Our journey to mission
The stories of why missionaries choose to serve in another location are varied, exciting and have a common gospel thread. Checkpoint asked missionaries from around Australia to give reasons why they chose to serve as CMS missionaries.
Mike & Karen Roe (SANT), serving in South Africa
Mike writes: My main contact with Christianity growing up was a kids club, and an annual camp for kids to learn about missionaries. I thought missionaries were nice people, but a bit nuts. When I came to faith at Uni, I suddenly ‘got it’. I was convicted that my life goals were all pretty selfish and small… and found that I suddenly wanted to be one of those ‘nuts’ missionaries. Post-uni, cancer put a hold on things for about six years. But I became a keen supporter of CMS in this time. Then, when I eventually left my oncologist’s rooms for the last time (having been told I was cured, and could get on with my life), as soon as I walked out, I just had an overwhelming sense of the Lord saying “Well, that’s done. Now, where were we in that whole ‘mission’ thing?” So I started some conversations, and spent the next 10 years training, serving, and being prepared to serve overseas. (Bible teacher Peter Adam gave me the sage advice to get some ministry experience in Australia first, to ensure that I make my first mistakes on my own people!)
Matt & Kate Vinicombe (Victoria), serving in North Australia
Ultimately we decided to become missionaries because of our conviction that the gospel is true for all people, and that God had placed us in the position of being able to share that with people from another culture.
Kelly Landrigan (NSW & ACT), serving in France
As a young Christian (who hadn’t grown up in a Christian home) I was confronted by the fact that in many parts of the world, people would go from birth to death and never even hear about Jesus or have the opportunity to trust in him.
Dene & Rachel Hughes (QNNSW), serving in Japan
We were in student ministry with AFES (the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) from 2007-2011 and were always impressed by the deep and long connection CMS had with student ministry worldwide, but especially in Japan. When we were convinced that we needed to live alongside Japanese people to more effectively minister to them, we were able to stand on the shoulders of CMS missionaries past and present.
Tim & Olivia Mulherin (VIC), serving in Cambodia
We both grew up in CMS missionary families, living overseas and then also involved in CMS back in Australia as young adults. Before becoming a couple, we both felt called to be missionaries from an early age. Once we married, it was clear that this was still God’s plan for our life and we slowly worked towards this goal.
David & Jenny Juniper (WA), serving in DR Congo
After we were exposed to the enormous needs and opportunities of the majority world, we felt we had to do something. We have always felt the weight of Jesus’ words in Luke 12:48, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
T & E (TAS), serving in South East Asia
We have both long had a passion to cross cultures, which was fostered in our families and expressed itself in cross-cultural ministry in Australia. The many stories of the quality of pre-departure training, pastoral care, and strategic and servant nature of placing workers under national Christians were all factors influencing us to choose to go with CMS.
Ian & Jenny Wood (NSW & ACT), serving in North Australia
We were working in parish ministry for many years and gradually became even more convinced of the need for good Bible teaching in the rest of the world. We have the opportunity to go ourselves now our children are adults.
Chris & Stef Overhall (NSW & ACT), serving in Chile
All Christians are missionaries and having trained for ministry in the local church, we were open to the idea of serving Christ wherever might be useful. Our link missionaries (the Sholl family) visited our church and spoke about the work of MOCLAM, a Bible training course based on Australian material and now used throughout the Spanish-speaking world. We were excited about the opportunity to train Christians this way, because we’d personally seen and experienced the benefit of having well-trained leaders. We love that CMS is invested in training and equipping local leaders to serve the gospel all around the world.
Andrew & Margie Newman (QNNSW), serving in Uganda
When we were invited to partner with the North Kigezi Diocese in Uganda long-term, we turned to CMS-A. We knew CMS-A were experts in their preparation of missionaries for long-term work. We knew we needed the cross-cultural training, and we knew that in CMS-A we would be part of a family of believers who are trustworthy in prayer and care.
CMS missionaries Adam & Helane Ramsay write for Checkpoint Online about how they made the decision to serve in Japan.
GO
Will you go? Talk to your CMS branch today about the reasons and ways to consider mission in another location.
