Trying to keep up
“This has probably been the most faith-building process I’ve gone through. And I haven’t even gotten to the field yet! God has shown so clearly that when he has a plan, nothing will get in the way, even if it seems insurmountable to me.” A short-term missionary shares her amazing story of preparing for a year in Ukraine.
Around mid-November I was officially accepted to go to Ukraine and given the go-ahead to begin fundraising. I sent out my first support letters on November 16 and waited to see what would happen. I knew Thanksgiving was only a week away, so people would probably be distracted and busy. I was prepared to start more actively seeking support in a couple of weeks. I doubted whether I would even have my minimum amount of $10,000 by the time I needed to leave for my year in Ukraine, let alone the full amount of $20,000.
What happened, though, blew my mind and continues to amaze me!
Support started coming in that week and even more came once Thanksgiving had passed. About three weeks in, I had the minimum of $10,000 that I needed to leave. I was amazed and content to let the rest come in once I got to Ukraine. But the amount only continued to rise, and on December 16, exactly one month after I had handed the first letters to people, I received an email from a new monthly supporter. My mom did the math and that email put me at $20,000 – full support for the year. God’s hand in providing all that support was very clear.
The next thing I was waiting for was my Letter of Invitation (LOI) to be processed through the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture. This would allow me to apply for my visa. Just a couple days after I found out I was fully supported, I got an email saying that the SEND team in Kiev had my LOI in hand. Four days later, the letter arrived and I started working in earnest on my visa application (probably should have done more on that ahead of time!). Thankfully, after many emails back and forth with the team in Kiev, the application was done and I dropped it off at the post office on Christmas Eve, postmarked for the Ukrainian Consulate in San Francisco.
Having heard horror stories about missionaries who have to wait months for their visas, I resigned myself to hear nothing for at least a couple of weeks. But then, on December 29, I got a call from the Ukrainian embassy saying that I had paid the wrong amount for my visa. I hung up, relieved to know that they had at least received my visa and were looking at it. I went to the post office that day and sent off the new money order, which was set to arrive on the 31st. Again, I thought I would be waiting at least a couple weeks before I heard anything back from them.
Fast forward to January 6. I was at a short-term training at the SEND headquarters. It was wonderfully cold and wintery and I loved meeting all the staff! After our afternoon session, I looked at my phone and saw that I had a text from my mom. I opened it and read, “So I guess you’ll be leaving soon.” Under that was a picture of my passport with a Ukrainian visa in it. I was shocked. If that package got to my house today, then it had only taken 2-3 business days for the consulate to process my visa! Where were all the horror stories? Once again, God’s hand was so clear.
This has probably been the most faith-building process I’ve ever gone through. And I haven’t even gotten to the field yet! God has shown so clearly that when he has a plan, nothing will get in the way, even if it seems insurmountable to me. Part of me wishes that everything would just slow down a bit so I could have time to process each new thing. But it seems like things just keep speeding up. I’m glad God has it all under control because I just can’t keep up anymore!
It’s a bit scary to anticipate leaving, but also exciting as I look back at how evident it is that God’s been the one directing this whole process. I’m excited to see what else He has in store.
-Rachael
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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?
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