Adventures in Missions

When God Asks You to Risk Your Most Prized Possession

Ambassador participant Emily D. saved for months in order to purchase a quality camera before going to Guatemala. Then one afternoon a little boy with grubby hands reached for it, and she had a decision to make: say “no” and keep the camera safe or show this boy the love of Christ? I’ve been so excited to use my new camera. I bought it specifically for this trip – saving every penny so I could get my dream camera and fully capture this mission trip to Guatemala. But I didn’t expect God to ask me to trust him with it. The other day during ministry, my team went...

8 Things God Taught Me in Africa

High Schooler Abigail Mullis went to Africa with one prayer: to be used by God to change the world. She had no idea he would change her in the process. When I signed up to spend serve God for a month in Swaziland, I had full intentions of God using me to change the world. But now as I look back, it’s safe to say that by spending a summer on the other side of the world, God effectively turned my own upside down. Here are 8 Things God taught me in Africa: 1. Trust – At training camp we were told to let go of all expectations of our trip and trust God and his plan. Not...

I Learned to Forgive Myself in the Amazon Jungle

For years, Passporter Liz Hebel felt distant from God. It took her traveling to a new continent to discover how near he has always been. It’s been four years since I last talked to God. It’s been four years since I last had a relationship with God. So if you told me last year that I would spend my 21st birthday in the Amazon rainforest with 13 people I didn’t know, doing ministry work, I would have laughed in your face. I spent four years filling my body with cheap, materialistic imitations; trading a healthy body and mind for meaningless affection and an empty...

God Used Me to Heal Someone

While in Swaziland this summer, Passporter Shannon Stewart asked God to use her to heal someone. Then he did, but not the way she expected. This summer, I asked God to show me how big he is by using me to heal someone. It was a Thursday afternoon in Swaziland, and we were on what seemed like a typical home visit. The midwinter’s sun warmed my back as I sat on the faded straw mat, looking at the family around me. The one room mud hut this family lived in was falling apart. In a country where wealth is symbolized with cows, they only had two. But most heartbreaking of all, the father...

The Only Thing Stronger Than an Earthquake

While serving God in Nepal after the earthquake, Caitlin Roberson realized there is one thing stronger than the earthquake and the devastation it caused: joy. On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal, killing over 9,000 and injuring more than 23,000 others. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless as the earthquake flattened their homes and even more were left without food or drinking water. Three months later, I touched down in Nepal for a relief trip. After 70 hours of travel, my co-leader and I were immediately hit with the familiar sounds and smells of...

How Leaving Home Helped Me Understand What I’ve Always Known

While serving God in Botswana this summer, Haley Teel realized there was one other person God wanted to minister to in Africa – her. It feels rather stereotypical to talk about what I have learned about myself since coming to Botswana, how the Lord pulled me halfway across the world to reveal more of himself to me. I guess that makes me cliché because that is exactly what happened. Seronga, Botswana isn’t densely inhabited by any meaning of the word. It’s in the bush; goats outnumber the people and threaten property invasion anytime a gate is left...

God Sent Them on a Prayer Walk; Then This Happened

While walking with his Ambassador team in Jamaica, World Race Alum Tyler Shugart led his team through the empty streets of Spanish Town, looking for people to share the love of Christ with. Then God led them to Camien. This summer I co-led a team of ten teenagers in Spanish Town, Jamaica. One morning, we went into a new part of the city for community outreach. Normally a busy area, as we walked the streets were empty. It was disheartening to be eager and ready to share the gospel, but have no one to share it with. As the morning sun beat on my back and dogs barked in the distance, I heard...

It’s not all fun and games

Imagine throwing up, feeling shaky and weak, being in over 100 degrees weather with nothing to cool you off but a little fan plugged in the wall, laying on a mattress overcrowded with bags and suitcases and crumpling in the corner to try and get some rest. Meanwhile, right outside the room, there is a movie playing loudly and kids are screaming and running around. Not exactly what you picture when you see me posting pictures with cute little children. The reality is, missions are not all fun and games. I haven’t felt warm and fuzzy the whole time here. On the day I described above, I...

Never Stop Speaking to Mountains

“Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.” Psalm 36:5-9 Mountains, mountains, mountains. Friday was one of my favorite days ever....

The Patient Teacher

Moments that shape you, that convict you, that teach you. Moments that lead to revelation and radical change. There have been many of these moments while in Cambodia, but one I really feel God has called me to share. I am walking in the crowded streets of Siem Reap on a busy Friday night. There are nice restaurants and shops to my left and right, bright lights and music, and tourists everywhere with smiles of excitement and adventure on their faces. I feel a huge knot forming in my throat and I’m paralyzed by what I currently see and am walking up to. Feelings of helplessness,...

Tough Love

To be honest, this month was hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be. God really had a funny way of showing me to put my trust in Him this month. It started the first week we were here in Cambodia. I was feeling under the weather and homesick one day so my team gathered around and prayed for me. I woke up that night soaked in sweat, congested and had a 102 degree fever. I felt miserable for a few days. And I kept asking “Why God? Why me? Why now, when I’m trying to do your work in the middle of Cambodia on the other side of the world?” But God kept saying “Trust...

What Poverty Taught Me About Generosity

While witnessing heartbreaking poverty, Zambia Passporter Mikayla Sauerbrey saw a little girl named Precious redefine everything she knew about sharing selflessly with others. I learned so much from my time in Zambia, but perhaps the greatest thing I learned was the power of generosity. And it just so happened that my teachers were two little girls, Precious and Judy. Both girls were full of sass and laughter, but behind their giggles and tough girl facades, I sensed brokenness. In their beautiful faces I saw hurt, desperation for love, and sky-high walls. I saw it because I’m still...

Author: Adventures