Adventures in Missions

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...

She Didn’t Know What It Meant to Be Loved

While in Uganda, Adventures Staff Lauren Massey met a little girl she will never forget. God is not boring. God is adventurous, surprising, and loves to leave us in awe of His goodness. Heading to Uganda, I didn’t plan on doing a week of ministry with one of the World Race teams. I didn’t even know it would be an option. When the time came for me to decide, my spirit quickly said, “Yes!” But I’ll be honest, my mind freaked out. I had a moment of, “I’m sorry, what?! What did you just say yes to?!” I felt some fear but I knew this was...

That Time a Voodoo High Priest Came to Christ

March 21, 2017
Adventures
Haiti Missions

While in Haiti, Ivan Vega Pacheco and his team were prayer walking through a local village bound by voodoo. As they prayed, God let them to a local voodoo temple, where they were able to pray for people and see them set free. However, the high priest was not there, and Ivan felt strongly that they were to return. The next day, God sent them back to the voodoo temple. The high priest was there, and what happened next is incredible. One day in Haiti, our team prayer went out walking in the local community. We knew it was an area where witchcraft and idolatry was commonly practiced. As we...

I Didn’t Think I Could Hear God’s voice. I Was Wrong.

Passporter Jordan Harrington is seeing God at work in Jaco, Costa Rica, both in herself and in this city. Our host ministry in Costa Rica is Ocean’s Edge, which has a dream of reaching out to the surfing community. Before going to Jaco, our team knew we’d be working with children and helping local artisans live missionally, as well as a long list of other ministries. We knew that there was a need that rested in the hearts of the people of Costa Rica. But we didn’t know that God was already at work in Jacó, Costa Rica. He is drawing its people to Himself....

God’s Plans are So Much Bigger Than Ours

While in the Philippines, high school student Morgan D‘s heart broke for the children living in poverty, but she didn’t know what she could do to help them. There were so many that she was overwhelmed. Then, her team spent a week in a village, where they were able to spend pour into the children and teens there. Their team’s goal was to start a Bible study in the village, but God had something else in mind. When the sun goes down in Cebu, Philippines, the sidewalks turn into something that looks more like a homeless shelter than a walking path. People...

God is So Much Bigger Than Our Failure

February 28, 2017
Adventures
Short Term Missions

One of the biggest challenges on mission trips is communicating when you don’t speak the language. While in Cuba, Adventures Staff, Kristen, gave herself permission to fail when it came to speaking Spanish perfectly, and God did something amazing. “Hey, Kristen, can you come here? I don’t understand what’s she’s trying to say. . .” It was my first full day in Cuba, Easter Sunday, and church had just ended. A bunch of us had just leaned over a railing and watched a pizza delivery guy give the person at the door a stack of delicious smelling boxes and...

Author: Adventures