Adventures in Missions

Our 100,000th Blog Post: Why We Tell Stories

November 29, 2012
Adventures
Mission Trip Stories

This week, the 100,000th Adventures in Missions blog post was written! Here at Adventures, we highly value stories. Because we want people to write good stories with their lives, we have programs such as the World Race. The World Race began in 2006 when a group of twenty-somethings circled the globe simply asking the Lord for direction. As we enter 2013, we look forward to launching almost 700 Racers onto the field. All of these Racers have told their stories publicly — for the world to read. Why do we tell stories? Our goal is to create a culture of storytelling here at...

Episode 9: “There’s so much to be thankful for…”

November 24, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

For the full effect of the title of this blog, I recommend that you listen to Josh Groban's song "Thankful." If you're lucky enough to live in the St. Louis area, I oh so highly recommend that you have my dad sing this for you. It will melt your heart! Happy Thanksgiving, folks. Better late than never, right? Who would have thought that my first out-of-country Thanksgiving experience would rank up there with some of my favorite memories of the holidays? But that's exactly what I this Thanksgiving became. It was a chance to stop and bless the 30 or so people that...

Giving Thanks Amid the Rubble

This week as we’re eating turkey and counting our blessings, it’s an important time to remember to pray for people in our country and around the world who are going through a difficult season. The coastlines of New York and New Jersey are in shambles after Hurricane Sandy. This Thanksgiving is very different for the families whose homes were destroyed, and they’re having to dig a little deeper to find things to be thankful for. But we serve a faithful God who brings life out of situations of death, and this tragedy is no exception. This week we heard a beautiful story...

Photo Blog of this Gringa Became The Mud Monster of the Dump

November 22, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

*Disclaimer: I wrote this blog last Thursday after Dump Ministry, but because my team was on a screen fast, I am just now able to post it. Also, this is my second time trying to upload it, so lets hope this works! Recently, as our time here has been winding down, I've struggled with staying present instead of thinking about life back home. I've been burned out and unenthusiastic. On the way to the Dump yesterday, I prayed God would bring me renewed joy and passion, and that he would help me to lay it all on the field, leaving with nothing left to give. And boy did he answer...

But REALLY, what’s the point of being a missionary?

November 22, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

I get that question a lot, whether directly or indirectly through the tones of peoples voices. Is it to get more passport stamps? Play with kids? Or as my Passport tank says: Feed the Hungry? Clothe the naked? Heal the sick? All of those things are great, but apart from God it's all just humanitarian aid. In the words of our contact Paul, "God is what makes missionaries different from the Peace Corp". [And don't get me wrong, the Peace Corp is doing GREAT stuff to help hurting people]. So, that being said, what is the point of being a missionary? To bring God's...

10 Reasons to Do.Right.Now.

November 20, 2012
Adventures
Missions (General)

Feel like going, seeking, serving? Wonder if it’s your turn to go? If your answer isn’t no, why isn’t it a yes? Here are ten reasons why you should go on a Passport trip right now. There’s a need right now. Whatever you’re doing right now will still be there when you get back. Seeing the world will change the way you see your life. You can go now, before “life gets in the way.” It’s an opportunity to test your skills, deepen your faith and experience the world. You can connect with people who share your passions....

Hurricane Sandy Relief Update

It’s been a few weeks since Hurricane Sandy devastated the Northeast. As media attention shifts away from the relief efforts and onto other things, it’s easy to forget there are still thousands of people suffering. People are still without homes, and it is only the beginning of the long road to recovery. Adventures in Missions has already launched teams to help with the relief efforts, and we have more teams launching soon. If you want to be involved there are several ways to help. Pray Keep standing with us in prayer for the people affected by the hurricane. Pray that...

Saved at an African Flea Market

Christine Kucera is a member of this semester’s Passport: Expeditions team. They started their journey in Kenya where Christine learned that God can turn random interactions into eternal life change. Perhaps the most humbling and joyful experience I have had happened at the marketplace. The team walked five kilometers to go to the flea market, and it was a wonderful experience being able to walk around and see the African way of shopping. By the afternoon I was ready to head back to our team meeting spot. As I approached where the team was sitting under the shade of a...

Sorry Agnes, I’m Gonna Be a Bad Statistic

November 11, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

For those who don't know, I attend Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA and I am a psychology major. Don't get me started about all the reasons you should attend MY women's college, because I could talk for hours. In addition to amazing academics, professors who truly go above and beyond, and resources out the wazoo, Agnes has a LOT of cool traditions! One of these is Bellringing. When a senior receives a job offer or grad school acceptance, they get to ring the ancient bell located in the cupola of Main Hall, and sign their name on the wall, joining decades of successful...

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

November 10, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." If you have ever read or seen "The Help" then you know how impactful those statements can be and just how necessary they are for everyone to know. There are so many people across this globe that don't just want to hear these words, but need them. They have been filled to the brim with lies about worthlessness, ugliness, hopelessness, and irredeemability. Last week, when my team and I traveled to Honduras, we had the opportunity to speak with one of these people. Kitsia is a 22 year old mother of two...

The American Dream isn’t my Dream

November 10, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

I want to start off by apologizing: this isn't a happy, feel-good blog. I've finally gained the courage to write what I've been feeling. It starts in 1931, James Truslow Adams with the statement that has impacted America to this day. It is referred to as the "American Dream," saying, "life should be richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement." The longer I've been here, the less appealing America sounds to me. Since when does working hard guarantee a life full of...

Jesus: The Wasted Missionary?

November 8, 2012
Adventures
Short Term Missions

Three years. Three short years of the thirty-three Jesus walked on this earth were spent in ministry – seems short doesn’t it? But those years echoed through eternity with the most lasting significance. Writer, Andrew Hawkes’s describes Jesus as “a long-term missionary who used a short-term mission strategy.” Christ immersed himself long-term by joining humanity as a man and then used short-term tactics to start the greatest revolution in our history – the expansion of the Gospel. His example is proof that Short Term Missions (STMs) are not only...

Author: Adventures