So I’ve been hanging out in Puerto Rico all summer. It’s
another one of those ‘never would have imagined’ moments – crazy what
happens when God moves you, eh? I’ve been working with a crazy awesome
batch of people with Adventures Youth, facilitating week-long summer
trips for church youth groups from the states. I got a taste of what
it must have been like for my contacts on the Race – teams would come
for a month, then go off, and the ministry would remain. It’s been fun
and exciting to see new faces around the church here every week, but
it’s also been a little sad having to say goodbye to a bunch of amazing
teens every week. It’s good, though.
another one of those ‘never would have imagined’ moments – crazy what
happens when God moves you, eh? I’ve been working with a crazy awesome
batch of people with Adventures Youth, facilitating week-long summer
trips for church youth groups from the states. I got a taste of what
it must have been like for my contacts on the Race – teams would come
for a month, then go off, and the ministry would remain. It’s been fun
and exciting to see new faces around the church here every week, but
it’s also been a little sad having to say goodbye to a bunch of amazing
teens every week. It’s good, though.
God is doing amazing things here in Puerto Rico. I
wish I could tell you all the dozens of ways He’s provided everything we
needed to make this summer a success – there’s a whole book in just
this summer! Every time we hit a snag, God did something amazing and
cleared it up. We’ve had people authorize us on the spot for facilities
that are usually booked months in advance, we’ve had government
programs bending over backwards to accommodate our needs – it’s
absolutely amazing.
wish I could tell you all the dozens of ways He’s provided everything we
needed to make this summer a success – there’s a whole book in just
this summer! Every time we hit a snag, God did something amazing and
cleared it up. We’ve had people authorize us on the spot for facilities
that are usually booked months in advance, we’ve had government
programs bending over backwards to accommodate our needs – it’s
absolutely amazing.
We worked two locations every day – one in a public
park in a nearby town that fronts the beach, and the other at a sports
field in the neighborhood just around the corner from the church we
stayed at. They’re both beautiful locations, and we had a blast getting
to know the kids in the neighborhoods. Every day we hosted a sports
camp and an Adventure Camp (it’s kind of like VBS) and gave the local
kids a meal through a government program. Although there were four AIM
staffers at each site, we ourselves were only facilitators of the
programming – the vast majority of the actual work done in putting on
the camps was provided by the participant groups we had every week. We
had groups ranging in size anywhere from 12 to 55, and it has been a ton
of fun watching teenagers wake up to the possibility that they can be
effective missionaries even before they leave high school, and take
ownership of the trip.
park in a nearby town that fronts the beach, and the other at a sports
field in the neighborhood just around the corner from the church we
stayed at. They’re both beautiful locations, and we had a blast getting
to know the kids in the neighborhoods. Every day we hosted a sports
camp and an Adventure Camp (it’s kind of like VBS) and gave the local
kids a meal through a government program. Although there were four AIM
staffers at each site, we ourselves were only facilitators of the
programming – the vast majority of the actual work done in putting on
the camps was provided by the participant groups we had every week. We
had groups ranging in size anywhere from 12 to 55, and it has been a ton
of fun watching teenagers wake up to the possibility that they can be
effective missionaries even before they leave high school, and take
ownership of the trip.
We’ve had all types of youth groups – those that
have been on a missions trip or two every year for a decade or more, and
those that haven’t left the States since before the youth were born.
We’ve had challenges adapting to many very different styles of worship,
leadership, and expectations of how a missions trip should look. We’ve
had incredible experiences of growth and tons of opportunities to see
God at work.
have been on a missions trip or two every year for a decade or more, and
those that haven’t left the States since before the youth were born.
We’ve had challenges adapting to many very different styles of worship,
leadership, and expectations of how a missions trip should look. We’ve
had incredible experiences of growth and tons of opportunities to see
God at work.
Our theme for each week this summer has been Listen.
The curriculum is designed around exposing teenagers to the concept
that God speaks, and to provide them opportunities to listen to His
voice. We’ve been able to see God move and effect life change in many
different ways as the participants we’ve had at site become willing to
let God speak into their lives, and learn the courage to follow through
with His will. This can be at times uncomfortable for teenagers, so
we’ve given them structure to explore these concepts in, and encouraged
them to do something different (in the hopes that we can encounter God
in a new way as a result). As we became fond of saying, “get weird!”
The curriculum is designed around exposing teenagers to the concept
that God speaks, and to provide them opportunities to listen to His
voice. We’ve been able to see God move and effect life change in many
different ways as the participants we’ve had at site become willing to
let God speak into their lives, and learn the courage to follow through
with His will. This can be at times uncomfortable for teenagers, so
we’ve given them structure to explore these concepts in, and encouraged
them to do something different (in the hopes that we can encounter God
in a new way as a result). As we became fond of saying, “get weird!”
We’ve also seen amazing growth in the kids we work
with at each camp location. Puerto Rico is a place where the Gospel is
not often clearly understood, and even concepts of who God is, and what
sin and salvation are, are new and met with eager excitement. By far
the greatest celebration we’ve had this summer was the local kids who
gave their life to Christ. We know of nearly 20 kids who made that
incredibly important decision, and there may have been more we didn’t
hear about! We knew we were doing pioneering work here – it’s the first
time AIM has ever sent trips to Puerto Rico – and so we were not
expecting to see any fruits of our labors, but God has been incredibly
faithful to allow us to see the results of His work this summer.
with at each camp location. Puerto Rico is a place where the Gospel is
not often clearly understood, and even concepts of who God is, and what
sin and salvation are, are new and met with eager excitement. By far
the greatest celebration we’ve had this summer was the local kids who
gave their life to Christ. We know of nearly 20 kids who made that
incredibly important decision, and there may have been more we didn’t
hear about! We knew we were doing pioneering work here – it’s the first
time AIM has ever sent trips to Puerto Rico – and so we were not
expecting to see any fruits of our labors, but God has been incredibly
faithful to allow us to see the results of His work this summer.
It’s been a crazy awesome summer, and I’m so glad I
had the chance to come on board for this amazing experience. Stay tuned
for more updates – I’ve got a big season ahead of me!
had the chance to come on board for this amazing experience. Stay tuned
for more updates – I’ve got a big season ahead of me!
