You don’t have to be a preacher or evangelist to be involved in missions. An OM volunteer shares how she uses her profession to help build the Kingdom.
Nora was born in Germany and first joined OM in South Asia in 2015 for one-and-a-half years. After returning home, she studied Chinese Studies and has since relocated back to Asia to study for a master’s degree in communications. Over the years, she has stayed in touch with OM through conferences and trainings but has now officially joined again as a communications volunteer.
When you aren’t involved in missions full time, it can feel hard sometimes to connect your work or daily life with the Great Commission. For some of us, evangelism doesn’t come too naturally, so it can feel like our contribution to Kingdom work is somewhat insignificant. When you live with Jesus though, you know in your head that’s not true. But how can you convince your heart?
My journey with OM started almost 10 years ago. I remember my older brother returning from his time with OM in 2014, and he seemed to glow with Jesus. I wanted that, too. Honestly, I don’t know if I glowed like my brother did when I returned home from South Asia in 2016, but I knew that my heart had been touched by the God that I had grown up with, yet had never known like I did then. The Lord assured me that what I do and love can be used to further the Kingdom — wherever I am — in every season of life. And that has been a goal ever since.
Life is full of twists and turns, and although I tried to maintain contact with OM through conferences or trainings, a few years later, I was fully immersed in my life outside of missions, trying to find my way as a young woman in her 20s. Over the years, I stayed in touch with a dear friend from my time in South Asia and always thought how amazing it would be to one day work with her again.
Almost 10 years later, I found myself in the middle of a master’s programme in Taiwan, looking for an internship opportunity. I was reminded (looking at You, God!) that my friend had been in charge of starting an internship programme for OM. Doors opened, and a few months later, I once again had the opportunity to serve with OM in South East Asia as a communications intern. Being able to combine my profession with my faith in such a direct way was an answered prayer.
Taking pictures, interviewing people and writing stories about the work God is doing through OM was such a precious experience. It felt good ‘to be back’, working alongside my friend. Using the skills that I had developed in the last 10 years to practically contribute to OM’s vision was the opportunity I had asked God for. When I had the chance to stay on as a volunteer after the internship, I said 'yes'. I did not want to let this opportunity to stay connected and participate in Kingdom work in a team of like-minded people slip. Sometimes, ‘convincing your heart’ that what you do matters needs some practical steps.
Please don’t misunderstand me: wherever we are in life — volunteering with a missions organisation or working 09:00-17:00 — we all have a chance to listen to God and let Him use us where we are. But for this season of my life, I am glad to have a tangible output, with wordcounts and visual content that serve as reminders of not just what I am doing with the skills that God made me with, but also of what He is doing around us, every day, every moment.