Ask a Mission Worker: As a young person called to mission, what's next?
In this column, we ask mission workers from around the SIM world to share honest insights, reflections and practical wisdom from their own experiences.

In this column, we ask mission workers from around the SIM world to share honest insights, reflections, and practical wisdom from their own experiences. Whether you’re exploring mission, already serving, or supporting mission workers through prayer or giving, we hope their words encourage, equip, and inspire you to keep walking faithfully with God’s global mission.
Anna Abidan is a self-professed zillennial (on the cusp between Millennials and Gen Z) from Nigeria. She grew up with parents who worked in mission, which meant she saw first-hand what it looks like to serve God in everyday life, in communities who did not have the gospel. In May 2025, she began serving in campus ministry in West Africa.
This question comes from one of our Instagram followers: I’m a 16-year-old who feels called to mission. How can I start preparing now for the future, when I plan to move overseas?
“It’s such a privilege to be called,” Anna says. “It’s not easy but, with God by your side, you can do it.”
Her first encouragement is simple but foundational: pray about it. She explains that building a personal relationship with God is the most important preparation anyone can make.
She says, “Without God we can’t actually do anything. Hold on to Him, listen for His leading, and learn to stay in His presence. That’s the best preparation you can have.”
“Without God we can’t actually do anything. Hold on to Him, listen for His leading, and learn to stay in His presence. That’s the best preparation you can have.”
At the same time, Anna points to practical ways of preparing. She highlights the value of orientations, conferences, and training opportunities. These can all help, she says, but “if you’re not in the right standing with God, you can miss your step”.
Her final reminder is to ,“Pray, pray, pray again. God will lead you to the right place and the right people.”
If you’d like to explore what mission could look like for you, or to think about your next steps, SIM is here to help.
Visit our Explore Mission pages to find out more. If you’re a church wanting to support a young person interested in mission, you can do that here too.
Please pray
- For young people who feel called to mission, that they would grow in their relationship with God as they prepare.
- For wisdom and guidance as they explore training opportunities, conferences, and next steps.
- For Anna as she begins serving in campus ministry in West Africa, that she would be strengthened and encouraged.
You might also like
A statement from Kevin and Krista Rideout.
Galius had a tough childhood in Namibia. He lost his mother at childbirth and his father also passed away when he was a teenager. Today, Galius is st...
They come for the games, but they leave with something far greater. Across the world, Sports Friends camps are creating opportunities for young people to d...
We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity.
In Ethiopia, mission is taking new forms. Technology is opening doors into places once unreachable, and local believers are stepping forward with deep cult...
In northern Ghana, youth worker Charity has spent years building relationships with young people and their families. She encourages them in their faith wh...
Across the world, young people are showing a growing openness to faith: from Thailand to North Africa to Central Asia. As spiritual hunger rises among Gen ...
An encounter with rural ministry as a teenager changed the course of Samuel's life. Years later, God led him, his wife and their children from Ethiopia to ...
In Central Asia, a small group of young Christians is being intentionally equipped as emerging leaders. Mentoring, ministry experience and sports outreach ...
Creativity has become a doorway to encounter God in Addis Ababa, where mission workers Malaika and Halawi are helping believers hear His voice through pr...
In North Africa, Lobna’s life was marked by manipulation, addiction, and fear until God intervened through the faithful love of His people. This is the s...
Even in retirement, nurse midwife Beth Roberts continues to live out her calling. After nearly three decades in Guinea, she now supports mission workers, r...