Adventures in Missions

The Village

My first week in the village was filled with so much joy. Joy that simply radiated off of smiling Cambodian children. They have so little but are more content than those that have so much. My first week in the village was filled with lots of weakness. I got sick on Tuesday and had to go to the clinic to receive medicine. In my depleting physical strength I found it hard to stay mentally and spiritually strong. My first week in the village was filled with lessons that the Lord had brought me here to learn. Some of those being intentionality and true surrender of self. My first week in the...

(Sw)eat, Pray, Love

Hello world! I’m back on the map after a week of roughing it in the Cambodian jungle. This week I successfully 1. Ate fried grasshopper. Very leggy. 2. Encountered more than one scorpion in the grass beneath the light of my headlamp at night. 3. Rolled three-deep on a motorcycle every day for almost 40 kilometers to visit neighboring villages. 4. Awoke to the sound of roosters and went to sleep to the sound of tree frogs. 5. Rode atop a mountain of cow dung on a hand-tractor through the jungle, then used shovels to fling said cow dung all over a rice patty field to help fertilize it.I...

More Rice, More Power

My team and I just finished up our first week in the village of Po Peyl, and it was amazingly. I cannot begin to describe the immense amount of joy I feel when teaching English to those precious children. I have two classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first class is smaller with 2-4 smaller children while the afternoon class is about 21. My students are incredible children that have captured my heart in amazing ways. There is Rain, a little 7 year old who is super smart and always has a smile on her face. There’s Wy, who is a little mischievous boy who has...

If You Want to Rescue Women from Trafficking, This is for You

For many, July 4 was a chance to celebrate with family and friends, full of fireworks, barbeques, parades, and pool parties. We celebrated living in a country created for freedom, established the day our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. But the truth is, freedom is not a reality for many. As we celebrate our nation’s freedom, we must remember the harsh reality that there are 27 million men, women, and children trapped in slavery today. But freedom is on the move. Right now, rescued women in the Philippines and Thailand are choosing to return to the same bars...

This Man Was Responsible for 12,000 Deaths and Asked for Forgiveness

There is nothing more life changing than coming to full realization of the power of forgiveness. STM trip participant to Cambodia, Lisa Capenigro, describes what she learned while walking through Cambodia’s Killing Fields. On our first full day in Cambodia, our team visited the Tuol Sleng prison (S21) and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. I watched the movie and read up on the Khmer Rouge genocide prior to this trip, but nothing could prepare me for the horror of being there in person. From the bloodstains on the walls of S21 to the bones and clothing poking out of the ground at...

The Truth About Men Who Buy Women

Thailand Passporter Brenan Regian’s heart was already broken for the sexually exploited women in Chiang Mai. But then God showed her another group of people who also need to know God’s love and forgiveness. Twice a day, my team walks and prays down a street in the Red Light District in Chiang Mai, Thailand. During the day, bars are mostly empty, but now that night has fallen, they are filled with men. As I approach the street, my heart begins to pound and I don’t know why. I tell myself, “All you have to do is love like Jesus. You can do this.” Still, my...

The Jesus of KFC

While in Mozambique with her team on an off day, Africa Expedition Passporter Ellie Hillhouse met a little boy who she will never forget. Our team sat, eating our dinner at KFC in downtown Maputo, Mozambique, enjoying a taste of the West on a day off from planned ministry. Sitting outside were a bunch of street kids peering through the window. They wanted our food. We had been told not to give money or food away because it could hurt more than help the needy here. The attendant chased them off the property and slung some colorful Portuguese words around. These kids were loud and...

What the Will of God Looks Like

When Passporter Marylou Springer and her teammates met Thida, she was bedridden after injuring her legs and back in a fall. Thida refused prayer, only accepting medicine and ice for her back. Then God touched her heart and she gave her life to him. One night before Bible study in Cambodia, we heard about a woman, Thida, who had just fallen down the steps at her house and was badly injured. So we walked to her house to see if we could pray for her. Thida was unable to walk for the first few days after falling, and yet when we asked if we could pray for her, she said no. But she welcomed...

3 Great Ways Short Term Missions Can Serve Long Term Missionaries

Ultimately, a team’s ministry is to more than just the people on the field. It’s also to their host. These are just a few of the ways teams can encourage long term missionaries while on a missions trip: Your youth group has hosted car washes and spaghetti dinners, you’ve bought supplies specifically for your location, and now you are ready for your summer mission trip. But there’s someone else who’s put in even more work into preparing your trip than you: Your host. On an Adventures STM trip, your host is either a local pastor or ministry leader, or a long...

I Can See!

While in Cuba last month, Adventures Staff Colby Gardner saw God’s power in every single detail – big and small. This adventure in Cuba started in customs. I got interrogated again but I told the truth and yet again we passed without trouble. On the other side, one of our men passed through with a bag of nine Books. After half an hour of searching and questioning, he was released. His daughter was stopped, also with more Books. The lady checking her bags noticed what kind of Books she had, quickly looked over each shoulder, then told her, “God bless you....

How to Use Photography and Social Media on a Mission Trip

It’s been said, and we agree: “A picture is worth a 1000 words.” But we also want to make sure those “1000 words” are worth their cost. Here is the best way to utilize photography and social media while on a mission trip: From professional photographers to Snapchat aficionados, we live in a picture-driven society. Today it’s safe to assume that just about anyone has a camera on them and access to post anything to social media, letting everyone they know – and the world at large – catch a glimpse into their lives. It’s an interesting...

From A Racer’s Journal: Experiencing Nepal’s 2nd Earthquake

How do you respond when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake shakes the ground under your feet? World Racer William Stupansky of 2015 P Squad shares a real and honest excerpt from his journal describing what he saw, heard, and felt on May 12, 2015 in Nepal. Wednesday, May 13th, 2015, Sindupalchok, Nepal Yesterday, the earth shook; literally. One minute, I was talking with Mason on the side of this small Nepali mountain village; the next, we were holding each other up, not sure what to do. Having felt several small quakes in the days prior, casually cast aside as aftershocks of the big...

Author: Adventures