Starving Children

By Sara Hayduchok

On my first full day here, we spent our morning in Los Galpones which is one of the dirtiest and most poverty-stricken parts of the city. There, I encountered dozens of starving children. Thanks be to God, we brought them exactly what they needed. We brought torta (cake), mate (tea), and pasta (...lunch), as wellas what they really needed and expected from us: amor (love). I know some of you are reading this and thinking: "Really? It doesn't get much cheesier than that." Let me explain.

A Sea-Crossing Pilgrimage

If you have never moved overseas, I highly recommend it.

It is a wonderfully terrifying way to be launched outside your comfort zone, where you can come shaking, overwhelmed, to the Lord. It serves to sift out idols and comforts and figure out who you are in Him and Him alone. It’s an eye-opening, gut-wrenching, astoundingly beautiful process that wears a thousand coats - some old and horrid and some new and comforting. You welcome into your life the unrelenting stream of power adaptors, jet lag, currency conversions, unpalatable foods, enraging traditions, delightful surprises, language differences, and an abundance of misunderstandings. 

Sounds great, right? 

Seriously, it is.

I am in the midst of it yet again. Since leaving high school seven years ago, I have moved twelve times, and either visited or lived in eight different countries. And in a few days I’m moving cross-continentally once more.

Missionary Moment: God Still Knocks

It was a warm, Sunday afternoon when our Mission Caleb team visited La Camila neighborhood. Our group of missionaries-in-training had come to put on a “show” for the children of this impoverished community in the mountainous outskirts of Medellin. Boys and girls gathered while the “missionary clowns” danced and sang songs. Soon, the once-empty dirt field was teeming with joy and laughter.

A local church serving La Camila invited our team to share about the love of Jesus through a children’s event. However, children were not the only audience present that afternoon. As the sounds of celebration grew louder, parents and other family members began to peek through their windows. 

Missionary Moment: God still works miracles in prison

Our latest post was written by Amy Speake, a missionary of ours in Costa Rica. We just thought it was pretty incredible.

Recently at the women’s jail, I experienced our newest women’s jail group and was amazed at their total lack of respect during the prayer. They were joking and laughing the whole time. After my co-worker finished the prayer, I asked for them to be respectful in the future.

That day, my sermon for them was titled: “I want to be a sheep.” I began to share with them the different characteristics that were amazing about sheep and several verses in the Bible that were about sheep. One example is in John chapter 10: “His sheep hear His voice” and “He calls His sheep by name and leads them out.”

As I was talking, the Holy Spirit moved me to give a word to the ringleader of the disrespectful group.

Three Reasons You Need to Go on a Vision Tour

Vision Tour (Noun) - 1) An opportunity for an individual to travel overseas and see possibilities for serving, getting involved, and doing ministry. This is accomplished through the development of relationships with missionaries and ministry partners. 

And here are a few reasons you need to go.

1. You are too busy

Busyness drowns out God’s voice in our lives and can lead us down a path of apathy and apostacy. When you thirst to slow down it is God’s Holy Spirit telling you that you need to enter into His rest more – and what better way to do that than to go somewhere where He is working!

2. You want to see God working in new ways

Mission trips are amazing experiences. You get to see first hand how God is working with people in different cultures and languages. It is amazing the people you meet, their dedication to being God’s hands and feet to those in need and having seen how God is at work in their lives – you can see how He is at work in yours!

3. So you can recommend it to your church and friends

You are not the only one too busy – so is your pastor and your friends. They too long to see God at work; it brings refreshment and hope to their lives too! Invite a friend or your pastor to come on a Vision Tour too!

One fantastic missions trip opportunity is our upcoming Summer Vision Tour, July 28 through August 1, hosted by our president, Chip Anderson. If you’re interested in the possibility of at least seeing what you might be getting yourself into, please email drchip@cfci.org or visit the link below. 

(Short-Term) Missionary Testimony - Tijuana, Mexico

My name is Terese, I am 21 and from Denmark. 

Before I went on my mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico I was a little worried because I didn't know what the people would be like. I didn't know if they would like me; what my job would be; and if I would like it there. However, I was sure God was leading me, so I trusted Him - even though He was leading me a little out of my comfort zone. 

Before I went, I was excited to see what He had in store for me. Though I had some expectations, I never could have predicted all the blessings He had in store for me! 

Firstly, I have been a part of a ministry with a God-centered heart. God is doing so many great things through the people here. The pastor's family, with whom I spent a lot of my time, are such sweet people. The whole church family has been so welcoming and good to me. They still are! 

Secondly, I have been a part of building houses for families. Before, four people were living in a  room of that was ten square meters or about the size of a closet. I saw a church building being built in a weekend, and people getting free dental and medical care who otherwise couldn't afford it. 

Thirdly, I have seen many willing hearts being used by God for great things. I have seen Americans using a whole weekend doing mission work in Tijuana - even middle schoolers burning with a passion for mission work - and others devoting their life to being a part of God's work down here. It is amazing! 

And best of all, I have had the chance to build relationships with my family in Christ - young and old - from the other side of the world. God has blessed me so much in my time here. I am thankful! It is amazing what God is doing here in Tijuana and all around the world. He is good. To Him be the glory!

Terese is spending more than two months in Mexico. This is her fifth mission trip, but her first one to a Spanish-speaking country. She heard about Christ For the City International through viva.org.

CFCI does a lot of work like this all around the world! To support this process of discipleship and ministry support, click the link below. 

