Most eight-year-olds dream about becoming astronauts, athletes, or veterinarians.

Ellie Hyvonen apparently had a different plan.

“At 8 years old, I told my doctor that I wanted to be a missionary when I grew up,” Ellie said with a laugh.

While that might sound unusual for a child, the calling on her life didn’t fade with time—it only grew stronger.

“My journey in missions started at a young age when the Lord tugged at my heartstrings for Haiti,” she said.

By the time Ellie was 11, that tug became impossible to ignore. When a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, she knew she wanted to help in some way.

So she did what any determined middle schooler with a big heart might do—she started a fundraiser.

Ellie began selling handmade jewelry and artwork at church and even vegetables from her family’s farm at the end of the road. Every dollar she raised went toward buying chickens for orphans living on the island of La Gonâve.

“When I saw the pictures of those little kids receiving meat and smiling so big, there was no stopping me,” she said.

Soon after, Ellie traveled to Haiti with her mom and church teams. Those trips became the beginning of something much bigger than she could have imagined.

Throughout high school, Ellie continued looking for opportunities to experience new cultures and serve communities in need. Spring breaks often turned into mission trips, taking her to places like Japan, Hungary, Philadelphia, and West Virginia.

“In each of these trips, I clearly saw how God was developing different spiritual gifts in my life through teaching, hospitality, administration, leadership, and compassion,” she said.

Then in college, Ellie committed to a six-month internship in Costa Rica—a decision that would eventually connect her with Christ For The City International.

During that time, she studied Spanish, lived with a host family, and served in a rehabilitation home for adolescent girls coming out of trafficking, drugs, and prostitution.

“I never knew at the time that my time grueling over learning the language and pouring into these girls would eventually lead to me leading the very same work with teams from the States,” Ellie said.

Today, Ellie helps lead mission teams with CFCI in Costa Rica and Guatemala, guiding others as they step into cross-cultural ministry.

“Every trip I have been on with CFCI has been so incredibly organized and well thought out,” she said. “It makes leading trips easy.”

Leading teams from different backgrounds and personalities has taught Ellie a lot about patience—and flexibility.

“It has taught me to appreciate how different each person is made,” she explained. “Every team is made up of such unique individuals, which means I have to manage a lot of personalities and intelligences.”

Thankfully, the Costa Rica base has a helpful motto for moments when things don’t go exactly as planned.

“I love the SFINC acronym they use: Smile, be Flexible, Improvise, and No Complaining,”She laughed. “That about sums it up perfectly.”

After all, life on the mission field rarely follows a perfectly planned schedule.

“Our timing is often not the Lord’s timing nor our plans His,” Ellie said. “However, I have learned that they can be His if we submit them to Him in humility.”

For Ellie, some of the most meaningful moments on the mission field happen in the quiet, unexpected spaces.

On a recent trip to Costa Rica, she spent time with a young mother at the Kairos Rehabilitation Home who had endured years of severe abuse and hardship.

After listening to her story, Ellie suggested they paint flowers together.

As they painted, Ellie shared a simple truth.

“I explained how if God cares for these flowers and thinks they are so beautiful, how much more does He see her as precious and beautiful,” she said.

The young woman asked Ellie to sign the painting before they finished.

“Sometimes it is the simple things that lead to the greatest transformation or perspective change in our hearts,” Ellie reflected.

Next, Ellie will lead a team from Jesse Remington High School to El Salvador from April 6–13.

She’s excited to experience a new CFCI base and explore a new culture.

“I am so excited to see a totally new base and do some island ministry,” she says. “It’s also such a small world—I know CFCI’s Communication Specialist from Costa Rica, but he grew up right there in El Salvador, so I’ll get to meet many of his missionary friends.”

For Ellie, each trip is another opportunity to see how God is working in communities around the world.

Through years of mission work, Ellie has learned that leadership is often far simpler—and more humble—than people expect.

“Leadership is just influence,” she said. “It’s doing the small tasks alongside everyone else.”

Her philosophy is straightforward.

“If a leader can scrub a toilet, the followers will probably have the confidence to do it even better,” she said.

Ellie credits mentors who modeled lives of prayer and gratitude for shaping her leadership.

“No matter how bad the situation seems, going to prayer and gratitude is always the answer,” she said.

Ultimately, Ellie believes God is the one building every team.

“He only asks that I bring those people and their skills to Him and be grateful for how He moves,” she said.

A Step of Faith

For those wondering if they should step into missions—or any calling God might be placing on their hearts—Ellie had a simple starting point.

“It can’t hurt to ask the Lord, ‘Is this for me?’” she said.

But following God rarely comes with complete certainty.

“It just takes a blind step of faith—and I mean blind.”

She pointed to Peter stepping out of the boat to walk toward Jesus.

“He didn’t know all the answers, but he trusted Jesus enough to take action when he could not.”

And even when Peter began to sink, Jesus was there.

“Missions will have moments when we sink,” Ellie said. “But Jesus is there. He isn’t looking for perfection—He’s looking for a heart that keeps reaching out for His hand.”

She left with one final question for anyone considering their own step of faith “Are you reaching out?”

Ready to reach out?

Learn more about upcoming Urban Plunges and Global Teams at:

👉 cfci.org/go