Trip Overview

I recently had the opportunity to do a mission’s presentation at a church. I realized while preparing that I have not really done a post with an overview of my trip.

As I have said, I am going on this trip with YWAM which stands for Youth With A Mission. They primarily target teens and young adults with a passion for missions and provide them with the training and knowledge they need to excel in the mission field.

When signing up for a trip, you have to decide which discipleship training school (DTS) you want to participate in. I am enrolled in a mercy and justice school. So my trip will not only have the general focus of making God known to the nations but also a more specific focus on poverty, human slavery, war, refugees, and homelessness. People in these situations have a big place in my heart. Walking around other countries, Chicago, or even Elgin, you cannot go far without seeing hurting people struggling with one of these issues who most likely feel alone, lost, and without hope. Over this trip I will have the opportunity to share with them that they are not alone and that they have God with them always, they may feel lost now but they can be found in God, and that they have no reason to be hopeless when they know the God who is in control.

Through previous outreaches and mission trips I have seen the amazing, life-transforming power of the gospel in the lives of the people who may seem the most lost and broken. I have seen homeless people with an incredible joy in the midst of trials, I have seen women praising God for his goodness from a jail, and I have seen the sick have peace knowing God has the power to heal. This is why I am going on this specific trip.

On Sunday, I will begin the twelve-week lecture phase in Sunshine Coast, Australia. This part of my trip focusing on preparing me and my fellow classmates for ministry. On Monday I will be starting classes to prepare me to share the power of the gospel. I will have classes specific to my choice of the mercy and justice program and I will also have more general classes on the character and nature of God, Bible overview, missions, and many others. Not only will they be training us but also giving us the opportunity to put into practice what we are learning through various outreach projects in the community.

After the first twelve weeks, I will be getting on a plane to a country (TBD) most likely in Africa or Asia. This phase of the trip lasts eight weeks and is called the outreach phase. As the name says, this part of the trip is focused on outreach. After we have been taught about God and evangelism we have the opportunity to teach others while also serving them however we can.

After those eight weeks we will fly back to Australia to finish out our program with a debriefing and graduation. Then I head back home, back to my mission field at home.


~Financial update~

As of today, I am 63% funded! Through many generous donations, I have been able to raise $6,305. That is over half my total cost. It has been amazing seeing God's faithfulness shown through so many financial supporters and prayer supporters.