Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'” ( Amos 7:14-15)
I became a Christian while studying in Perth, Australia, during my third year of an Engineering program. My church there had a strong heart for missions, and even as a new believer, I found myself immersed in stories of missionaries and mission organizations. Each week, we prayed for their work and needs. It stirred something in me.
For a long time, I wished I were a medic—someone with practical skills suited for the field. I wondered, “Who would need an engineer without a specialty or impressive qualifications in the mission field?!”
And yet, many of the first CIM missionaries were, by conventional standards, unqualified. Among them were blacksmiths, stonemasons, carpenters, unmarried women, a cloth trader, and their spouses and children. Would anyone today launch a new organization with pioneers of such modest credentials and untested skills?
Among them was George Stott, and he defied expectations. At nineteen, he injured his knee in an accident. Two years later, the injury required the amputation of his left leg. Despite this, Stott felt called to serve in China. He applied twice to join CIM but was rejected both times due to his disability. Sending a one-legged man to a foreign land where even the able-bodied struggled to survive seemed out of the question.
But Stott persisted. On his third attempt, he requested a personal meeting with Hudson Taylor, the founder of CIM. There, he made his case with boldness and faith: “I do not see those with two legs going, so I must.” George Stott eventually became a leader in establishing the church in Wenzhou. Other seemingly “unqualified” missionaries did important work in evangelism throughout China.
The qualities Hudson Taylor sought in the first men and women who joined CIM were significantly different from those prioritized by other mission organizations of the time. He believed that the door to the mission field would be open even to those with little formal education. More than academic training or professional credentials, the most essential was spiritual quality –an unshakable conviction in the faithfulness of God, paired with the ability and willingness to fully trust Him.
The calling and sending of George Stott and the early CIM missionaries remind us that it is not our professions or abilities that qualify us for mission, but our willingness. It is our surrender— laying down comfort, status, and worldly priorities before the King and His Kingdom. It is choosing to let our lives be the message, allowing God to use our professions, talents, and skills to serve and witness among people.
I once looked down on my vocation as an engineer. I thought it was a secular job and something trivial that distracts me from what I considered spiritual work. But God taught me a precious lesson: my mission field is where He has placed me now. That shift in mindset changed everything. I began to ask how I could naturally—but intentionally—start conversations about faith with my colleagues and friends who have yet to know Jesus.
I have come to see that God has wired me with a love for numbers, strategy, operations, and administration. These are not limitations; they are tools. Just as God used carpenters, traders, and even a one-legged man, He delights to use an engineer too. The call is not to be impressive—but to be available.
Photo by chevanon on Freepick
