Responding to a missionary call through Vagabond Missions

Two young people who recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma will spend the next several years as missionaries with Vagabond Missions, an inner-city youth ministry organization. They are responding to a missionary call with an organization that serves young people in Oklahoma City and other parts of the country. 

“The Campus Ministry at OU was very encouraging as I discerned joining Vagabond as a missionary,” Emma Shields said, one of two missionaries. “Participating in Bible studies and serving other students helped me discover my love for God and my passion for mission, which led me to Vagabond.”

While at OU, Shields built a great support system for students at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church and the FOCUS missionaries at OU. Specifically, two FOCUS missionaries that she was close with, Bailey and Clarisa, inspired her to consider becoming a missionary.

Shields read scripture to help guide and inspire her decision.

“One Scripture passage that inspired me was the end of John 1, where Andrew brings his friend to meet Jesus. This is something that made me want to become a missionary and help others meet Christ,” Shields said.

Shields has many goals she would like to accomplish as a missionary.

“My biggest hope for my time with Vagabond is to help young people learn who Christ is and encourage them to pursue a relationship with him. I hope to accomplish this by building friendships with the teens, teaching them about the Church, and sharing my experiences with them,” Shields said.

She said it was not a smooth road to dedicating herself to missionary work, but credits God’s grace in helping her overcome them.

“One of the biggest obstacles we face is that the teens we work with often hesitate to engage with us and are not always willing to listen. We overcome this by earning the right to be heard and building trust with the teens while ministering to them,” Shields said.

According to the Vagabond Mission website, the missionaries have served more than 5,000 teens in Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. The organization has also guided more than 200 teens to convert to Catholicism. Vagabond Missions also offers retreats and other events for teens to help them understand the Gospel and allow for more discussion between missionaries and teens.

For more information about Vagabond Missions, visit vagabondmissions.com.

Jolene Schonchin is a freelace writer for the Sooner Catholic.