Adventures in Missions

In Good Time

July 22, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

I knew these eight weeks would fly by. I knew I would be at the end of the trip wondering how it could have gone so fast. So here I am, trying to grasp the fact that this time next week I will have already been home for a day, that I will be getting ready to start my senior year of college while planning and praying about what to do next. I went into this trip believing God would give me an answer about what to do after college, even if it was just knowing whether or not I would stay in the States or go abroad. It...

night two at the orphanage: complete!

July 21, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

I don’t know what it is about that place that draws me in. Our first time working the night shift at the orphanage was so hard, so when I heard myself asking the director to let us come again I immediately began dreading it just a tiny bit. But maybe this excerpt from my journal entry from the first night at the orphanage (written at 2:26 AM) will help you understand why I had to go back: +++ “Me and Joybelle are sitting in a closet in room #4 at the orphanage. I can hear teeth grinding, people snoring, and moaning. It’s kind of eerie. It’s been an amazing experience...

“Who Just Licked My Wenis?”

July 18, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

These past two months have been a whirlwind of emotions- filled with ups, down, twists, and turns. We went from thinking that successfully living with 19 people was unimaginable, to not wanting it any other way. The constant laughter, conversations and card games bring life to this little house on San Pedro el Alto. Its been inspiring to see a group of young, college age, adults, who have only ever seen a glimpse of community, come together and choose to love one another. Truly, when one of us is hurting we surround each other with prayer and love. In this short...

It Looks Like an Atomic Bomb Hit Here

Colby Gardner is on staff with the Church2Church Department at Adventures in Missions. Recently, he led an Adventures Relief trip to Moore, Oklahoma, where he saw the destruction caused by the massive tornado. There, he witnessed the power of community in a town torn apart by natural disaster. Rolling down the interstate into Moore, Oklahoma, I thought to myself, "Oh, this isn't bad at all." Then I got off the highway and made the decision to visit the residential areas. As I rolled down Santa Fe Avenue and opened my eyes to the reality that hit this town on May 20, I...

Asking God for Complete Healing

Heather West is a Passporter in Guatemala. Read her story about how the Lord miraculously healed one of his daughters but not in the way we often desire. Our team has been working at an orphanage for children with Cerebral Palsy but this week was different. They asked us to come a little earlier so that we could help the nurses bathe the children. It was so hard. I wasn't comfortable at all, but somehow I made it through carrying, washing, dressing, and loving eight precious orphans. When I went to help undress the last child the nurse stopped me. First, she handed me gloves...

One Night at the Orphanage

July 14, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

My heart was fluttering. Goosebumps crept up my back. Jesus, calm my nerves. We walked up to the orphanage gate with a couple getting handsy at the door. Jesus, you have a sense of humor. It was 6:30 pm, normally our curfew, and my night was just beginning. Earlier Friday Chelsey had asked the head nurse, director, and boss of the cerebral palsy orphanage if we could man the night shift alongside the nurses. While she asked in Spanish, I speed-prayed in...

Love and Discomfort

July 11, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

When I was told that I would be working at an orphanage for the next two weeks, I was stoked. Yes, I love working with kids! I thought. We'll get to run around and play games and just be crazy! However, when told it was an orphanage that houses people with cerebral palsy, my whole attitude changed. I transitioned from being excited to nervous; confident to unsure; comfortable to uncomfortable. When we got to the orphanage, a few of my teammates jumped in: hugging, kissing, patting heads, and talking to these kids. I was overwhelmed. How were they all so confident? How did they...

Why Are You Really Going On That Mission Trip?

We are an organization that sends people on mission trips. So obviously we believe mission trips are wonderful tools God uses to do his work in the world. But there are also a lot of things mission trips are not. Kacie Lynn Lester works in the Admissions department at Adventures in Missions. She did the World Race in 2011-2012, and now she interviews future participants and helps them choose which trip is right for them. Kacie noticed some trends about why people want to go on mission trips, and she decided to remind herself and us why we should really be going. “Worship in the...

Give freely

July 8, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

So if you've been reading this blog at all lately you will probably know how much the CP orphanage has impacted all of us. We've learned that communication doesn't always mean talking. We've learned to get over smells and vomit and blended up food We've learned to rely on God even when we don't understand We've learned to love the abandoned. My week at the orphanage, God was teaching me more. I have been reading through Matthew, and a theme that God continually kept bringing to my mind was GENEROSITY. He showed me that there is heavenly...

Community.

July 8, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

Before this trip, I thought I knew what community meant. I mean, I lived at college for 3 years. But let me tell you – living in a house with 19 people and 2 bathrooms 24/7 for 2 months is a completely different story than sharing a room with one or two other people. Community is messy. It’s overwhelming. But I’ve learned to love it. Community is using the toilet while someone is showering and someone is brushing their teeth and someone is fixing their hair. Having 25 bottles in the shower. 2 lines and a table full of everyone’s laundry,...

JESUS HEALS

July 4, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

Let me start this blog out by saying that I am completely in LOVE with Jesus. This week was different at the cerebral palsy orphanage. They asked us to come a little earlier so that we could help the nurses bathe them. IT WAS SO HARD. I am not comfortable at all, but somehow I was able to make it through carrying, washing, dressing, and loving 8 precious orphans. When I went to help her undress the last child she stopped me. First, she handed me gloves (which we hadn’t used on any of the other children) and looked at me with a look of sorrow that immediately broke my heart....

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

July 3, 2013
Adventures
Guatemala

When I first walked by Ever in the Cerebral Palsy orphanage, he pretended to be asleep. I obviously responded immediately by pretending to fall asleep on his face, and lemme tell you… He has a laugh that I'm never going to forget! The way he lights up every time I walk over to him, the way he starts to bite his hands so that I'll stop and pay attention to him, the way he lifts up his arms every time I tell him "Brazos!" so that he can experience what it's like to stand… he's perfect! Within the first week of laying on his mat...

Author: Adventures