Adventures in Missions

We Are All Refugees

Seth Barnes, the founder of Adventures in Missions, shares his thoughts on our refugee status in light of the refugee crisis. Not since WW2 has there been such an exodus of people. Nearly half of Syria’s population is either on the move or trying to get to a safe place. How will we respond? In the wake of the incidents in Paris, Beruit, and Mali, fear is rising. Many are saying, “We need to build bigger walls around our borders.” Kevin Gray, my partner in Lesvos Greece, wrote me to discuss the refugee situation. He’d been given responsibility for a camp that...

Skateboards and Jesus

December 29, 2015
Adventures
Youth Missions

Trip leader Dayna Bickham saw some of the most powerful ministry in Western PA happen in a skatepark instead of a church. They flew past us with the whirl and bump of practiced skaters. Grinding the rail and landing the ollie. But more than that, these guys exuded Jesus: all from the deck of a skateboard – or on top of inlines. There was even a 10-year-old dominating a scooter in ways I have never imagined. Tricks were happening everywhere. In the middle of rural Pennsylvania, these kids are given a crime-free place to skate. and in return they listen to a quick 15 minute sermon....

Can Dreams Come True in the City that Never Sleeps?

While doing homeless outreach in New York City, participant David Prill was able to share God’s love and hope with those who need to hear it most. While in New York, we were able to work with the relief bus, which goes around helping to those in need. They supply the homeless population with shelter, food, information regarding health, information regarding detox, and other helpful items. As our team worked specifically in the serving food, drinks, distributing socks, and praying with people, I didn’t expect my favorite part to be talking and praying with strangers. We...

My Last Night With the Refugees

On her last night in Greece, Kelly Anne Broderick of 2015 Y Squad reflects on all experienced in her 5 weeks serving on the front lines of the Refugee Crisis. We left the way we came. It was fitting. Around 10:45 PM it started to sprinkle, which turned into a pretty heavy downpour. I’d just brought all of the boxes of clothes in from outside of the gate and was sorting baby clothes on our newly-installed shelves. Stopping, I sat and listened to the rain hit the tin roof above, once again listening to Jesus romancing my soul. He knew what I needed to close out my time with...

They Said He Would Die, but God Said He Would Live

Bit by a spitting cobra at age 17 and told he would die, Austin promised God to serve Him with his life if he were healed. Now — a year later — Austin is making good on that promise. One year ago in Swaziland, 17-year-old Austin* rolled over in his sleep and was bitten on the finger by a spitting cobra. Half asleep, Austin didn’t realize what happened and fell back into his dreams. When he awoke the next morning, Austin’s arm was grossly swollen. He was in a lot of pain, and immediately went to the hospital to receive anti-venom. But by the time he was treated, his...

Why It’s Better to Give Than Receive

December 1, 2015
Adventures
Youth Missions

While helping a local church in Puerto Rico, Ashton Hamlett experienced one of the greatest mysteries of mission trips – finding those she went to serve teaching her more than she ever could have imagined. It’s funny the things we take for granted – the things we don’t realize are truly special. The church my team partnered with in Puerto Rico wasn’t going to be able to have a VBS this year. They had 15 children who wanted to attend, but no volunteers to run it. So that’s what my team did. Everyone in the church was so excited to have us there. They...

I’m Not From Philly and He Could Tell

November 24, 2015
Adventures
Family Mission Trips

Adventures short term teams in Philadelphia partner with our long term missionaries and churches in local communities. In a city where the street you live on and family is everything, Adventures Staff Melinda Gute saw the work God is doing there firsthand. “You’re not from Philly, are you?” a man in the park said to me on our last night in Philly. Our host church was hosting its weekly cookout in the park across the street. I stood in line for burgers and hotdogs, when the man nearby spoke to me. I responded with a small smirk and said, “No, how can you...

Bhutana’s Story: From Orphan to Community Leader

Ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world, leaving thousands of children — 12% of the population — without parents. But we believe God has a redemptive plan for Swaziland. Adventures began working in Swaziland in 2004. Today our 34 strategically placed Carepoints feed and educate over 6000 children throughout the country. But even more important than a full stomach and an education, every student who attends a Carepoint experiences something even more precious: unconditional, life-changing love. For students like Bhutana, that love...

God Saved a Translator and Four Years Later – He Did It Again

Remember Jesse, who came to Christ after translating for a mission trip in Nicaragua? Well, Adventures Staff Colby Gardner just came back with this great news! It was his first job as a translator. Nervous and unsure of himself, Clarence didn’t feel like he belonged. He translated for my Church to Church trip in Nicaragua. Throughout the weeklong trip, he got to know the men on the team. But even though he was our translator, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t fit in. Clarence didn’t feel like he deserved to be there, but little did he know, their...

I’ll Never Forget Her Face: The Refugee I Couldn’t Help

Kayla Zilch of 2015 Y Squad has just arrived in Lesvos, Greece to help with the thousands of refugees that pour in on a daily basis. She shares an encounter with a Syrian mother after they ran out of sweaters to keep families warm. I can’t see anything. It’s 9:32 pm, and I’m standing in four inches of dirty water, bits of wet cardboard and feminine hygiene wrappers floating around the tops of my feet. Wet babies scream somewhere over my shoulder, held in the arms of blank-faced siblings as their mothers struggle to communicate to my teammate, Emily, their hands...

What I Didn’t Expect to See in Haiti

While on a trip to Haiti, Adventures staff Don Rock saw the story of David and Goliath come to life for a room full of children. Over the years on mission trips, I have seen a number of VBS or children’s programs. They all seem to have the same elements: games, songs, stories, drama, crafts, and plenty of kids. But on this trip to Haiti, I experienced something I’d never seen before. The day the team taught on David and Goliath, they acted out the story while one person narrated. The children were immediately captivated by the story as the narrator described the conflict...

He Didn’t Want to Get Caught Sharing the Gospel, so He Jumped Off a Cliff

Our 2nd Kingdom Journeys Men’s team is traveling in the 10/40 Window, living and sharing the kingdom in countries where Christianity is illegal. While “tract bombing” in the dead of night with the number #1 rule of “Don’t get caught,” World Race Alum Luke Geldmacher jumped off a 14-foot cliff in the middle of the night – and walked away. Since July, my team has visited over a dozen villages throughout the mountains of China. But if you asked me what these villages were like, I couldn’t tell you much – because it’s all...

Author: Adventures