Adventures in Missions

I Sat Next to a Man Who Buys Girls. This is What He Said.

While traveling to the Philippines last month, Adventures Staff Meghan Tschanz sat beside a man who has purchased girls from the Red Light District for years. This is what she learned from that conversation. “Do you know where to go next?” I was staring at an arrival board in Tokyo when she approached me. Fresh off a twelve hour flight with greasy hair and fuzzy teeth, I stared at the transfer board. It looked like the next flight to Manila was departing from terminal two. And I knew before she said anything that is where she was heading, too. Her name was May...

She Was Ready to Give Up On God, Then This Happened

May 17, 2016
Adventures
Youth Missions

While passing out water on a hot New Orleans day, two teenagers met a woman who had literally just prayed, “God, do you even care about me?” Their meeting changed her life. It’s amazing how something as simple as a bottle of water can change a life. When this group of 109 students and volunteers came to New Orleans, they were ready for anything. So we split them into smaller groups and sent them throughout the city. Some painted and sorted clothes. Others did doing VBS clubs. Some went prayer walking. But all groups at some point in the week, got on the street...

Sharing God’s Love Helped Me Realize How Much God Loves Me

May 10, 2016
Adventures
Youth Missions

While on a youth group trip to Nashville, Olivia MacIsaac realized two very important things: 1) God wanted a relationship with her and 2) she didn’t have to hide her heart. I went to Nashville expecting to interact with others and God in a somewhat mundane and quite general way. Never did I think I would gain so much knowledge on who God is, nor did I think I would see a worship leader practically jump out of her skin to pray for a stranger. My adventure in Nashville was not nearly as mundane as I had expected, and I learned a lot more about God than I ever thought I would. Being a...

To My Friends and Family: I Have Found My Passion. Don’t Let Me Forget.

April 26, 2016
Adventures
Human Trafficking

Liz Newman thought she understood the reality of human trafficking. Then she went to the Philippines and saw it for herself. Now, she’s found her Kingdom purpose—sharing God’s love and hope with sexually exploited women. I thought I knew. I thought I knew a lot about the issues of human trafficking and the sex trade. I’ve done my research. I’ve followed a friend’s blog of true stories of the women she’s encountered along the way of her many journeys over the years. I thought I knew. But it’s one thing to hear tales of heartache and...

I Felt Freedom for the First Time in my Life

Shannon Cornuke went on a mission trip to Guatemala thinking she had life figured out. She knew Jesus died for her, but she didn’t really know Jesus and didn’t have a reason to need to know Him. Through the people she met, Shannon fully realized God’s love for the first time—and got to share it with everyone around her. All my life I thought I was on the right track. I thought I could control my life. I knew Jesus died for me, but I didn’t strive to know anything else—like knowing Him. I thought I could go along with my life and look to God...

I Thought He Wanted Food, But He Was Hungry for Something Else

While on a mission trip in Chicago, Hanna Miecznikowski paused to give a man a few coins. But it turned out he wanted something else. The traffic whirled around me as I headed downtown that afternoon. I grew up in Chicago, but five or six years had passed since I’d driven in the Chicago rush hour traffic. To call it an adventure is an understatement. As I approached Pastor Robert’s house for a late afternoon ministry planning session, I noticed a homeless man standing in the middle of the road holding a sign and asking for help. I scrambled to get ahold of the few coins in my...

God Reminded Us He Had the Power to Heal

While leading a missions trip to the Dominican Republic, Neil Bruinsma saw a man healed in a surprising way. One of my favorite things is helping people realize they can hear God speak. At the center of Adventures trips is listening prayer. It’s a part of everything we do, from nightly debriefs to setting aside entire blocks of time for God to lead us into ministry we wouldn’t have found ourselves. There’s not anything mystical about it, but every time God does something amazing, something that only He can do, I get excited. That’s what happened in the Dominican...

I’ll Never Forget Him: How a Syrian Man Changed My View of Refugees

While on Greece on a short term trip, Adventures Fellow and Race Alum Hannah Midgett met a man she will never forget. It was my last day working in Lesvos, and my first day working at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) transit point. After 2 weeks, I had become very accustomed to receiving refugees and making them feel welcome. Most refugees were timid, yet very thankful. While some kids would open up and play, others would attach themselves to their parents, and start to tear up the moment their parents weren’t in their line of vision. Most would huddle into circles,...

A Mission Trip to Jamaica Changed My Life

Christian Bunch went on a 2 week Ambassador trip to Jamaica in 2010. And that trip changed his life. My first encounter with missions was on an Adventures Ambassador trip to Jamaica in 2010. My life was completely changed as a result. It began when I saw the power of God in a tangible and physical way for the first time. A severely lactose intolerant teammate accidentally ate cheese at Training Camp, one of the Adventures staff prayed for her—and she was healed as a result. I was shocked by this because I didn’t think God did those kinds of things. Then, the night before my...

A New Wave of Gap Year Routes: 5 Countries in 9 months

Sign-ups for WR Gap Year are exploding! We’re responding by launching a new route this September to FIVE different countries. Sign up and change the trajectory of your life. Costa Rica 1 month Costa Rica is a hot spot for surfing and just enjoying “pura vida” – literally, “pure life”, it’s a concept of a “chill,” relaxed, laidback way of life. The beautiful beaches that line both coasts are the perfect setting. Among the Central American countries, Costa Rica (“Rich Coast”) lives up to its name. While the natural...

From a Mother Who Lost Her Son: I Still Have Hope for this Generation

World Race Expedition Coaches Gary and Lisa Black serve as missionaries in Spain. They have dedicated their lives to raising up and pouring into the next generation. Almost three years ago, the worst form of tragedy imaginable shook their family: their 19-year-old son, Michael, committed suicide. Today, they are still on the front lines of fighting for this generation. Lisa says it best: despite everything that has happened, she still has hope for this generation. I get it—the lack of hope in our current society: the shootings, the violence, the elections, the human...

This is What Happens When Women Experience Freedom

World Race Alum Erika Michael is on a 6 month Kingdom Journeys trip, sharing hope and healing with women throughout the world. While in Peru, her team held a retreat for women who were able to experience hope, healing, and the freedom of choosing forgiveness. Purple table cloths on tables. Journals written in, and set on the tables. Flowers in tea cups. Banners on the walls. We were all set up and ready for the women. The day we had been planning and praying about had come. We waited on the balcony for the comvie bringing the women. The comvie came and the women poured...

Author: Adventures