How Do You Know You’re Called to Missions?

Katie Back Salmon • Aug 18, 2016

How can you know you’re called to missions? Especially when the very concept of “calling” can seem vague, mysterious and even painstaking to figure out?

Sure, it’s nuanced. But confidently knowing your missionary calling is not impossible, either. Read six workers’ unique testimonies of how God called them to serve.

Open Doors

Scott and Susan Downing were determined not to become missionaries. But God led them to a place of surrender.


“Our calling to missions started by Susan and I both saying that we would never be missionaries , and that kind of got God’s ear,” says Scott Downing, a worker in Chad.

Scott and Susan both grew up as missionary kids in Africa but never considered a life of missions for themselves. It was through a devotional study by Henry Blackaby that God began to challenge the Downings to surrender these plans.

“Henry Blackaby asks in the devotional, ‘When was the last time that you heard God speak?’ And neither of us could answer that. … That kind of sent us on a journey, and everywhere we went, all we heard was, ‘Surrender to full-time, faith-based missions.’

In obedience, the Downings reached out to missions agencies and received information from TEAM about Chad. Scott says, “[The report] was pretty doom and gloom, you know. Dark. You’re stranded. You’re flooded out in the rainy season. There’s no food. It’s 120 degrees. And we were really excited about that!

“So we pursued [Chad], and we told God, ‘We’re pretty ignorant. If this isn’t your will, you’re going to have to slam doors in our face and not just close them gently. We’re moving forward for Chad, and if you don’t like that, please show us. And 11 years later, he keeps opening doors.”

Homesick for an Unknown Home

A challenging short-term experience pushed Roberta Peabody to understand God in a new way. By the end of her trip, she was ready to serve in Japan full-time.


Roberta Peabody met her first missionary when her pastor’s brother, a Christian worker in Japan , visited her congregation. He later invited Roberta on her first short-term mission trip to teach English in a Japanese church.

I remember very clearly, it was a very difficult summer because I was in the big city, and it was hot. And I went thinking I was so proud of myself because I was going, but then, I couldn’t communicate! I didn’t speak a word of Japanese.”

To bridge the language divide, Roberta had a translator to help lead her English class. One day, she asked the translator to pray with her before class. Roberta was deeply homesick, physically sick and overwhelmed by her inability to communicate. As they prayed, each in their own language, Roberta had a revelation.

“As a young Christian, that was the first time that I really got it that God understood both of us — without any confusion, without any need for translation. So I returned home from Japan, homesick for Japan .”

God continued to confirm Roberta’s calling to Japan, and she has found her home and ministry there for over 25 years.

Trading Small Ambitions

Brent Preston loved growing up as a missionary kid in Papua, but that didn’t mean he was going to follow in his parents’ footsteps.


Brent Preston grew up in what he calls, “a young guy’s paradise.” Brent’s parents served as missionaries in the jungles of Papua , and he fondly recalls days of fishing and hunting and water skiing on mile-wide rivers.

Less fondly, he remembers tough financial times and the hand-me-down clothes he had to wear to boarding school. He says, “I hated wearing clothing that was out of style, so I thought, ‘You know, I [love] what my parents did, but I [am] going to be a rich Christian.’

So Brent pursued his education in the United States — sights set on affording the lifestyle his missionary parents never could.

At a graduation ceremony, Brent observed something peculiar to him: “The president of the school was given a new suit by the graduating class. And I thought, ‘Why is this guy being given a new suit? Can’t he buy his own suits? He’s the president! He gets the best wage on campus!’”

Later, Brent discovered the president of his university bought his clothing at thrift stores so he could give more money to missions. “The very clothing that I didn’t want to wear, he wore on purpose,” Brent says. He realized, “This guy is living for eternity, and I am not.”

Brent noticed that for many of his classmates, missions was off the table due to fears of travel, other cultures or unfamiliar foods. He remembers thinking, “I don’t fear any of that. … I’m not afraid of foreign foods. I’m not afraid to learn another language. I’ve been away from home my whole life. Why shouldn’t I go?”

So I gave up my small ambitions. … I was nineteen years old, and I decided to be a missionary.”

Short-Term Trip, Long-Term Vision

Seeing God worshiped in other cultures on a short-term mission trip gave Hannah long-term vision for the nations.


When Hannah went on her first short-term mission trip in high school, her worldview changed. As she experienced life and worship in a new place, she began to see how God worked in other cultures outside of her own. This stirred in Hannah a zeal to give her life to what God is doing around the world.

Hannah then went on to live out her missions calling in North America by serving as TEAM’s manager of short-term ministry. Annually, Hannah and her team send over 100 short-term missionaries to contribute to the global church.

Hannah says, “Being a part of that sending process is what excites me. It’s so much more than our individual stories. It’s how God is weaving together the world and other people and cultures. I love being able to see how he’s using so many people to demonstrate that and to be an extension of the church everywhere.”

Gradual Understanding

Sally Kauffman can’t tell you the exact moment God called her to be a missionary to Japan. “It was just a slow, steady understanding,” she says.


Six months into Sally Kauffman’s short-term mission trip, she was homesick, experiencing culture shock and desiring to go home. But as she continued in ministry, God called her to missions — gradually.

“In my case, it wasn’t just like a knock on the head or anything like that, but … over the course of two years, the Lord just kept impressing on my heart, day after day, ‘You’ve been given so much. You need to share.’ It was just that simple. … So it was just a slow, steady understanding in my case.”

More than three decades later, Sally is still sharing the gift of Christ with the people of Japan.

A Dream Come True

Becky Martin knew as a small child that she wanted to be a missionary. Finally leaving for the mission field was a dream come true.


“God’s unique in the way he deals with each of us, and … I really wanted to be in missions from the time I was a little kid. By the time I finally, 28 years ago, left for [South Asia], it was like a dream come true in a lot of ways for me,” says Becky Martin, a worker in South Asia.

Becky grew up in a family and local church where she says, “Missions was just part of being a Christian.” So she pursued a degree in nursing with the intention of using her skills on the mission field.

Regarding her decision to serve in South Asia, Becky says, “It was a process.” She began by choosing a sending agency , TEAM. Then, she looked for a country where physical and spiritual needs were great. A country in South Asia fit the criteria.

Nearly three decades later, Becky continues to see God confirm the missionary calling He gave her as a girl.

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.
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