Three Reasons People Miss Out on a Missions Trip (And why they're actually more like excuses)

A missions trip tends to be an amazing experience. People step out of their comfort zones, see God work in miraculous ways, and meet some truly wonderful people! However, Satan tends to get in the way, and he is good at what he does. He is good at taking the challenges and legitimate hurdles that come with any large-scale trip and making them appear insurmountable. The end result is that there are many good people who end up missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Here are a few of those common challenges, and a few good responses for the naysayers. 

1. They’re busy
Of course, this is the one everybody uses because there is rarely a time when it doesn’t apply. There are always a number of things vying for our attention - many of which are worthwhile. Everything from visiting a second cousin to doing yard work to learning Spanish can add to the steady stream of demands on our limited time. However, there is one simple truth that is hard, though necessary, to accept: we always make time for the things that are important to us. If we can’t “find time” for something, it’s usually because it’s not important enough to make a priority. 

2. They don’t have the finances at the moment
Anytime you make an overseas trip, it’s going to be expensive. That’s the fact of the matter. Most of the time, though, people underestimate the cost of not having to think about where they are going to eat next, or whether their room is being taken care of, or being able to see some of the most significant elements of a ministry. Also, this raises the question of what is the worth of actually having an experience. Nothing we can tell you can come close to the wallop of smells and the power of seeing the smiles of real people, and feeling the Costa Rica sun on your skin. And when you see the need... there are no words for it. Again, it’s one thing to talk about it; it’s another to see children with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks… and still see the joy of the Lord shining from their eyes. 

(Also, most people underestimate the amount they spend on lattes at Starbucks, or how much they spend on fast food every year. Those are simple cuts that could go long ways in allowing people to experience the amazing benefits of a missions trip.)

3. They would rather go someplace nicer – like Europe or the Bahamas or Aruba
A missions trip is not a vacation. While it’s easy to think of it as one because it has many of the staples – a unique country for a week or so with many wonderful experiences and lots of developing friendships – a missions trip is different for a couple of reasons: A) it’s not for your benefit and B) it’s not about your enjoyment of the place. While the wonderful end result is that most people do have the benefit of sunshine and tourist attractions, those are not the most important things. They are just the kindnesses of God for our willingness to be faithful. But they should not be expected things. The expectations should, in fact, be the opposite: to visit the worst places, to work as hard as we have ever worked in our lives, and as a result, to grow in dynamic, powerful ways. A missions trip is not a vacation: it’s an opportunity to be God’s floodlight in a pitch-black place.

God has good desires for His people. He desires for His people to experience enjoyment and the happiness of the moment. But God is more concerned in what’s inside us: the growth of character and purpose. A missions trip is often not without the former, but its essence is in the latter. Do not be dismayed if this sounds hard; mountains are hard to climb, and that challenge is part of the reason they afford spectacular views.

One fantastic missions trip opportunity is our upcoming Summer Vision Tour, July 28 through August 1, hosted by our president, Chip Anderson. If you’re interested in the possibility of at least seeing what you might be getting yourself into, please email drchip@cfci.org or visit the link below. 

Written by John Michael Den Hartog

Repost: Johnny "Hugger"

This repost from back in 2013 is an amazing story of the way that God can transform a life.

Ocean Beach is a beautiful waterfront community in San Diego, CA. San Diego is known for its restaurants, antique shops and clubs.  Sadly, it also has a reputation for homelessness. 

Louie and Yvonne Juarez reached out to this community through street evangelism.

God has brought many people into their lives through this outreach.  John is one example of how the Spirit is moving there.

John Statser is known on the streets as “Hugger.” Hugger lived on the streets of Ocean Beach for 9 years. He lived in bathrooms, alley ways and  behind dumpsters. He was an alcoholic with bleeding ulcers on his legs. His bleeding was so bad that he was dying and everyone was telling him to get help. Hugger’s legs looked so bad and he smelled so ripe that it was hard to get close to him. Your heart went out to him but it was hard to touch him, yet he always wanted to hug you, hence the name Hugger. We thought Hugger was a Christian because he persistently quoted Bible verses and spoke of Jesus.

 One day Yvonne felt called by the Spirit to wash Hugger’s feet. He didn’t accept the offer because it was too painful physically as well as emotionally. Yvonne talked to him about Jesus standing at the door of his heart knocking. Hugger said, “The door is open.”  Yvonne answered, “You have to invite Him in.”  At that instance there was obvious spiritual warfare. Hugger was oppressed by demons. He became angry and violent. Yvonne prayed and placed her hand on him, letting him know that Jesus loved him. The name of Jesus calmed him at that moment. A few feet away, the Ocean Beach team was praying for Hugger and Yvonne. They prayed he would be delivered of the demons and be healed of his disease.

The next day, God did a miracle! Hugger was in his right mind! He was clean, and his legs were healed!!  Yet, he still had not invited Jesus into his heart. The following Tuesday Hugger was back to drinking, his legs were bleeding again and he was walking with a crutch. It was apparent that he had little time to live. It was also amazing how God had healed him for that one day.

 A week and a half after this encounter Hugger accepted the Lord. He quit drinking because he had invited Jesus in. Yvonne and Louie took Hugger into their home to live with them so that he could be discipled in a Christian home. John works at the church Louie pastors and is now helping as a sound tech on Sunday mornings. He has led two people to the Lord since inviting Jesus into his heart.

People see the parallel of Hugger’s life to man in the Bible who was demon possessed and healed by Jesus.  People see his changed life when they come to the Juarez’s home to eat side-by-side with Hugger and enjoy the meal together. Hugger’s story is a testimony to the power of Jesus’ transforming love and power to those who call on Him.