Adventures in Missions

Do We Need to Cease Going on Mission Trips?

Writing in Sojourners, Troy Jackson declared that it’s time to declare a moratorium on short-term mission trips. He makes the following points: According to Wycliffe Associates, approximately 1,600,000 Americans participate in mission trips each year. Assuming a cost of approximately $1,500 per person for the average trip, American Christians are raising and spending more than $2 billion each year on mission trips around the world. In some cases, the mission trips reinforce Western paternalism while adding to dependency by indigenous peoples. Far too...

A Mouse Chewed His Nose

Jumbo and his wife Kriek currently serve with Adventures In Missions in Swaziland. You can read their personal blog here. This week I have gone out with the Capital church from Salt Lake City to their care point, Mkhombokati It has been fun hanging around and watching the team doing their thing and how the kids respond to that. Capital is always one of our best prepared teams and we just always stand in amazement at all the creative ways they minister to the kids while they are here. They did bring a bunch of supplies for just a team of 10 people, but the kids are having so...

What Does “Radical Disciple” Mean?

When you first hear the term “radically-committed” what do you imagine? Do you see religious extremists who want to force their beliefs on others, or even harm them? Does it conjure images of angry fundamentalists with protest signs? Does it bring to mind judgmental, exclusive, or even cult-like behavior? At AIM, we want to see the modern understanding of “radical” needs to be redeemed. In Latin, the root of the word — radix — actually means “root”, as in the principal cause of something. And that’s what we mean by it. We want...

Update on Security in Mexico

We have gotten a number of concerned people wondering how safe it is to send teams to Mexico on a mission trip as a result of the ongoing violence. Your safety is of utmost importance to our organization, so we have continued to assess the situation and should any danger arise, we will evacuate any groups on the ground and notify upcoming trips. As it stands now, where AIM sends mission trips to Mexico, it is a safe and secure situation. Jeff Steffen was on a team that recently returned, and he shared the following report about their safety: At no time and in no...

AIM | May 2010 Newsletter

AIM May 2010 Newsletter • Word from our director • Upcoming Trips – Real Life/ World Race/ Adult • Stories from the Field – Hear what others have to say :: Word from our Director – Seth Barnes :: Join this Haitian church in their struggle I’m headed back to Haiti with a group of eight leaders on May 26. Since the earthquake hit, we’ve found that the best way to help is by working in partnership with local churches in Haiti. The time for emergency aid is over; now it’s time to help...

Win a Free Trip Around the World!

World Race Trip Giveaway: Go Around the World in 323 Days… For Free! We’re going to send someone on an adventure around the world for a year… Will it be you? To be eligible you must submit either a written or video blog sharing your story and why you should go on the World Race. Be as creative as possible. We want to know what you’re passionate about. What is your cause? How will you advocate for the oppressed or raise awareness of global injustices? Whose stories will you share, and how will you do it? Why should we send...

Children Know How to Worship

Patrice Deaton spent this winter and spring in Kenya, leading a Real Life mission trip. In the following blog, she shares a challenging story about worship: Her shoes were on the wrong feet. She was smaller and less coordinated than the rest of the children. She did not really know the steps to the dance or the words to the song, but she was filled with joy! I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched this 3 year old dance one Sunday that we spent with the Maasai tribe. In the church we were visiting almost the whole church at some point got up in front and...

God Continues to Multiply Ministry Done in 2008

Kristen is on staff with Adventures In Missions. Below, she shares a story of seeing the Lord’s continual hand at work in lives around the world. One of the greatest blessings for a missionary is seeing the fruit of your time overseas. You travel halfway across the world, endure jet lag, and spend a limited number of days in a foreign culture, learning a new language, eating unfamiliar food, using outdoor showers and toilets, and being stretched out of your comfort zone. You hear stories that break your heart, meet people trapped in the despair, wrap your arms around...

There Are Too Many Superstars

Many of us want to be superstars, to be in the limelight and be acknowledged for our astounding abilities. But are any of us really all that astounding? As director of Adventures in Missions, Seth Barnes sees this phenomenon daily and reminds us that we are not all that astounding, but it is God who is astounding. Josh had a very vivid dream while we were out hiking that he later recounted to me: It seemed like we were in the upstairs of a house. There was a handful of guys standing around, when all of a sudden, you said, “Now i...

Young Haitian Delivered from the Hands of a Witch Doctor

I don’t know exactly what we expected walking into his home, but I know that it wasn’t what we found. The tent seemed to exhale as we opened its door, and it expelled a torrent of heat. I could not begin to imagine staying inside these tarpaulin walls all day as sweat instantly formed against my skin; yet, this is Evansbord’s life everyday. Evansbord was taken to a witch doctor at two months old. Before me was the result of this choice by his parents. He was lying on the tent floor, knees to his chest, feet crossed flat against himself; he has spent 15...

Discipleship on the Mission Field

At Adventures In Missions, we believe that the best way to make a disciple is to give them solid, biblical teaching and then an opportunity to practically apply it. This happens through service opportunities that will challenge you to grow and force you to depend on God. Here is what past participants have said: I don’t think that I will ever have such an opportunity to give up all of myself and all of my expectations as I do here. Every day I am reminded that yes, I am different and yes, I cannot hold my standards to the people… around me. (Emily Tissot,...

Building a Roof for Pastor Enoch’s Home

Stephanie Pridgen is currently serving in Haiti as a writing correspondent. Teams are coming through to help with the rebuilding process after the massive January earthquake. What if God asked you to turn your home into a church? Would you be willing? Pastor Enoch is one of the pastors we are working with in Port-Au-Prince, and he felt called to do just that. Eventually, he moved into another home just above his first one, but for a while, his home – housing himself, his wife and the eight children they care for – was also a church. During the earthquake, the...

Author: Adventures