I’m Grateful God placed Me in Mexico
How do you determine if mission service is a good fit for you? Beyond that, how do you know if God might be calling you to mission service when there are so many options you could pursue? Abigail Haagen is serving with our Marketplace Ministries team in Mexico, and here she shares how God gifted her and led her to a work that is just the right fit for her.
Growing up, I loved attending church camp. We played silly games, chomped on candy from the snack shack, and gained best friends in half a day. In between splashing in the pool and completing scavenger hunts, I also learned valuable lessons about faith, life, and purpose. Therefore, I knew from a young age that I needed to serve God with the talents that He gave me.
So, in high school, when people started asking about colleges and careers, I made lists of my talents:
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- Reads books quickly
- Loves music (but can’t hold a pitch if her life depended on it)
- Can memorize Bible verses pretty quickly (thanks, church camp!)
- Loves mysteries… could become the next Nancy Drew?
- Wants to travel and explore cool cultures (is that a talent?)
- Is (usually) a hard worker
- Loves to excel
When college approached, I needed to choose a career that used those talents for God. But… how? By reading lots of books? By singing off key? Maybe I could become a detective….
And so, although I heavily considered forensic science to pursue the Nancy Drew dream, I decided to major in international business at a Christian university. International business is a flexible major, and I could use my talents of “is usually a hard worker,” “loves to excel,” and “wants to travel and explore cool cultures.” Perfect!
While studying, I prayed a lot; specifically that God would lead me exactly where He wanted me. This could mean shining His light in a corporation. Handling finances for a non-profit. Starting a coffeeshop. The options were endless! So which option was for me, God?
I waited. And waited. And waited. Before I knew it, senior year began, and people were asking about my future. But how could I make a 10-year plan if I didn’t know where God wanted me in 10 months?
October of my senior year, CMF came to visit campus and talk to classes. They did this every year. My parents had supported CMF missionaries since I was young, so I was familiar with the organization, and assumed it was nowhere near my career path. In fact, when I started college, people assumed I was going into missions since I was studying international business at a Christian university. International + Christian = missions, right? I laughed at them. How could I use a degree in business to do missions work? And so, when CMF came to talk to us that week, I skipped. It would be a waste of my time.
Then, in not one, but TWO of my international business classes, the director of CMF’s Marketplace Ministries presented. The classes were back-to-back; we literally walked to the second class together. He gave me a flyer for CMF’s Marketplace Ministries teams, explaining about how they used business to further God’s Kingdom here on earth.
Business in an international context.
Business to further God’s kingdom.
Teams that needed talented hard workers. Hard workers who wanted things done excellently. Who wanted to experience other cultures.
The signs seemed pretty obvious, right?
Alas, I was distracted that week. I stuffed the flyer into my backpack and forgot about it. A few weeks later, I cleaned out my backpack, glanced at the flyer, then made a note in my planner to pray about it in a few weeks, after I submitted those big assignments I was worrying about. And when that date came, I took the flyer out of my stack of papers and prayed. And realized this job was exactly what I’d been praying for.
Next, I had a Zoom call with the director.
Then I had a Zoom call with the team.
Then I officially applied, was interviewed, and accepted.
I raised support to be a business missionary in Mexico for 15 months.
And I’ve just decided to extend my term and am now raising support for the next 3 years.
I know God can use anybody anywhere. I’ve interned at non-profit community theaters, worked in healthcare administration, and even dished out fries at McDonald’s, and I know God used each of those jobs to glorify Him. I’ve seen friends who are CEOs, baristas, teachers, janitors, doctors, who all use their skills for God. And although I know God can use me and my talents in numerous ways, I’m grateful He’s placed me here in Mexico, being a business missionary for Him.
