially when you talk about poverty, etcetera.”
Maricel values being part of a multinational team, working together to make disciples among the unreached.
“I believe that when you show genuine concern and love for people, it doesn’t really matter what culture or race you are from,” she said. “What is important is the heart because, eventually, that’s what people see.”
• • •
As part of SEND’s commitment to being part of a global movement of Jesus followers making disciples among the unreached
, we offer the Global Worker Initiative. This program helps cross-cultural missionaries from low-income countries by covering some of their mission-specific expenses.
Click here
to help send more missionaries like Maricel or to learn more about the Global Worker Initiative.
For security purposes, we do not use the real names of our workers in East Asia.
• Our total commitment to Jesus Christ fuels all that we do.
Read SEND’s statement of faith.
• Learn about SEND International's mission, focus, and values .
• Learn about SEND International's mission, focus, and values .
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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