From a Gap Year to a Lifelong Call

What does faith formation in missions look like? For Delaney Plumb, it meant serving with Resonate Global Mission’s Cohort for one year—and now she’s back serving in Central America long-term.

Resonate’s Cohort is an opportunity for young adults to discern God’s calling on their lives, engage deeply with their faith, and get hands-on mission experience with a grassroots ministry while living in an intentional, intercultural community. Cohort offers opportunities to serve in Central America, Detroit, Europe, and the Middle East.

“It’s a fertile time—working with young adults when they’re trying to make sense of the life they’ve already lived and to set themselves up for the life and future they really want,” said Rachel Beveridge, a Resonate missionary who leads Cohort Central America.

When Plumb graduated from college, she was trying to discern her next steps. She had studied to become a Spanish teacher but realized that she didn’t find joy or passion in teaching. She didn’t think it was her calling. During the summer after graduation, she worked at a Christian camp and realized she loved working in ministry but wasn’t sure what that looked like in her future.

That’s when Plumb learned about Cohort. With her background learning Spanish, she decided to serve with Cohort Central America in Honduras to discern her calling and learn more about mission work.

While it was intimidating, Plumb embraced the discomfort that came with moving to a culture different from her own. In the same way Resonate supports all Cohort volunteers, the agency’s ministry leaders walked alongside her every step of the way by helping her build a strong support network, matching her with a service opportunity, securing housing, and placing her in a group of intercultural young adults who were all eager to learn and grow.

Plumb built strong relationships with the young adults in her cohort, and she was particularly inspired by the many people she met in Honduras who are working every day to bring gospel transformation to communities. She learned about the important postures and practices of mission and how to work alongside local believers.

“God just changed me in so many ways,” said Plumb. “You can’t do Cohort and be the same person. It truly is a very life-changing experience.”

Ruth Lemmen, Resonate’s Volunteer Ministries program coordinator, said she sees this change in the agency’s 20-plus Cohort participants every year as they learn how to join God on mission.

“Cohort equips young adults to pay attention to where God is moving and how they can join in, both during their year of intercultural service and for the rest of their lives,” said Lemmen. “Some live this out as missionaries and pastors, and some live it out as they work in nonprofit organizations, academia, agriculture with migrant workers, and more.”

Plumb ended up going back. By the time she returned to the United States, she said she had “fallen in love with the region of Central America” and found her calling. She connected with Resonate about serving long-term and has been serving as a translator with Semillas de Nueva Creación in El Salvador. As an English-speaking translator, she helps build bridges between volunteer groups and other visitors with the local ministry and community.

“God has been working in my life in so many ways,” said Plumb. “If you’d asked me five years ago if I saw myself doing something like this someday, I would’ve said, ‘No way. Absolutely not.’ This was never in my plans at all.”

But she’s confident that she’s where she needs to be—for now. Cohort has equipped her to follow God’s call and live out her faith wherever and however God leads.

“I just want to serve God, whether that’s here in El Salvador or wherever next.”