Remembrance: The missionaries who stayed home
By Anna McShane —
Missionaries are known as those who go, but God calls some to stay. Such were Richard and Bobbi Oestreicher—the missionaries who stayed home.
When COVID-19 took both Richard, known as RO, and Bobbi within days of one another, the response from SEND missionaries was overwhelming. Why? Because this faithful couple touched the lives of SEND missionaries deeply for 60 years.
RO graduated from University of Michigan with an MBA and went to Moody Bible Institute, seeking God’s will for a life of service. There, in 1959, he met Philip Armstrong and arranged an interview with SEND.
“It only took about five minutes for us to know where I belonged,” RO said.
In RO, the mission acquired a business manager who would advocate for missionaries for generations. Back when RO and Bobbi joined SEND, which turns 75 this year, it was known as the innovative and energetic Far Eastern Gospel Crusade.
Within a year, the fledgling mission, less than 15 years old, decided to move its headquarters from Minnesota to Detroit. RO, a native Michigander, took charge of the move. It was RO who brought the first electric typewriter into the office, RO who branched out from business manager/treasurer to begin a development department. It was RO who had the vision to put retirement funds into mission support before most missions even thought of it, RO who recruited volunteers to do office jobs so that the staff could focus on member care, and RO who brought SEND into the computer age in 1984.
RO was at the front of the curve. I know, because he scripted what became the rest of my life. In the early 1970s, my husband and I were fresh out of grad school with communications degrees and looking for God to lead us into missions. RO looked ahead and decided that SEND needed a communications department. Of the many interdenominational missions, only four had in-house communications staff.
RO put his head together with the US director and devised a recruitment plan that went far beyond, “Come work in the US Office.” They put us overseas as embedded journalists on a church planting team for four years before we ever reached the office and launched SEND Media. RO realized that, because we had been in the trenches of overseas ministry, we’d be trusted within SEND to produce prayer, recruitment, and promotional materials.
RO and Bobbi, the missionaries who stayed home, did take quite a few jaunts overseas, several with us. Perhaps the most memorable was a media/development trip to Russia and Ukraine just after the wall came down. For 30 years, we laughed together over the night that six of us, three couples, shared one bedroom, three single beds, in a little farmhouse in Ukraine with an outhouse down the path.
RO and Bobbi, the missionaries who stayed home, did take quite a few jaunts overseas, several with us. Perhaps the most memorable was a media/development trip to Russia and Ukraine just after the wall came down. For 30 years, we laughed together over the night that six of us, three couples, shared one bedroom, three single beds, in a little farmhouse in Ukraine with an outhouse down the path.
The Oestreichers served SEND’s missionaries because they loved them, loved the Lord, and knew that missionaries need people who are willing to serve quietly, faithfully, on the home front. They raised support like all missionaries but they got no glory, no departure parties, and no welcome home galas—simply a life of hard work so that others could have that honor.
RO and Bobbi are gone, but their legacy lives on in the generations after them. In their sudden passing, many wrote to say:
“Great loss, heaven’s gain.”
“Two giants; we grieve.”
“Fond, fond memories of working together.”
“Examples of godliness; we are blessed to have known them and had them in our lives.”
“What a wonderful team they were for SEND and the Kingdom.”
“Two giants; we grieve.”
“Fond, fond memories of working together.”
“Examples of godliness; we are blessed to have known them and had them in our lives.”
“What a wonderful team they were for SEND and the Kingdom.”
And most important, “I’m sure they heard, ‘Well done, good and faithful servants.’”
Bobbi Oestreicher died April 14 at the age of 83. Richard Oestreicher died April 17 at the age of 85. Click here to read the family’s obituary.
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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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