Adventures in Missions

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...

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...

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...

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...

Episode 8: Adios, Amiga!

November 6, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

(If you're just now joining in on The Adventures of Guat Girl series, please refer to “Episode 6: The Niche” for backstory on this blog… You'll be glad you did.) She’s gone! Z—— is gone! A week ago, our team and I went back to the bar where Z—— had been working as a prostitute. And she wasn’t there! According to one of the other girls that worked with her, Z—— had left the bar that morning, just a few hours before we came to visit, to return to her home, her family, and her church in Honduras. When we asked...

New Opportunities for Hurricane Sandy Relief

Great news: we’re giving you three new opportunities to join our team for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts! We’re looking for skilled and unskilled workers alike, anyone can help! Think God’s calling you? Find out about our newest trips here. Don’t want to wait? Help us right now by partnering with us in prayer! Help us pray… For the thousands affected by Sandy, help us pray for those who feel abandoned; physically separated from family and friends and disconnected by power outages it’s easy to feel alone. Pray against those...

Rest in the Midst of Battle

November 6, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

In coming to Guatemala, I thought I would be doing ministry three times a day, six days a week, only in Guatemala. But as is always the case on the mission field, God LOVES surpresas! Last Wednesday, my teammates crammed into the back of the Yukon again and went to Honduras. Yep, we went to another country. Nope, it wasn't on the trip description page when I applied. Was I completely stoked? You better believe it! Ministry in Honduras was definitely a lesson in patience among other things. God has definitely taught us patience here in Guatemala in terms of flexibility with...

Hurricane Sandy Relief: Trips Now Available

Adventures is sending trips to serve those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Will you join our team? As we prepare trips for relief and aid to the victims of Hurricane Sandy in the New York and Tri-State area, you can be among the first to respond to the damage that Sandy left. Subways are swamped; businesses are shut down. Many people remain stuck because of flooded areas, and still more people are stuck without power in their homes. How can you help? Both skilled and unskilled workers are needed in order to meet the most immediate needs in devastated areas. Prepare to get your...

All Hallow’s War

Halloween night. We don costumes, go trick-or-treating and line up at haunted houses. We temporarily buy into a belief of spirits for the sake of celebration, when in truth, these spirits we make light of have always existed and they’ve always been at war. Fighting for a claim on the souls in this world. World Racer, Lydia Hart, who launched in January on E squad, first awoke to this reality while serving abroad. “I know a lot of people in the United States question the power or even the reality of demons and the spiritual realm, “but I’ve seen it,”...

Hurricane Sandy Relief: Join Our Team

Adventures in Missions is sending relief trips in response to Hurricane Sandy. As we are in the process of determining the most strategic use of our teams in the affected areas of the Northeast, we want to hear from you. Tell us where, when, and how you can be a part of our team by filling out this form. We will contact you as soon as trips are posted. Will you join our team? Here are some ways to be a part of what we are doing: 1. Stay connected. Sign up to receive updates on the latest happenings and our involvement in relief efforts. 2. Donate. Find out where the need is here....

I’m Going to Be Real For A Minute

October 26, 2012
Adventures
Guatemala

Just to give you guys some background, I have had some really obnoxious stomach problems for the last three weeks, that have made eating really wearisome, and have gotten worse as of late (yay late night sleep overs in the bathroom!). Having said that, today was probably my roughest day here. I went to the hospital for a seemingly pointless trip, felt crummy, and missed ministry at the orphanage. But God, loving as he always is, finally pulled me out of my pity party and into his arms, which is where I needed to be all along. Rather than try to explain everything he reminded me of, I am...

Author: Adventures