How the World Missions Offering Is Launching a New Missionary to Bulgaria...

Sent, Supported, Sustained

By Don Matchett

Some call it a leap of faith. For Tiffany Carpenter, it feels more like a steady pace, one step at a time, learning to trust God to provide exactly what is needed, exactly when it is needed.

Her journey is taking her to Bulgaria, where she will serve among children, many of whom have never heard the gospel. But before she boards a plane, before she steps into orphanages and children’s homes, her story is unfolding in churches, on long drives, in quiet prayers, and in unexpected moments of generosity. It is a story genuinely shaped by the World Missions Offering (WMO).

An Early Call

Tiffany’s call to ministry didn’t begin with a dramatic moment. Instead, it grew quietly over time. “As a kid, I was always doing donation drives,” she recalls. “It was just always in my heart to give to other people.”

What started as small acts of kindness gradually grew into something more meaningful. As a teenager, Tiffany began to realize her desire to serve wasn’t just a personality trait but a calling. “Around age 16 or 17, the Lord really put cross-cultural ministry on my heart,” she says. “Cross-cultural ministry isn’t for some elite group. God chooses who to call.”

That realization changed everything. Missions was no longer a distant idea reserved for someone else; it became a personal invitation.

The Field Up Close

Tiffany didn’t step into missions blindly. Through short-term opportunities, she began to see and experience life on the mission field firsthand. She participated in outreach efforts through The Hanna Project (THP) and Operation Christmas Child. She later served through the College Missions Program (CMP). Both experiences brought her to Bulgaria, where she partnered with established missionaries and ministries.

It was there, in the rhythms of real ministry, her calling became clear. “I got to see the ministry in Bulgaria — where it came from and where it can go,” she says. “And I knew I wanted to be part of that…The Lord really put me in Bulgaria.”

Nation in Need

Bulgaria has been shaped by a history filled with war, political upheaval, and decades under communist rule. Today, fewer than 2% of the population identifies as evangelical Christian. While many Bulgarians are connected to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Tiffany explains their faith often lacks the relational aspect central to the gospel. “They believe in a higher power,” she observes, “but not in a relationship with that higher power.”

The years of communism and hardship have left a mark. “A lot of people have a sense of abandonment,” she adds. “Like, ‘God let all these things happen to us; where was He?’ There’s openness but also a kind of resentment.”

Tiffany is being sent into this spiritual landscape.

Among the Forgotten

Much of Tiffany’s work in Bulgaria will center around children, especially those living in group homes and orphanages. Around 14 children’s homes populate the region where she served on mission trips. Many of these children cannot attend church, so missionaries take church to them.
“We have what’s basically a Sunday School,” Tiffany explains. “We just love on them, share the gospel, and remind them they’re not forgotten. Many of them feel that way…forgotten.”

One little boy left a lasting impression on her. A recent arrival at a children’s home, he was confused, displaced, and still adjusting to his new reality. But something changed as Tiffany and her team began visiting regularly. “Almost every time we visited, he would run up and say, ‘My friend, you came back! You came back for me!’”

Those words carry weight.

Consistency became a form of ministry. Presence became a message. Through simple Bible lessons like the story of Peter walking on water, the team shared a deeper truth: even in life’s storms, peace is found in Christ. “He was going through a storm,” Tiffany says. “Even if he couldn’t fully understand it yet, we got to show him God brings peace.”

The Hidden Challenge…Getting There

While the mission field may be thousands of miles away, one of the most difficult parts of becoming a missionary happens long before departure: fundraising.

For Tiffany, the process has both stretched and refined her. “It’s slow,” she admits. “Especially when you come from a small town where people aren’t as familiar with missions on
a larger scale.”

In some cases, the challenge isn’t just financial; it's relational. “I’ve had people question if I’m real,” she says candidly. “Like, ‘Are you a scam?’” Others simply struggled to believe someone from their community could step into global missions. “I heard, ‘That’s not something people from here do.’”

And yet, something unexpected began to happen. “As people started seeing I am doing it, it began to change their perspective,” Tiffany says. “It helped them realize they, too, can serve.”
Her fundraising journey has become a form of ministry itself.

WMO Makes a Difference

This is where the World Missions Offering steps into the story. Recognizing the unique challenges missionaries face at the beginning of fundraising, the WMO provides startup funding to help them gain momentum. For Tiffany, this support has been nothing short of essential. “It’s been such a blessing,” she says. “It’s given me peace just knowing it’s there.”

Practically, the funding helps cover the costs of travel as she visits churches, shares her story, and builds partnerships. Even local trips can mean hours on the road, and those expenses add up quickly. “It’s helping me get off the ground,” she explains. “Right now, it’s holding me up as I’m starting out.”

Without the WMO, the picture would look very different. “I’d be a lot lower financially,” she says. “Nowhere near where I am right now.”

The WMO doesn’t just fill a gap; it creates possibilities.

Faith in the Waiting

Fundraising has taught Tiffany dependence on God is not optional; it is essential. “I don’t come from a background of wealth,” she says. “So, this has forced me to rely on the Lord.”

She has goals to meet, deadlines to consider, and uncertainties to navigate. But through it all, her faith is growing. “I’ve found peace in knowing if it’s for God, it will happen,” she says. “He will make a way.”

That doesn’t mean the process is easy. In fact, one of the biggest lessons God is teaching her right now is patience. “I’m very much a ‘let’s go, let’s get it done’ person,” she admits. “And the Lord is teaching me to slow down, to wait on Him.”

Obedience for Tiffany doesn’t look like rushing forward. It looks like surrender. “Letting Him take full control,” she says. “Letting Him lead and use me when and how He wants.”

A Gift That Says Everything

Along the way, small, sacred moments remind Tiffany why this journey matters. One of those happened in a church after she shared about her mission. As she returned to her seat, a young girl ran up holding a small bundle of cash and coins. “It’s not much,” she told Tiffany, “but it’s all I have.”

Later, Tiffany counted it: $3.16. The number immediately struck her. “It made me think of John 3:16,” she says. “How God gave everything — His only Son.” In that moment, the offering felt far greater than its monetary value.

“She gave all she had,” Tiffany says. “And she did it because she cared about other kids hearing about Jesus.” It is a picture of generosity in its purest form, and a reminder impact is not measured in dollars, but in obedience.

An Invitation to Join the Story

As Tiffany prepares to go, her message to supporters is simple: “Your support makes a difference. Every penny does something.”

The World Missions Offering is not just a fund; it’s a launching point. It helps missionaries like Tiffany move from calling to action, from preparation to presence. And the impact doesn’t stop there. It reaches into children’s homes in Bulgaria. Into the lives of boys who learn they are not forgotten. Into communities beginning to see faith not as ritual, but as relationship.

Tiffany hopes people will remember, “God is faithful. If we are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us.”

Sent Together

Today, Tiffany Carpenter stands at the beginning of her missionary journey, but she does not stand alone. Behind her is a network of churches and believers who have chosen to give. Some give out of abundance. Some give sacrificially. Some, like a little girl with $3.16, give everything they have.

Through the World Missions Offering, those gifts come together to do something extraordinary. They send. They support. They sustain. They remind a new generation of missionaries and the people they serve no one is forgotten. Not here. Not there. Not anywhere.

About the Writer: Don Matchett is director of development at IM, Inc.
Learn more: iminc.org/WMO.