You Want to Make a Difference. Now What?

From a very young age, I knew I wanted to be a missionary. My godparents were missionaries who traveled all over the world. Every week in Children’s church, we’d learn about a different country—its people, culture, food, and what God was doing there through His Church. I was fascinated. Through them, I caught a glimpse of a God who cared deeply for every nation, every culture, and every person.

By the time I was a teenager, I was certain I knew exactly what my future looked like: I was going to be a missionary doctor: living overseas, working in a hospital surrounded by the African landscape, sharing the Gospel, and spending my life serving communities around the world.

But as I got older, I discovered that God’s calling on my life looked different than the picture I had imagined as a child. Today, I don’t work as a doctor—but I have the privilege of working alongside doctors, nurses, public health professionals, social workers, pastors, and community leaders around the world. I don’t live overseas—but I help prepare and equip others to serve internationally. I spend my days helping churches, nonprofits, hospitals, and local organizations build stronger partnerships, improve their programs, and create opportunities for people with every imaginable profession to use their gifts in service of God’s Kingdom. Looking back, I didn’t leave missions behind. I simply discovered that my place in God’s mission was different than I expected.

Maybe you also feel a call to missions. Maybe you’ve always wanted to make a difference, but you’re not sure what that actually looks like. Maybe you’re wondering whether your vocation has anything to do with God’s Kingdom. Maybe you’ve gone on a mission trip and came home with more questions than answers, or maybe you’ve never been on a mission trip at all, but you have this growing sense that God wants to use your life for something bigger than yourself.

If any of that sounds familiar, I want you to know something: The question isn’t whether God is inviting you to participate in His mission. The question is how.

That’s exactly why we created the Rising Tides Youth Summit.

The Youth Summit is a place to explore how your faith, your career, your passions, your education, and your unique gifts all fit into God’s global mission. You’ll hear from people serving in healthcare, engineering, business, ministry, education, technology, communications, child welfare, and many other fields. You’ll have opportunities to wrestle with questions about calling, learn what healthy and ethical missions look like, meet practitioners who have found creative ways to live out their faith, and connect with other young adults who are asking many of the same questions you are.

You don’t need all the answers before you come.

You simply need a willingness to ask the questions.

If you’re wondering how your faith, passions, education, and career can become part of God’s mission, join us at the Rising Tides Youth Summit May 24-25. Together, we’ll explore where your unique gifts fit into God’s work in the world.