Alli McCarty serves in Hungary. Her dog, Wrigley, joined her on the mission field. IMB Photo

The day after Alli McCarty graduated college, she went on her first mission trip. She wasn’t a believer yet, but a few weeks after that life-changing experience, she put her faith in Christ. From that day forward, she said a desire for missions was ignited in her.

In fact, Alli shares that time spent on mission was instrumental in bringing her to Christ. There was just something about “seeing true Christians living out authentic faith on the mission field.”

“Going overseas to serve was something that shaped me, grew me and taught me the urgency of needing to share Christ,” Alli said.

From that time forward, she was all in. Alli went on a short-term mission trip every few months, it seemed.

During her last semester of graduate school, she felt God calling her to missions, but she also sensed it wasn’t time for her to go yet.

“I felt like I needed to keep growing. I felt I needed to get deeper,” she said. While she worked, she enrolled in seminary to do just that.

Her heart for ministry to refugees grew while she was overseas as well. And during seminary, she found ample opportunities to love the nations from Louisville, Kentucky.

As she entered her career, that desire to be overseas never waned, but she learned to wait patiently on God to fulfill His plans for her life.

“This period of not going has grown me in my walk with Christ and led me to pray daily that God would help me to be content in His ways and rely on Him,” Alli said.

She added, “The fact that there are more than two billion people across the world who don’t know Christ continues to challenge me to ask how I can stay here and not go.”

Flash forward a few years, and Alli is now living in Hungary, learning the language and preparing to reach students through teaching business skills in a collegiate setting. She’s been on the field for just over a year, and she’s seeing God’s plan come to fruition.

Alli McCarty’s love for refugees has been fostered by her time caring for Ukrainian refugees in Hungary. IMB Photo

Even her love of refugees has been fostered in Hungary, due to the war in Ukraine. As Ukrainian refugees have found a safe haven in Hungary, she’s found herself spending half her day learning Hungarian and the other half serving those displaced.

Alli is thankful for the way God shaped her in between her calling and her commissioning. She’s also asking for your prayers as she tackles Hungarian language studies and continues adapting to life in Hungary with her canine companion, Wrigley.