COVID or no COVID

 

This post is an excerpt from SEND Canada's 2020 Annual Report.

 

-----

As single young adults, Tyler and Camille believed God was calling them into cross-cultural ministry. Soon after they were married, their calling to serve overseas was affirmed. Together the Hildebrandts felt a yearning to inquire more about missions.

Called to Thailand

In 2019, Tyler and Camille participated in a vision trip to Thailand. They observed the ministry to the Shan, an unreached people group (UPG) in southeast Asia who are displaced, marginalized and poor. The Hildebrandts admired the couples who were diligently working with the Shan in different ways. Tyler and Camille returned to Alberta with the desire to return to serve in Thailand!

The Hildebrandts took the next six months to seek God and to listen to the counsel of trusted people. Over time, they believed that God was indeed leading them to serve among the Shan with the team there.

The Call Remains

In late 2020 God blessed them with a beautiful baby. After Everett was born, well-int ended people asked Tyler and Camille if they were now going to remain in Canada instead of serving overseas. Understandably, grandparents struggled with the thought of having their grandson in Thailand. However, the Hildebrandts believed that God was still leading them to serve cross-culturally! Having a baby did not change their calling, and they continue to prepare for mission service.

COVID-19 has brought so many challenges across the world! Many people are fearful and struggling. However, one lesson Tyler has learned is that God continues to call people even in the midst of a global pandemic.

Right now, Tyler and Camille are working, studying, and raising support. Lord willing, in early 2022, they will depart for Thailand. They are looking forward to living out their calling to spread the gospel and minister to the needs of the Shan people.

Additional Posts

By Michelle Atwell December 23, 2025
When God First Widened My World: Remembering Urbana 1996 I still remember the winter air. It was December 1996, and I was a junior at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan, serving as a small group leader with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship—the ministry that had profoundly shaped my faith since my freshman year. I was growing spiritually, serving faithfully in my local church, and stepping into leadership on campus. Attending Urbana felt like the natural next step. Urbana only happened every three years, and I knew that once I graduated, I might miss the chance altogether. My church believed in that moment enough to cover the cost. They entrusted me—and my campus minister—with a van full of college students, driving from Detroit to Champaign-Urbana during the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s. I had heard the stories: thousands of students, passionate worship, a clear call to live fully for Jesus. What I encountered exceeded every expectation. A Campus Taken Over by the Kingdom Buses poured in from every direction, unloading students onto a snow- covered campus. Dorm rooms filled. Cafeterias buzzed. The entire university seemed overtaken—not by noise or spectacle, but by a quiet, collective hunger for God. For the first time in my life, I met students from places far beyond Michigan— Harvard, Loyola, Wheaton. My world was expanding in real time. I don’t remember every speaker or session. What I do remember is the unmistakable clarity of the invitation. God was bigger than I had ever imagined. Not just personal. Not just local. He was King of the nations. And there were people—millions of them—who had never heard His name. The question was simple, but it felt weighty: Would I commit my life, in whatever way God asked, to the Great Commission? Explore God’s leading toward the nations with a SEND missions coach.
By Diaspora North America November 4, 2025
Opening Your Homes This Thanksgiving 
By Diaspora North America October 7, 2025
Creating Safe Spaces for Conversations 
Show More