When God Tells You to Wait on Missions

Jessica Hulbert • Mar 03, 2016

I recently spoke with a woman who, after returning from a yearlong mission trip, was ready to turn around and head right back to the mission field. She was transitioning between college and career, her job in the States wasn’t what she wanted to do forever and, most of all, she genuinely felt called to be a missionary. So, what’s the holdup? Time to pack the bags and go!

Well, not quite yet.

Pausing Can Be Part of the Plan

First, we had to ask some pretty key questions:

And when these are resolved, there is the language barrier. Many missionaries spend the first two years on the field not in ministry but in intensive language and cultural study.

In short, the list of things to consider before serving overseas is not so short after all.

It took a few months, but over time, my friend found that this unwished-for season of waiting was actually purposeful in pursuing her long-term goals. This wasn’t an end to the dream but in fact a key part in making that dream a reality. Sometimes nurturing your call to missions and following your call to missions is all part of the same plan.

How to Wait Well

So, what has you waiting to go to the field? A few more years left in school? A baby on the way? Your house taking longer to sell than expected?

Or maybe you’re like my friend, and you’re realizing that you just need more practical development before you can buy that plane ticket out of the country. Whatever it is, know that this time matters. This time can actually be one of the most rewarding times in your ministry overseas if you truly use it to cultivate the call God has put inside you.

Here are some effective ways you can be nurturing your call to missions even when it isn’t happening right this second:

1. Keep talking about your heart for missions.

Continue talking with your missions pastor , missions coach or other missionaries you know. Nothing fuels a fire for missions more than sharing it with other missions-minded people. Continue developing your heart for the nations by learning from others who can mentor you in the process. Maybe they have stories to share or insight to give or helpful studies you can be working on while you wait. Try setting up a weekly or bi-weekly meeting with them to continue that mentorship.

2. Pray for missions and ask for prayer.

This may be a given, but sometimes it’s easy to feel called and leave it at that. Continue to seek God’s purpose for your life in regard to missions . Be intentional. Pray for all parts of the world , not just where you would like to serve. Ask God to bring new connections in your life with people who share a passion for missions. Study what Scripture says about ministry and missions, and pray it over yourself.

Ask for prayer as well. Have people close to you — like your small group, best friends or family — pray over you and your desire to go. Send them monthly or weekly prayer requests so they can know your specific needs.

3. Be an active learner.

There is no limit to the amount of missions resources at our disposal. While you can check out books , follow blogs or listen to podcasts , it also might be worth looking into classes and conferences near you. Perspectives is a semester-long course devoted to missions training. There are also conferences such as the Global Missions Health Conference (GMHC) , Urbana and other globally-focused conferences hosted by universities and churches. See what may be available to you in the next year.

Many missions conferences have moved online and lowered admissions prices due to COVID-19, creating even greater accessibility!

4. Write your story, and share it.

A great way to nurture your call and remind yourself of this calling is to share your story. Maybe start a blog that details all you are learning through waiting or gives friends information on how they can be involved. Maybe your church will let you speak to the congregation or small groups.

If you don’t have an audience, journal it and just keep track of all God is doing in this season of waiting. No doubt you’ll be thankful you have a record of His faithfulness .

5. Embrace and trust the process.

The list doesn’t end there. Listen to worship songs that give you a mindset for the global church. Make meals from different countries to bring different cultures into your life. Start a Pinterest board of all things missions.

Whatever you choose to do, know that the choice itself is a part of the process. You’re a missionary now, whether overseas or not, because of how your heart is committed to the call. This waiting time has purpose. So remain faithful and trust that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024
TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024
Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.
Share by: