A passionate missionary force
It takes people from all nations to reach all nations with the gospel. From the very beginning, SEND International has recruited and sent missionaries from various countries. Len and Marrian Geddert mobilize Spanish speakers for SEND and shared these stories of the amazing people God is preparing to send to the harvest fields.
A couple weeks ago, we were on the campus of Rio Grande Bible Institute in Texas, our SEND pamphlets spread across our table and the SEND banner standing strong beside us, when we met Ricardo, a student from Honduras. He had emailed SEND several months ago with questions about education and we were very excited to meet him face to face. We were fascinated as Ricardo shared about the journey God was taking him on.
“I am a radiologist,” he said. “One day, while I was in the operating room at the Christian hospital where I was employed, a patient went into cardiac arrest. At that moment I realized his critical condition, and a huge weight came over me. I have never shared the gospel with this man! He may die and go into an endless eternity without Christ!
"Well the patient did die. That moment was life-changing for me. At that moment I knew I had to do more than just carry out the responsibilities of my medical profession. Processing this experience, I decided to set aside my career in radiology and find the means and the training to serve the Lord as a missionary.
That’s when I came across SEND’s web site and wrote them an email.
"Later, I was relieved to find out that a nurse had shared the gospel with that same patient just a couple days before the surgery and he had accepted Christ!”
Ricardo is now focused on attaining a missions degree and is trusting God to provide for him and direct him to where and in what capacity he should serve on the mission field.
Later on, while enjoying some coffee at the campus coffee shop, we got to know Raquel and Melissa (from Honduras) and Darío (from Chile). These three young adults have a call to serve on a SEND field among “M” refugees. Tears welled up in our eyes as we shared the passion for the lost souls in many nations today. Diligently completing their degrees, these dear friends are trusting God to open the doors for them to minister overseas. This will take a miracle!
Back at our table again, we answered as best we could all the questions the students could throw at us. “I am a doctor,” a young lady said. “I will soon graduate with my Bible degree and want to use my medical skills as a missionary. Where could I serve?”
It’s all sort of overwhelming. We look at our world today, all the pain and suffering, thousands that do not even know their spiritual need and definitely do not know God — the task is huge and the means seems impossible. Who will go and tell them? God is forming multi-national teams for the task and, among others, He is calling Latin Americans.
They are a missionary force with a tremendous passion yet with huge hurdles before them.
Josue and Laura, both teachers from Guatemala, are raising support to go to Spain with SEND. Danny, from Honduras, is an accomplished musician. He and his family want to serve in Spain as well. Ossman and Erica, both teachers in Honduras, also want to serve in Spain with their family.
Abel, the leader of our partner agency in Honduras recently told us that the average salary of a Honduran pastor is $400/month. How can we mesh that with what it costs to send harvest workers to live in places like Spain, where the cost of living is more than 10 times as much? It will take a miracle for sure! We encourage these ones to be courageous as they count the cost to go and to be confident in the One who calls them.
SEND is accepting donations toward the Global Worker Initiative
, a program that assists cross-cultural missionaries from low-income countries by covering some of their mission-specific expenses. To learn more or donate, visit SEND’s GWI page.
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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