7 Secrets to Being a Missionary in Your Golden Years

Bethany DuVal • Mar 27, 2018

Deb Prentice should not be a missionary.

She should be doting on grandchildren. She should be finishing her career as a nurse practitioner. She’s just running away from the death of her husband.

Well, that’s what people told her anyway.

Deb originally thought she would go to the mission field in her 20s, as a newlywed. But then she and her husband had to care for her father-in-law. Then they started a family. Then they had grandkids.

When God finally gave her the go-ahead in 2007, Deb was more than ready. But to be fair to her naysayers, moving to rural Africa in your 50s isn’t easy.

“Normally you think of people leaving the grandparents behind, not the grandparents leaving the grandchildren,” Deb says. In a season when many people settle in, Deb was leaving behind her family and decades of memories in her small town.

When Jann and Paul Vander Mey moved to Mexico in their 50s, they faced similar challenges. Now in their 60s, Jann says, “We can already feel that we’re slowing down.”

And yet, all three say God has blessed their time in their older missionary age — not just in spite of their age, but because of it.

They had more connections when it came time to raise support . Over the years, they’d already learned how to live on less. Perhaps the biggest thing? Their host cultures have deep respect for older people.

“Because of my age, people are willing to listen to me,” Deb says. “They’re willing to come to me. … It’s ‘Oh, she’s got eight grandchildren. She’s someone that you respect.’”

So how do you reap the benefits of missions in your golden years while also navigating the challenges? It’s not easy, but Deb, Jann and Paul have seven tips to help you get started!

1. Make a plan for staying in touch.

The thought of leaving behind kids and grandchildren can be heartbreaking. But with a little planning, you can still build — and maintain — those relationships.

Jann, Paul and Deb all try to come home at least once a year. The rest of the year, they use FaceTime or Skype so they can see their family members’ faces. They use Amazon to send birthday gifts and Christmas gifts. They send photos of everyday events.

Deb also makes sure she and her grandkids have photos of themselves together, so they can solidify the memories and the relationship.

Each small touch helps. And making a plan will help you stay on track when life gets busy.

2. Figure out healthcare before you go.

Deb is frank when she talks about healthcare in her host country: “If I have a heart attack, I’ll probably die.”

She finds peace in trusting God, but she also recommends thorough preparation before leaving your home country: Bring a year’s supply of medication. See if your doctor will let you contact them if you need something overseas. Bring a copy of your health records.

It also helps to talk with missionaries on the field — or even visit — so you can fully anticipate your needs.

For Paul and Jann, a short-term trip actually allayed any fears. They discovered that healthcare in Mexico is high-quality and affordable. They easily pay out of pocket for their needs.

3. Be willing to change your job.

missionary age

Despite her nursing background, TEAM missionary Deb Prentice followed God’s leading to become a Bible professor on the mission field. Photo by TEAM

This might seem obvious. Of course your job is changing. You’re becoming a missionary !

But often, we assume that the new missionary job will mirror your old professional job. And that assumption can close the door on amazing opportunities.

Deb worked in medicine for 25 years, so her sending organization, TEAM , thought she’d be a perfect fit for a mission hospital in Zimbabwe . But when she went there on a short-term trip, Deb says, “God was very clear that I was to go and teach the Bible.”

It was a strange revelation, but Deb obeyed. She went to seminary and returned to Zimbabwe as a Bible college professor.

It’s not at all what she expected. But through her role, Deb has mentored students and pastors, influencing the Zimbabwean church for a generation. And she has no plans to stop.

“I love what I do here. I couldn’t find a job like this in the States,” Deb says.

4. Don’t be afraid to look silly.

Life in a new culture and language is humbling — especially in your 50s or 60s. But Jann and Paul have found that God works through their inexperience.

Jann teaches a Bible study in Spanish, and she sometimes struggles to explain ideas. But her students love to help her figure out the language. And that mutual learning makes Jann more approachable .

“It shows that you’re just a common person. … You’re not perfect,” Paul says.“And that’s probably a good thing as you try to bridge the gap with people.”

In Zimbabwe, Deb made a point of asking people to tell her when she made cultural mistakes. As a result, she learned things in a few years that some westerners don’t learn in a lifetime.

5. Know your limits.

When you’re surrounded by younger missionaries, it’s easy to push yourself too far. Paul encourages missionaries to honestly assess how much energy they have for ministry.

After nearly eight years in Mexico, Paul says, “We’re gonna keep going, but it’s not going to be as fast a pace. It’s just not possible.”

In Zimbabwe, Deb watched friends ignore precautions, such as wearing long pants or spraying for mosquitoes — and nearly lose their lives as a result. The hard truth is that as they aged, they were more prone to infections and had a harder time fighting them off.

Don’t look at what the young people are doing, Deb says. Know your own body and take care of it. That will keep you on the field.

“You just realize … I’m not going to have that reserve I had when I was younger,” Deb says. “I can’t bounce back.”

6. Learn to minister right here, right now.

Before moving to Mexico, TEAM missionaries Paul and Jann began ministering cross-culturally in their own neighborhood. Photo by TEAM

Long before Jann and Paul felt called to Mexico, they got involved with their church’s outreach to Hispanic neighbors. The work taught them a lot about the culture — but it also built on the ministry mindset they would take to the field.

“I think if you are involved in serving the Lord already in the States , … that really helps because then you go to the field, and you’re just in a different place serving the Lord ,” Paul says.

With five degrees and decades of ministry under her belt, Deb says she’s spent her whole life preparing for missions . But preparation doesn’t have to be anything fancy.

“If there’s any idea of [going into missions], take some Bible classes, do some study, prepare yourself. Don’t just wait,” Deb says. “Get ready. And the more you prepare, the more God can use you.”

7. Know that it will change you.

Whether you go for a few years after retirement or for the rest of your life, your time on the mission field will vastly widen your worldview. And that’s one of the best things you could hope for.

“Even spending five years on the mission field is gonna totally change your perspective,” Jann says. “You’re gonna go back to the United States and never be satisfied to do what you were just doing before. That’s how it changed us. We know if we retire, we’re gonna go back, and we’re going to find a ministry to be involved in — different than what we’ve done in the past. We’re going to reach out to people, outside of the church. … I would challenge people to go for it.”

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
Share by: