Coming up to the mission trip I wondered why I was there and what good I could do. Before the mission trip even came close to starting I wondered how I could pay for it by myself, but in the end God provided. Just days before the mission trip began I was not where I should be with God and I wondered why God was allowing me to go, but God was good and got me to where I needed to be spiritually. Once the mission trip began my head was filled with delusions of grandeur of things that could get done, but in reality within my heart those ideas just glorified me. When I soon realized that this mission trip was nothing like I thought it should be and saw how some of the others were acting, I became hypocritical and soon became disillusioned with the trip and the good that could be done. Thankfully God soon set me straight. Looking back I realized that I have learned a lot and I realized that I was given the unexplainable honor of getting to see God at work in a way I never would have thought of.

 

Passing through my mind during the weeks surrounding the trip a verse kept circulating, “Now if the Ministry of Death, chiseled in stone, came with such glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’s face because of the glory from his face –a fading glory -how will the Ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” (2 Chron 3:7) Due to God directing me to this verse it soon became the cornerstone of my current spiritual quest to draw closer to God, and while on the mission trip I compared our work and especially my actions to this verse, wondering why the church (in general) and I with so many fireside revivals and leadership camps did not have an insane number of spiritual pillars of faith like Billy Gram in the world today. The answer I was given was that any person could rededicate their life at camp, have public professions of faith, go on as many mission trips as they wanted, and get as high as they could on God as possible, but until I, as an individual, am able to look past how I feel currently and then receive within my heart and iron-willed conviction in my heart to pursue God without any regard to how I am perceived, when I learn to trust that not only God has the power to forgive but also that he has forgiven me, when I can look into a mirror and can honestly say I see myself as a completely new creation and not just a scarred body of past mistakes, and to ultimately dedicate my heart, my mind, my mouth, my eyes, my soul, every last fiber of my being to the goal of glorifying God, can I as an individual break free from striving for acceptance and justifying my actions based off of that of other Christians and finally be able to seek out holiness in the striving for authenticity that I honestly need. What I have learned is that there are a lot of things that we as Christians can do and not sin, but since most of these things do not separate ourselves from society they make us lukewarm. We are called to be more than lukewarm and as such we need to go the extra mile and not just live to be sinless but also to strive to separate our actions from society.

Going on this trip has been a great blessing and I thank yall for making it possible.

I want to start by thanking y’all again, I had such an amazing time and would not have been able to do it without your help. Our first day we went to traditional Haitian church and let me tell you, there is something special about a group of people coming together in worship and praising our lord together. To be able to open your eyes and listen to the two different languages and feel the Holy Spirit working in my heart was a amazing feeling. It just proves that it does not matter what language you speak, who you are, or where you are, God is there. Throughout the week we were able to paint 2 different houses, help build part of one, and host a VBS. My favorite day by far was the day I was able to go with a medical clinic and see patients that otherwise would never see a doctor. I believe we saw 119 people and of those there were 5 or 6 salvations! Going this year inspired me to work towards a medical internship with mission of hope in a few years when I get out of nursing school. I would leave to go pack right now if given the opportunity, I love the country and people so much! Thank you thank you thank you again for helping me in such a huge way, I can’t express enough how thankful I am for y’all!

The country of Honduras is a beautiful place. The people of the country are some of the most humble and polite people I’ve ever met. They truly are thankful for the littlest things. While home we take for granted transportation, clean water, and good indoor plumbing, the people of Honduras are lucky to have any of that. Most people there are happy to have a few boards over their head and a tarp to sleep under.

 

What impacted me most about this country was the passion these people have for God. When they worship, wherever they are, be it a prison or a dump, they jump, shout, and praise our father. They don’t need fancy air conditioning, a nice PA system, or even a guitar. We had the opportunity to minister I people who had never even heard about Jesus. Upon receiving Christ they would lift their hands in praise.

 

Several hundred people were saved on our trip. Miracles took place. Healing of permanent injuries, aids, and even afflictions of the heart took place. The people of that country have an  expectation of miracles and the flood of the Holy Ghost that we simply don’t have here.

 

In summary, it was an eye opening and humbling experience. We were repeatedly told how much of a blessing our team was to the country when, in reality, they were a blessing to us. They showed us and gave us a fire for God that I have never felt before. It was a fire we could brig back and ignite in America so we too can have the expectation, passion, and desire for God that they have there.

 

I want to thank your foundation for all the support you gave myself and others and I want to encourage you to continue this ministry. Had it not been for the assistance and prayers you give, things like this couldn’t have happened. You aren’t only a blessing for people like me who have a desire to do missions, but to the people who’s lives are touched and forever changed through the works of God. Thank you so much for helping me fulfill my calling of ministry. I am forever changed and so is the country of Honduras.

I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to travel and serve the local people of Beius, Romania. The locals in Beius and in most of Romania are still building up from the destruction of Communism that damaged their country between 1948 and 1989. Before and during
Communism, the Eastern Orthodox Church was the largest single religious faith in Romania. Today, Romania has complete religious freedom, so they can worship God as they please. Though their freedom of religion has been a blessing, the rise of diversity birthed from religious denominations has occurred.

 

My mission team’s goal was to spread the love of Jesus by being examples through our attitudes toward the locals, leaders, and our mission team members. Another way we spread the love of Jesus was by encouraging and teaching unity among everyone no matter what age or denomination they were. We also participated in children’s ministry almost every single day by going to local schools and teaching lessons over forgiveness and the importance of using kind or encouraging words. The children were usually very responsiveness to the lessons and enjoyed us being there to teach and play fun games with them. My team also attended several middle schools and high-schools to answer all kinds of questions that the young adults had. It was a really good time to encourage, worship God, and listen to the students’ hearts.

 

During the mission trip, we also helped in a couple of work projects. My team and I worked at a walnut farm helping pick weeds and lay down hoses to water the trees. We also went to a Christian kid’s camp in Romania to help tear down its rundown chapel so the camp could build a bigger and better one. The overall experience of the trip humbled me in new ways. The Lord taught me to seek His face and focus on His mission despite my feelings, fears, and personal desires. I feel so grateful for my experience in Romania. Because of the legacy of Trevor Roberts and this unique foundation, I took part in a safe place to change, grow, and experience the revelation of Jesus’ love in new ways.

Going to Africa had been a God designed dream of since I can remember, so having the opportunity to serve in Rwanda was incredible. As a senior in high school, everything about life seems so unsure. The future is exciting but scary, and it’s a time of learning to trust God in a new way I have never had to before. Seeing the pure joy and delight in life that we encountered through ministries like Best Family Rwanda and Under His Umbrella served as such a powerful reminder in my own life that the Lord holds tomorrow no matter what tomorrow holds. The Rwandans were welcoming with open arms, loving with open hearts, and living with such obvious evidence of the joy of the Lord inside of them. Having the opportunity to work with kids who don’t have much but are being taught biblical principles and given hope through education and materialistic needs was the biggest blessing. Whenever the Lord calls me back, I’m ready!! Taking the first step in a life of missions allowed God to work in my life in ways I could have never imagined, and I can’t what for what’s next. I also can’t thank Trevor Roberts and this foundation enough for following the will of Christ and believing in the power of even short term mission trips.