It was a simple short-term exposure trip to the mission field, but Roxanne Mintal saw a lot of realities that broke her heart.

She remembers the time she spent at Elpis School, a sanctuary for disadvantaged children living at the Thai-Burmese border. In this institution run by ACM-trained missionaries, she met kids who have to contend with a culture of death brought by recent atrocities in that area.

“There were many reported killings while I was there. It’s as if life has no value. And the children, I saw how deprived they were. They carried knives with them whenever they cross the border,” says a worried Roxanne.

While helping out in a youth ministry in Cambodia also run by an ACM graduate, Roxanne’s felt compassion for young Khmers who were curious about her faith.

“They would ask me, ‘Teacher, who is Jesus?’ In the Philippines at least we hear the name of Jesus, but there, they know absolutely nothing about Him!”

But her exposure trip didn’t end with hopelessness. On her journey she proved that missionaries have the power to change these young lives with the love of Jesus Christ.

These are real-world experiences that confirmed Roxanne’s calling to carry the Good News to the nations. It is a calling she received way back when two American missionaries—a teacher and a nurse—visited her high school.

“You can see the contentment and joy in their faces. They are really carriers of the Lord’s presence and love,” she recalls. “Someday, I said, I’m going to be like them, not knowing at that time what it really means to be a missionary.”

But now she does. Training at Asian Center for Missions in Davao City equipped Roxanne with the necessary skills—and heart—to pursue her God-given vocation.

“During my time at ACM, the Lord worked a great deal in us. My mind was broadened. Our instructors were used by the Holy Spirit to open our minds. Our training was indeed a great help!”

Roxanne is bent on returning to the mission field, specifically in Cambodia, to continue what she has started. This time she plans to participate more in planting churches, involving and training local believers, and mobilizing them for cross-cultural missions.

“I really want to be a goer. I’ve seen how the harvest is so plenty but the workers are so few,” she says. “I’ve seen how the hearts of people are now more open than ever to the Gospel. Indeed this is the Lord’s time for us to go!”

THE TIME IS NOW!

The field is ready for harvesting. God is calling out for more workers to be sent to every nation, tribe, and tongue.

Equip yourself for cross-cultural missions like Roxanne. Visit www.acmnet.org and inquire in an ACM training center near you.