Hi, the name is Aaron Best. Most of y’all know me by my middle name, Daniel. Here is a little bit about me and how I found myself about the embark on a year long mission trip around the world.
I have had a passion for missions ever since I was about the age of 17. My first mission trip was to Mexico and it became a trip I would never forget. Because of my young age I was not even able to travel outside the country by myself, but this did not stop God’s plan for my life. My pastor at the time, Dr. Patrick Hunter had to sign as my legal guardian for me to even participate.
The reason this became a trip I would never forget is that unknown to me when I signed up, this would be my first face to face encounter with 3rd world poverty. The moment that stuck with me the most from the trip was when we drove past a family of about 4 or 5 people living in a hunt made of mud. Yes, I had seen this before on TV and in emotional videos, but to witness it with your own eyes and know that there are actual people, actual souls living this way struck a feeling deep inside that I would not be able to explain. From the moment I experienced that feeling I know I wanted to be apart of the live of people in these situations. I wanted to invest in them the same way christ would.
I ended up returning to Mexico two more time after that to help the missionaries there host Sports camps for the kids and tell them stories from the bible along with how Jesus loves them.
My trips to Mexico were soon followed by my most recent mission trip the Costa Rica. There I spent three months of my 2015 summer to minister to the native Bri Bri people living in the village of Coroma, Talamanca. This trip became the best 3 months of my life hands down. These people also lived in poverty or so I thought. The word poverty is defined differently depending on the person using it. As americans we define it as going without essential items or to have need of something you cant acquire. But when people that were in what americans called poverty were asked to define it. They said it is to be broken, unwanted, and overlooked.
You see, the family I stayed with in the village were perfectly happy with how much food they ate a day and having to go out and work for that food. They were fine with not having electricity, electronics or even basic toiletries. Most families like this, living in what we call poverty never really desire to live like america’s. Mostly because they don’t know all the things americans live with. But the people just want love and someone to acknowledge their existence. This is where ministry and the gospel comes into play. If these people know there is something missing and there is a hole in their heart waiting to be filled with love why not fill it with the love of Jesus Christ. We need to inject Christ into their lives using the gospel and show them what it means to be a christ follower. Then there will be Americans living without what these people have.
This leads me to why I applied for the world race(a year long mission trip). The amount of people I would encounter in a years time in 11 different countries is enormous. I would not struggle out opportunities to share. The people in need of christ would be everywhere. The only thing that would hold me back is my own personal fears. Something I’ve started pushing to overcome.
Im now eager at the chance to present the gospel like were told to in Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” and I cant wait for the chance to be a servant of God on the mission field.
God Bless.
