Called to Serve, Sent to Teach

Abby Esteban rises before the sun to spend time with Jesus in the stillness of the morning. She prepares her heart for the day, soaking in this final quiet moment ahead of a busy day in a noisy classroom. Abby is a TeachBeyond missionary, teaching English and Spanish at El Camino Bilingual School in Balfate, Honduras. Her job isn’t always easy, but she draws comfort from trusting that her work aligns with God’s will for her life.

A Heart Prepared for Missions

Abby grew up with the example of parents who have served in their local mission for 30 years. In a small Ohio town, her parents ran camps and a mentorship program for abused and neglected children. Once she was old enough, she served alongside them.

As a teenager, Abby attended a youth conference that would set her down a definitive path. After hearing several sermons about living missionally close to home, the way her parents do, the attendees were asked to stand up and be prayed over if they felt called to serve as a missionary to another country.

“I sat in that room and said, ‘no way is that me,’” Abby recalls. “Before I knew it, I was standing up and being prayed over.” From that point on, Abby was focused on overseas missions.

Mentorship and Mobilization Through TeachBeyond

Abby’s desire to serve internationally followed her to college as she pursued an education degree at Grove City College.

In her freshman year, Abby attended a career fair where she learned about TeachBeyond and met Director of Mobilization Heather Brown. Later, as she and her future husband, Zeke, were thinking about life after college, Abby reached back out to Heather. They had a meeting and began praying about a potential opportunity to serve in Honduras.

“I can genuinely say that Heather’s mentorship and guidance through the entire process is really what helped us to feel so taken care of by TeachBeyond,” Abby said. “As we went through every step, Zeke and I continued praying over and over that if this wasn’t what the Lord had for us in this season that he would shut the door. There were plenty of opportunities for doors to close, but God continued to tell us to move forward.”

Transformation in the Classroom

Abby and Zeke arrived in Balfate in August 2025, a few months after their wedding. El Camino Bilingual School has a student population of just under 200 children from pre-kinder to 9th grade. Abby teaches around 70 students, most of whom are locals. It’s not uncommon for children to be raised by only one parent or by extended family members. Many students would consider their families Christian, but teachers are often asked questions about witchcraft and other practices they see in their community. 

 In her first year of teaching, Abby has already witnessed meaningful transformation happening among her students.

When faced with disruptive and distracting third grade students, Abby taught a lesson on self-control as a fruit of the Spirit. She explained how the students could pray for the Holy Spirit to help them control their words and actions. After this lesson, one of the students who had struggled most was seen praying while his peers were talking and misbehaving.

“It was something so small,” she says, “but it really has seemed to affect his behavior, and his transformation has been so heartening."

Be a Part of the Sending Team

Abby’s students are absorbing and applying the Christ-centered lessons she is teaching them. Each lesson is a reflection of the training and mentorship Abby received through TeachBeyond.

TeachBeyond is working to mobilize and equip more educators like Abby to serve in the mission field. Through the 2026 SEND campaign, we’re hoping to raise $120,000, with the help of matching funds, to place more teachers in classrooms. Every donation directly contributes to the recruitment of passionate teachers, the provision of training and resources, and sending teachers to the communities where they're needed most.

It costs $1,250 to send one new teacher. One teacher can make a difference. Through SEND 2026, you can help send the next one.