Abby Beaty is a young missionary living in Zambia, but she wasn’t always sure of her calling. 

While a student at Coastal Carolina University, Beaty was heavily involved in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) on campus. “I’ve always had a heart for national missions,” Beaty shared. “For five years, I had a seasonal ministry job in inner-city Memphis.”

During her junior year, God began to stir Beaty’s heart for international missions. At a BCM retreat, listening to International Mission Board (IMB) personnel share their stories, Beaty felt the Lord moving. “I just felt my life was going to change, and I knew in that moment I was called.” David Neace, BCM Director at Coastal Carolina University, encouraged her to apply to a brand-new program: the Palmetto Collective.

Joining Palmetto Collective

Palmetto Collective is a program led by the South Carolina Baptist Convention that helps college students discover the most strategic place to minister after graduation. “Our job is to fine-tune students’ direction in missions,” stated Charlie Swain, the Next Generation Mobilization Strategist for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. “We connect students with a local mentor, help them make connections and network with missionaries on the ground, and prepare them for the possibilities of foreign living and how to make disciples cross-culturally.”

Becoming a Journeyman

While participating in Palmetto Collective and continuing to lead at BCM, Beaty expressed interest in becoming a Journeyman with the IMB. The Journeyman program offers a unique, fully-funded, two-year mission opportunity for young adults between 21 and 29. While finishing her degree, leading at BCM, and balancing her social life, Beaty began the application process to become a Journeyman. 

“It’s an intensive process!” Swain remarked. “It’s anywhere from a 9-12 month application process. But it was important to Abby because the Journeyman program can be a stepping stone to lifetime missions.”

Journeymen are sent by their church through the IMB to join an international missionary team to share the Gospel, make disciples, and help plant churches. The IMB accepted Beaty as a Journeyman, and she chose a post in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Grateful for Support

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my incredible support system,” Beaty recalled. “My BCM director, David, and his wife, Amanda, mentored me through college and Palmetto Collective.” Katie Bennett, one of Beaty’s leaders at Palmetto Collective, also greatly influenced her. “They encouraged me when I struggled with the idea of leaving my family. And they all support, love, and encourage me to this day.”

Now, Beaty is on the field in Zambia. She leads church youth discipleship programs and raises leaders who will one day run those programs without her. She also teaches at the local school on Sunday nights, helps operate a safe house, mentors women and children in bush villages, hosts a women’s Bible study, and even recently adopted a puppy. 

“I’m grateful for the support of my fellow IMB missionaries,” Abby added. “They’re the ones you call when you have a bad day because they won’t tell you to come home. They’ll encourage you to keep following God’s call.”