Adventures in Missions

What Happened When a Muslim Woman Encountered God’s Love

While in North Africa on a short term trip, World Race Alum Morgan Reeves sat across from a Muslim woman and told her about Jesus and His great love for her. We sat at the juice bar as anticipation filled my stomach. I was sitting in a closed country in Northwest Africa across the table from a Muslim woman born and raised in this country. She had never known anything different than all she had been told and all she had seen. Since we were all younger women surrounding the table, naturally we talked for a while about boys, social norms, jobs, passions, and interests. Quickly we built...

She Said, “I Am Not Worth This.”

Passporter Ashley LaBella describes what it was like walking the streets of Jaco on Valentine’s Night in Jacó, Costa Rica, and sharing God’s love with sexually exploited women. “Sin City? What possessed you to want to stay there?” Jacó, Costa Rica, boasts a range of brilliant natural beauty by day: from the exotic flowers in bold red and orange hues, and the mountains stretching across the dark sandy beaches, to the colorfully painted smoothie shacks along the coastal streets. However, as my team and I go into our fourth week here in...

Announcing the 2018 Ambassador Trips!

We’re excited to announce the 2018 Ambassador trips! These 2-4 week trips are designed for high school students to explore the culture and adventure of a new country while sharing God’s love with everyone they meet. From sports to adventure camps and epic road trips—you will be challenged to grow in your faith while having the adventure of a lifetime in: Guatemala Puerto Rico El Salvador Nicaragua Peru Ecuador Albania Swaziland Ethiopia Indonesia Vietnam USA Road trips and more! Students, where do you want to go in 2018? CLICK HERE to explore the trips!

For One Night, She Was Free

While on a short term trip to the Philippines, Race Alum Taylor Brantley and her team spent time in the Red Light District sharing God’s love with women caught in human trafficking. Walking Street is the Red Light District in Angeles City, Philippines. It started as a response to the demand of the nearby military base. The town is filled with older white men from Australia Europe, the United States, and Asian countries, and they are there to buy women. One night, my team gathered for prayer and worship before going to the bars. Then we left for Walking Street. We walked...

Why Short Term Mission Trips Matter

Race Alum and Squad Mentor, Megan Parham, saw the impact of short term missions firsthand while on the Race in Tanzania. Five years later, God reminded her of His power to work through anyone willing to go. About two weeks ago I was hit with a massive reminder of the importance of short term mission trips. There’s a lot of controversy around this topic and while I fully believe that people should check their hearts and intentions behind going, I still stand firm that there is such value and power in going and having face-to-face, human interactions with people. I recently...

A Swazi Woman’s Decision for Christ

On her short term mission trip to Swaziland, Amanda Knoll was excited to use her skills as a nurse in possibly helping the people she would meet. Then, one day, she met a woman who couldn’t be helped by modern medicine. Amanda and the team were able to share with her something even better: the hope of life in Christ. When preparing for and arriving in Swaziland, I was ready to share my gift and skill as a nurse to care for the Swazi people. I was ready with my medical tools and suitcases full of medication. On our first day of ministry, I was excited as we entered the...

How to Share Jesus When You Can’t Say His Name

While on a Passport trip to Vietnam, Rose Cushwa struggled with being in a country where ministry looked very different from an typical mission trip: meeting people at coffee shops and inviting them to English class and karaoke nights, instead of openly sharing the Gospel with everyone she met. Then God did something amazing. Monday morning came to Vietnam bright and sunny. As the clock ticked toward 11:30, I felt the insecurity that had been haunting the back of my mind since we arrived creeping up on me. Because Vietnam is a closed country, we can’t openly share...

This Was Even Better Than a Day Off

While in Uganda, high school student Ashley Malloy was excited about her team’s day off: a chance to relax, recharge, and go shopping in the capital city. But it turned out God had other plans for the day. Once a week on an Ambassador trip, teams get a day of rest. It’s supposed to be a day to spend time with God, fellowship with the team, and explore the country we’re serving in. Our day was planned out for us. We were going to have an hour or so to read our Bibles and spend time with God, then we were going to pack into vans and drive into Kampala, the capital of...

A Stranger Walked Up to Me and Said, “I Want to Receive Jesus.”

Angela Aston, a long term missionary to Guatemala, and a friend were hanging out in the Central Plaza of Antigua, Guatemala, discussing a program for reaching the teens of the city, when they heard worship music. Curious, they followed the music and discovered a group of men from churches all over the city, who were worshipping God in the town square. Angela and her friend decided to join in, and what happened next is amazing. Sometimes I forget that there is literally ministry all around us, that Jesus has called us to love our neighbors, and that does not stop just because we have...

What Happened When an Atheist Encountered God’s Love

There are people all around us—at the check out line in the grocery store, sitting next to us at work, or the next seat on the train—who are hungry for hope. As Christians, we are share God’s love wherever we are. One day after work at the Adventures office, Mason Alpert and a friend went into Gainesville with one goal: to share God’s love with whoever they met. God led them to Drew. One Monday after work, my good friend, Teresa, and I took to the streets of Gainesville to share God’s love with whoever we met. We went downtown prepared to let God’s...

Persecuted for Her Faith, She Still Has Hope

While in Cambodia, Passporter Kaylee Kuipers met a woman who was dying of HIV/AIDS and persecuted for her Christian faith in a Buddhist village, yet still chose to trust and hope in God. At the start of my time at Cambodia, I met a 15-year-old boy named Chheng Hak. He sat on the back of a motorbike with a mischievous smile on his face as he showed off how well he spoke English, having full conversations with my teammates and I. Chheng Hak taught us how to say the simple things like “hello,” and “thank you” in Khmer, and, as we became closer friends, he loved to...

When God Calls You Out of the Boat, Go Walk on Water

High school student Abigail Converse didn’t expect her 3rd Ambassador trip to turn her world upside down. After all, she knew what to expect. Except, God did the unexpected—in her team, in her heart, and in the country of Guatemala. He broke out of the box she’d put Him in, and asked her to trust Him in faith. Then He rocked her world. Coming into this trip, I prayed for an open heart and open mind: typical pre-mission trip prayers. I prayed the prayers and raised the money. But even though I’ve gone on two Ambassador trips before, I guess I had some...

Author: Adventures