Adventures in Missions

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...

She Believed God Could Heal, But Still Did Not Expect This

While shopping one day with a ministry contact, World Race Alum and Thailand Passport Leader Ash Owens prayed for a stranger over the phone. Ash believed God could do the impossible, but still didn’t expect this. A few weeks ago, a woman named Jo came to our host ministry in Bangkok, Samaritan’s Creations. She is a mighty woman with a contagious laugh, and full of the love of Christ. We bonded right away. Together, we went on an adventure to a market, looking for material. Between wandering the stalls, picking out the perfect fabric, and sharing our stories, our afternoon...

How a Funeral Changed My Life for Good

September 22, 2015
Adventures
Adventures in Missions

While attending a funeral in Nicaragua, Race Alum and Adventures Staff Caitlin Roberson realized life as a missionary has nothing to do with leading ministry – and everything to do with the heart. Last week, while in Nicaragua, I saw my first dead body. The 21-year-old boy died the day before, and I was at his funeral, watching grief twist the faces of his loved ones. I will never forget his mother’s cries as we marched behind the truck in the pouring rain to the gravesite. On that three mile trek to the graveyard, my mind raced. If I died tomorrow, will I have...

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...

Author: Adventures