Becoming a missionary: Staying motivated when the wait is long
By Eric Oldenburg —
A lucky few missionaries have just a short time between their decision to commit to cross-cultural service and their arrival in their new country. Most cross-cultural workers experience long stretches of training, waiting and fundraising before heading off to their Great Commission destinations. If you sense the call to missions while you are in college, the wait can be even longer, especially if you have to pay off student debt.
You might struggle to keep your passion for missions alive during those in-between months or years, but your local church can provide many opportunities to feed your passion for missions while you wait to move to the field.
Serve on the missions committee
If your church has been involved in missions for a while, it probably has a missions committee. If so, let your leaders know that you would be willing to serve as a member. There you will be introduced to the sending side of cross-cultural service and the church politics associated with missions (the good and the tricky). Your missions vision will be expanded as you learn about other workers, fields and organizations. I served on the missions committee of our sending church while I was in seminary. By the time I graduated, I knew which mission I wanted to go with based on what I observed while on the committee. (I chose SEND, for all of the reasons listed here,
plus for the compassionate way they handled a team conflict.)
Take a trip (or two or three)
Many churches send short-term teams on a regular basis. Consider joining one of these short-term trips as budget and schedule allow. If you have no cross-cultural experience, this trip will give you a glimpse into life in another culture. You will definitely experience the blessings and stresses of mission team dynamics, which can serve as a slice of what it’s like to serve on a long-term team. And God might use the trip to show you where he wants (or doesn’t want) you to serve. A short-term trip to India confirmed that God wanted me to serve in Ukraine, a place that I felt called to — but had started feeling hesitant about due to the long delay between call and deployment.
Connect with the church’s current missionaries
First-hand testimony from the front lines is invaluable. Hearing missionaries tell their story with passion can strengthen your perseverance. Missionaries are often asked to give presentations to large groups of people. But they might welcome the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with someone who wants to get to know them, to hear the stories that don’t make it into the presentations and to ask questions that aren’t limited to 60-second answers. I still remember things I learned about Ukraine when I invited a missionary who hates avocados and refried beans to a Mexican food restaurant for dinner — and I went on to serve alongside that missionary for more than a decade.
The support of your church community will prove invaluable once you’re on the field, but it also can play a key role in developing you as a missionary before you go. Waiting and fundraising can be draining, but getting involved in missions from where you are now can help keep your passion for overseas service alive.
The path to missions can feel overwhelming! Our experienced mission coaches will walk alongside you every step of the way.
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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?
Learn about the spiritual harmony in Vietnam & how missionaries engage with college students. Join us in sharing the gospel!
Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
