After graduating high school, Adriana attended West Virginia University where she gained a passion for business along with her growing love for international ministry. Between her first missions experience and her senior year of college, she had participated in several short-term mission trips to places like India, Haiti, and Nicaragua.

Like many college seniors, Adriana was stumped thinking about what was next. She applied for some jobs in the business world, but none of them were a good fit. She thought to herself, “I really wish I could somehow connect my passion for business with my love for global missions.”

After thinking about her future for some time, Adriana remembered missions mobilizer Ally* from Encompass World Partners. They had met on a cross-cultural Encounter Atlanta trip when Adriana was a senior in high school and continued occasional check-ins throughout her early years of college. But as time went on, their relationship had become less involved.

Adriana reached out to Ally saying, “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m interested in any missional opportunities involving business.” Not only did Ally remember everything about Adriana’s passions, she also had the perfect idea for her.

Before Adriana even called, a business as mission opportunity in Central Asia became available and the first person Ally thought would be perfect for the job was Adriana.

So, Ally asked her if she would be willing to work with a business that focuses on engaging unreached peoples. It didn’t take very long for Adriana to fall in love with the idea. After several meetings with Encompass, a six-month internship was developed.

Though she was ready to go, Adriana’s parents felt a little uneasy.

They didn’t know anything about the place where she was going. But after hearing Adriana talk about it over and over, they finally said, “Your face lights up every time you talk about this. It’s obvious this isn’t some adventure kick, but a genuine care for people who don’t know Jesus. We want you to know that we support you 100%.”

Not only have her parents come to support Adriana, many of her friends and other family members are seeing the value of this internship. For her, the best part of this journey so far is seeing friends and family become mobilized for global missions because of her passion for this internship. She said, “For me, the trip has already begun!”

*Name changed for security reasons.