15 April 2026

Expanded View

My name is Emily Zamora, and I am a global missionary serving at the Eurasia Regional Office in Büsingen, Germany. I currently serve as the regional finance assistant and the media content creator for the regional communications team. I’ve been a missionary for just over a year.

My journey to the missions field began in elementary school. I sat in the front row of my small hometown church as visiting missionaries told us how they left behind everything they knew in the United States to serve and create community in a different country. They were learning a new language, a new way of living, and sharing about Jesus whenever they could. They were teachers and pastors, and at the time my young mind believed that those were the only professions that God could utilize on the missions field. I didn’t think I had what was needed back then, but the Lord kept calling me a little at a time. And it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I responded to the call to use my talents to serve in a global context.

Fast forward to today: I now serve as a global missionary in a small village in between two countries, where it feels like there are more farm animals than people. Getting to do life, work, and be in community with other missionaries serving the Eurasia Region is a unique experience. Moving onto the missions field as a solo missionary felt less isolating because of this established missionary support system. We live fairly close to each other, shop at a lot of the same stores, walk our dogs on the same routes, and help each other with whatever is needed. Small village living comes with its challenges, but relying on my missionary family makes it a lot more doable.  

Like most missionaries, I have plenty of responsibilities and ministries to keep me busy. In addition to my regional roles, I serve my local church as the church board secretary and Nazarene Discipleship International (NDI) leader. I also attend and sometimes host our young adult Bible study group and attend weekly language classes in a neighboring city. I didn’t expect to take on local church ministry involvement quite so soon after moving here, but it revives my soul. I always believed that I wasn’t meant for a typical desk job or routine schedule, and living on the missions field has definitely affirmed that. Getting to utilize my passion and skills in photography, design, creative thinking, and organization continues to solidify the call that I felt from the Lord so many years before.

Looking back at when I was first assigned, I remember thinking “what can I possibly bring to the people of this part of Europe?” I thought missionaries went only to the most remote and underdeveloped parts of the world to bring Jesus to those who didn’t yet know him. Now I realize how silly that mindset was, like when I was younger and let the idea that God only needed missionaries who were preachers, teachers, or doctors deter me from pursuing a call I felt in my heart. I’ve seen and experienced firsthand that the needs of the global church span far beyond those few professions. The Lord needs people who can properly manage finances, those who can tell the stories of what he is doing around the world through visual and written storytelling, and those who can push past being uncomfortable in a new culture to create community wherever they are. 

God has expanded not only my world view but also my view of missions. If you are willing to walk through the doors that the Lord is opening, no matter how uncertain or fear-filled the choice is, he can use you. He can use any person with any skill set to further his kingdom here on earth - to all the ends of the earth.

Are you a young person who wants to explore missions, or do you know a young person exploring a call? Learn about The Cause here: The Cause - Church of the Nazarene

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