Over 150 students, leaders, and translators from 42 different countries joined for the 2024 Discover Missions event, held 7-19 June in Nairobi, Kenya. Discover Missions is an immersive experience designed for young adults to discern God’s call to the missions field on their life.

“This was an intentional international learning event,” said Brent Hulett, Missions Mobilization director. “Our goal was for young adults to make a decision to step into full time missions much earlier in their career.”

Discover Missions intentionally invited mobilization coordinators and missionaries from each region. After spending almost two weeks living, learning, and doing ministry together, the students now have personal relationships with missions leaders who can support them along their missions journey.

The event included a mix of education and hands-on experiences. Each day started with breakfast and a personal devotional time using a guided devotional attendees received.

“On-campus” days were filled with workshops on a variety of topics such as mental health, creative access missions, cross-cultural conflict, and reaching unreached people groups. They also included a missionary panel and Q&A sessions on topics such as personal social media usage and steps to apply for current missionary openings.

“One workshop presenter really challenged us to ask, ‘What are the needs where I am now? What is in my hands already that can help?’” said one participant from the United States. “It made me realize my city is really broken and has large needs. I can be serving now.”

The creative access missions workshop was so popular that a second Q&A time with CAA missionaries was created. Over 40 young adults reported a call to creative access missions.

“God really used this event to confirm my call to creative access missions,” said one participant from the Mesoamerica Region.

“Off-campus” days sent the young adults out in groups to serve with three different organizations, pulled from a pool of ten in the Nairobi area. They included orphanages, schools, compassionate ministry sites, and Nazarene for She, which provides education and sanitary products for young girls. The ministry sites introduced the students to a variety of ministry models that serve a community’s needs in innovative ways.

“I always had an interest in missions but never felt called to be a traditional missionary,” said another participant from the United States. “God has given me a passion for reconciliation work in the world. At Discover, I learned there is a place for me to do these kinds of ministries in missions.”

Leaders and organizers hope that the young adults who attended were able to discern God’s call on their life and that they are more equipped to be effective ministers of the gospel in cross-cultural contexts.

“I came to Discover after a really hard time in my life,” said a participant from Africa. “This event really gave me hope and vision for the future. I know God had me here on purpose.”