Author: Adventures

Saying Goodbye To Kati

     Going into this week, my team and I knew Thursday would be the hardest.  Thursday meant  we would say goodbye to the families at the dump. For me it meant saying goodbye to Kati.         For the last time I walked up the long dirt road with the shacks on the left side and the huge pit of garbage on the right. It was wretchedly hot today. When I walked into the little wooden pavilion, Kati was already there. She immediately assumed her usual position on my hip and started tickling Rob who was standing next to us. He tickled back....

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8 Reasons to Get off the Couch this Summer

Summer may feel out of reach, but we know the thought of summertime fun and freedom has crossed your mind a time or two since the springtime sun first hit your face this season. But if you’re 14-18 years old (or know someone who is) and thinking about going on a mission trip this summer, time is running out. Going on a mission trip is a big deal. Whether it’s the next state over or across the pond, we guarantee your trip with Ambassadors will be an experience like no other. Why, you ask? Here are some reasons:  1. While your friends are sitting at home watching reruns of...

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Inspiration from the Wreckage

When Kevin Striegle recovered a long-lost family heirloom amongst the rubble of Hurricane Sandy, he knew his story wouldn't end when his mission trip did.    Kevin had never been an outspoken Christian. His busy travel schedule and that feeling of not being enough had kept him away from church, searching for satisfaction elsewhere. He distanced himself from church, his family, and God.   That distance left him feeling empty, wanting more for his life. He began to wrestle with the thought of being called to something greater. He didn't know exactly what he was...

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Finding the Treasure Between the Trash (Photo Blog!)

What does childhood look like for a typical American kid? Running through sprinklers on a hot sunny day, chasing after the ice cream truck to grab their favorite flavor, going to birthday parties and eating a huge slice of cake, playing at the park swinging and hopping around like nobody’s watching, being read to before bed with a nice big kiss on the forehead before falling gently asleep in a warm cozy bed, and not having a care in the world. What does childhood look like for a Guatemalan kid living at the garbage dump? This is Emerson… He is 3 years old and lives among...

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Emotionless Orphan No Longer, Deep Healing Love (Pt. 2)

Ahh. Friday, the best day of the week. I get to hold my precious child, but it was so much more than just holding a parentless child; it was a time of joy and worship. As I cling to her, I could feel His arms around me, I could feel my own emotions disarming.  I walk into her room once again; she stares at me with wide-open eyes, but avoids any contact with me. It feels like a test of affection, one I have done many times in my 22 years. I just sit on the bed and wait for her, our eyes lock and they seem to finally brighten. I pick her up, and we go outside. I sing and dance...

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He Knows. A Story of One Encounter.

     It's funny how God knows. I mean I've grown up saying God is omniscient but do you ever stop to really think about that? Literally, He knows. Everything. He knows what foods we'll wake up craving and what will happen in the next five minutes. He could tell you every single person you drove by today and what car they were driving. And bigger more important things like how you felt when your mom died or how that one incident would shape the rest of your life. He knows those too.    He also knew of this one encounter I would have… ...

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When a Wrecked Perspective Leads to Hope

Susan Stilwell recently joined our Wrecked Vision Trip to Guatemala. Susan is a wife to Steve, and mom to Scott and Sarah. She makes her home in Roanoke, VA where she teaches Bible studies, writes, and speaks. She's also helped lead pilgrimage trips to Israel. Susan spends her mornings drinking coffee and watching the sun rise, and can be found on Twitter (@susanrstilwell) and on the web at SusanStilwell.com. I applied for the Wrecked Vision Trip on a whim. I’d recently returned from a fruitful trip to Belize, but I knew the Lord wasn’t calling me to...

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Waiting by the Gate

Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Honduras for a week on ministry. Our team went to Porto Cortez (a city right on the ocean) with the purpose of pouring into Iglesia Zion Wesley Huci (a local church). Instead we were blessed as many Christians surrounded us with love and truth.                                                 Each time we went...

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How To Further Your Global Impact

What do you do when you have a life-changing experience? You share it with others.  Seventy-eight adults who have previously participated in Adventures’ trips came from around the country to participate in leader candidate camp. They took time off of work, university and away from friends and family. Flying across the country, spending hours in traffic and even missing once-in-a-lifetime events, they gave of their time to come be a part of something bigger than them.    Those seventy-eight adults gathered at Adventures in Missions in Gainesville, Georgia to...

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The Story of Maria; A Life Revived

When I first met Maria, her hands were shaking, her eyes were drooping, her emotions were hiding, and her hope was disappearing. She lives with her son and his family, and her day consists of constant pain and sitting outside in a plastic chair. The first few times we went to pray for Maria it was obvious that she didn’t have much hope left in her. When we would talk with her, she would try and respond, but it all came out as painful mumbles. Most of our information about her came from her daughter. All she was able to tell us was what area she needed prayer in. Our team is a group of...

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The Ripple Effect: How a VBS Plants a Church for Refugees

Youth mission trips are unique opportunities to experience something new, to grow closer to your youth group, and to get out of your comfort zone and experience God's word in a real, and tangible way.   Over the course of a week, a youth group from Houston, Texas, partnered with Juan Pablo of World Impact in Dallas to teach Vacation Bible Schools in the local refugee community. When they arrived, he had no idea they were about to change his ministry and his life.               Traditionally, VBSs teach bible stories, make...

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Do You See the Light?

In Malawi, Africa, Colten Murray and his Passport team walk a road that takes them by a witch doctor’s home three times a day. There, witch doctors are sought out by people to heal the sick and contact the spiritual realm. People give them respect and honor, unaware of the darkness.  Colten waves back as the witch doctor smiles a friendly smile and waves at the team when they walk by her house to get water.   But she knows their light outshines her darkness. She even went as far as to have the path moved away from her house because the Christians were coming too...

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