A Childhood Dream Meets a Divine Call
P * grew up in a Christian home, but it wasn’ t until high school that his faith became personal. Around that same time, he felt called to missions. Before starting university, he took a gap year and joined OMS for a six-month short-term mission trip, followed by two more summer trips during his six years of veterinary training.
From childhood, he dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. Yet the call to missions never left his heart. Torn between two passions, he prayed and asked God to close the door to veterinary medicine if it wasn’ t his will. But the door remained open. So, he stepped through it, trusting that somehow, God would reconcile the two seemingly opposing paths.
After graduation, P spent six years working as a mixed-animal veterinarian, treating both farm animals and pets. Those years weren’ t wasted. They gave him experience, financial stability to pay off student loans, and a deeper understanding of the world he would someday serve.
Whenever he heard the language of the people group he felt called to— whether in a classroom or a coffee shop— his soul stirred. That stirring became a road map. And his veterinary skills became a bridge to communities otherwise unreached.
Alongside his wife M *, P pursued seminary training and continued working part-time as a veterinarian before transitioning into full-time cross-cultural ministry. Today, P and M serve in leadership as regional directors for OMS in the Asia / Pacific region.
Throughout this journey, one truth has become clear to P: God doesn’ t waste anything. Not your degree. Not your job. Not your passions. He calls fishermen, tax collectors, and yes— even veterinarians. What the world sees as ordinary, God sees as strategic.
A Call to All Professions
If you’ ve ever felt tension between your career and a call to missions, take heart. You don’ t have to choose one over the other. God may be preparing you to serve in ways no one else can— through your unique training, your work experience, your expertise.
Whether you’ re a nurse, engineer, artist, accountant, or vet, your profession can be a platform for the Gospel. Missions isn’ t confined to pulpits and classrooms. It’ s lived out in clinics, offices, and rice fields.
So, if you feel called, don’ t wait for the“ perfect” fit. Trust the One who called you. He’ s already writing a story that’ s bigger than you imagined. And who knows? Maybe your journey will one day inspire a recruiter to say,“ A veterinarian? We’ ve been praying for someone just like you.”
* Names omitted for security reasons.
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