Testimonies
The Bible tells us to take the good news to those that are in need. Here are a few of the life-changing experiences from some of those that have been part of our mission trips. You could be next! All for the glory of God.
Matt Nichols
Wanted to say a few things about my experience in Costa Rica as it relates to normal everyday life here in the states...
“Normal” is relative. Living conditions were different. I ate food that I wouldn’t normally eat on a regular basis. Water pressure was low and showers were FREEEZING while multiple insects enjoyed our serenading of Hillsong and Frank Sinatra. Shout out to Gabe and TJ.
I was forced to step out of my “comfort zone” and into a world I have never experienced before and I learned this...
What do I really need? I mean seriously.
I come home to my new car, marble countertops, stainless steel appliances and let’s not forget WiFi, and I ask myself, do I really “need” all of this?
The fact that I’ve lived most of my adult life striving to attain and maintain these things because that’s the “American normal” makes me wonder if my goals in life need adjustment or if my goals are important at all...
Most people of course would consider these things a blessing and they are, but...are they?
Then the thought occurred to me that God doesn’t care!
And that’s when I felt a sense of relief because He doesn’t!
The only thing He cares about is your heart!
For those who choose to follow Christ He’s already prepared a place for us to spend eternity, with more than what this world has to offer and more than what we can even imagine.
So why would I exhaust all of my efforts to attain worldly possessions and human approval when I can choose to follow God and be completely fulfilled.
***SPOILER ALERT*** I know this might come as a shocker but those of us who are living for themselves and are constantly looking for approval from the world aren’t being fulfilled! There’s a difference between happiness and fulfillment.
For me this trip was more of a test and a challenge. I was surrounded by people I’ve never met, in a country I had never been in before, eating food I wouldn’t normally eat, taking showers at freezing temperatures, the schedule was constantly changing so we had to be flexible, waking up early in the morning and enduring long days, riding in buses and occasionally having to walk to our destination and working in pouring rain, did I mention shoveling about 50 tons of gravel in 3 days? But yet we still managed to remain, happy and full of joy.
When it was crunch time we all got our hands dirty without hesitation and there was a flow to everything as if this was what we were there to do. One might call it being fulfilled.
With a crew of about 45 we all came with a passion and a purpose and seeing firsthand what can be accomplished with God’s strength working through you is unforgettable and an experience I recommend to anyone.
Antonio
Hey everyone! My name’s Antonio Bernal. I’m from the DR and a family friend of the Lopez’s I was blessed with the chance to be one of the members of team Florida for the Costa Rica trip last summer. This was my second mission trip! I was super excited, I love helping people. I think I’ve always had a servants heart type thing and really enjoy planting seeds. There was a saying by a pastor named Tim Timberlake that stuck out to me a while back and that was sort of the quote I was riding on going into the trip, along with trying to ask God to reveal my calling. I’ve always been a bit reserved until I’ve gotten comfortable and I’ve always really tried since I was young to not take praise and worship as just standing and singing songs before a message. Tim Timberlake’s quote goes “if pain can silence your praise, then the enemy can silence your purpose.” I wrote that in the front of my trip journal as a reminder. Being that I can speak two languages, now more English than Spanish, I’ve always tried to hold on to what Spanish I know. There was a Sunday service where we went to the church that we were scooping a bunch of gravel at that I feel definitely touched my heart. Pastor Bethany and pastor Ada gave great messages on obeying God, which was cool because the night before we had been talking about the fact that it’s not what God can do for us but what we can do for him. What touched my heart though was the worship before the message. We sang Great I Am and a few others that kept going back and forth between English and Spanish. Between songs they would talk about praying for God’s calling, which is something that was emphasized throughout the trip. We came together here to plant seeds, then take that experience and return home to plant more. I don’t know what it is, but Spanish worship to me just hits home a lot harder for me for some reason. In that moment it really hit me that people from different places came together, not letting a language barrier hold them back from praising God and sharing his message. It’s crazy how sometimes God allows us to have what we want to show us that it’s not what we need. I didn’t really know what it’s supposed to look like when people say “God spoke to me” or “God told me this”. And I realize in one of the speakers Jeffrey Suess’ message that God calls us out on the water and the meaning of that is what helps me. This trip helped me realize that no we aren’t supposed to be able to swim, but it’s taking that leap of faith and taking that chance on God and saying okay, I’m gonna take this chance and see if this is what God wants for my life, in order to serve his kingdom. But it’s not always gonna be easy, because where we see obstacles, God sees opportunities! When we’d get drained doing gravel all day we would all remind each other to work off God’s strength, not our own, because ultimately, it’s all for Him.