Divine Detour: How Online Missionary Training School Transformed My Life and Calling

August 26, 2024

“I’m so grateful that these last years haven’t gone the way that I had planned!”

In 2017, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart. He reminded me of some promises He had spoken many years before. In that moment, I wasn’t sure where my life was headed or what the future would hold - but I did know one thing - I was meant to reach the world with the Gospel. I felt called to love and serve people far from my home country. 


With this certainty, I searched the internet for universities with intercultural studies programs and missionary training opportunities. Before long, I stumbled across Global Frontier Missions, the Clarkston, Georgia Hub, and the Online Missionary Training School. After searching through the different options, along with many major life changes, it soon became clear that the online program would be the best option for me. Looking back, I’m so thankful for this path the Lord led me to!


When I first started training with Online Missionary Training School (OMTS), I had a lot of ideas of what I might learn, and how I would grow. Even what life would look like after I had finished the courses. But… the Lord often works in ways we don’t understand or expect – and they always end up being so much better for us, don’t they? 


I thought I would be learning about other cultures, religions, and how to reach them with the Good News of Jesus. I thought I would learn what it would look like to live and work in another country far from my own; I thought I would learn things about the Bible that I hadn’t really dug into before. These were all the things I expected (and yes, I did learn all of these things.) But, what I didn’t expect was how Online Missionary Training School would change me as a person. I didn’t expect all the ways online missions training would shape my worldview  and how I see  our Heavenly Father. I was expecting head knowledge, but I wasn’t aware of how much OMTS would work its way deep down into my heart. 


OMTS isn’t just about missions knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It’s about growing you individually, spiritually - in your relationship with God, others, and even yourself.

         When I was first starting OMTS, I was going through a very difficult time in my life. I thought I knew the “calling” that the Lord had placed on my life, but at the root of it, I didn’t know who I was. I think, for most of us, the Lord wants us to be solidified in our identity in Him before we jump headfirst into what He has planned for us. That way, we won’t be serving Him out of a skewed perception of who He is and what He expects from us. Rather, we will serve others out of a place of overflowing love, because we know that we can only love because of His love for us. 


In just the first few classes, I grew in my understanding of the Lord and His heart for the nations throughout all of history, from Genesis to Revelation. As I continued the training, I learned about different people groups in the world who have never heard the Gospel before, and I felt something stirring within me. My perspective of the world was expanding. I was starting to have a wider understanding of the people around me - and around the world. I was able to see different ways to grow in my relationships with others, including through hospitality.


My OMTS mentor walked me through the whole program - she helped me discover a deeper understanding of the topics discussed, watched me wrestle through some of the classes, and encouraged me when things in my life felt very uncertain. The Bible studies helped strengthen what I believe Scripture says and why I believe it. Most importantly, I learned what ministry to the nations could look like in my own backyard! This learning was key for me as I navigated continued change, transition - and sometimes - missed expectations.


During those times, one verse constantly brought me peace: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the LORD’S purpose for him that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21


         I thought my life would look very different than it does right now, but I couldn’t be more thankful for where I am. Since completing OMTS, the Lord has provided so many opportunities that I could have never planned for myself. He’s given close friends from countries all over the world who teach me so much, just by being with them. He’s given the opportunity to help train and mentor our current OMTS students to prepare them for whatever calling the Lord has on their lives. The Lord has stretched me and taught me so much, and I’m so grateful that these last years haven’t gone the way that I planned.. And I’m so grateful for the ways Online Missionary Training School helps me reflect Jesus in the neighborhoods and the nations.

Experience long-distance mentoring and cross-cultural training at your own pace and in your own space through our flexible online missionary training platform.

Enroll in your first Online Missionary Training School module for FREE!
Share by: