Steven (a pseudonym) is an AFM Cross-Cultural Worker (CCW) preparing to launch to a Muslim-majority unreached nation. We talked with him about the benefits of serving through a mission agency instead of going to the mission field independently. His thoughts are written below: 

I first went to the mission field in the summer of 2013, to the same Middle Eastern country to which I hope to return in just a few months. I went with an agency that summer – we’ll call them “TO.”  My experience with TO was not entirely positive, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth regarding working with a mission organization. My teammates and I felt we were not well-supported by our agency, and we also felt stifled in areas where we felt called to pursue opportunities God had been revealing to us because these opportunities did not fit into TO’s existing methodology.

TO fell apart two-thirds of the way through my first year, but I ended up staying in that country for five more years as an independent cross-cultural worker (CCW).  Initially it felt like a breath of fresh air to work without a sending agency because I had more independence to work in creative ways.  Over time, however, issues naturally arose, and it became difficult for my team and I to stay focused on our work without outside help and a good support system.

I came back to the US in January 2019 to raise more financial support with the intention of going back solo, but I had some doubts. Over time, I became convinced that there was something amiss – working with no accountability, no connections, no oversight – and it made me uncomfortable. I felt this was not what the Lord wanted. I came to realize that I couldn’t do missions alone. I needed to be connected to and supported by a credible missionary sending agency that shared my passion for the unreached and had experience working in the Middle East.  After attending the New Wineskins Missions Conference this past fall, I felt confident that working with AFM would be a blessing and a privilege.

Working with AFM has certainly been a game-changer for me. I was dubious about sending agencies after my first experience, and I’d never really known one to care about me enough to trust me in my service abroad. Most of the time, it seemed like the agencies I spoke with simply wanted to throw me onto a team somewhere and force me to accept the visions, structures, and policies of that group rather than letting me pursue the tasks and opportunities God had been revealing to me. It was with that apprehension that I first approached AFM. I emphasized from the beginning that I had a few particular goals in mind based on my previous experience in my Middle Eastern country. When I brought this to The Rev. Chris Royer, I was expecting him to try to redirect me to another group in the area, but he embraced my ideas and was joyful that I already had a vision from the Lord. This sealed the deal for me. AFM is about trusting in the Holy Spirit and letting Him lead CCWs to the vineyards where they belong.