The Road Ahead - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

Village ministry in Palenque, Mexico

The kitchen where a local woman taught us how to make tortillas.

Mango’s on a stick. Yum!

Dear Friends!

It was this time last year that I
was sweating in the tropical jungle of Palenque, Mexico, amidst tarantulas
(theyâ€™re actually friendly), over sized frogs that would one day be transformed
into a change purse and sold at the local Mayan ruins gift shop (LOL itâ€™s
really true!), mangos that were cut in the shape of a flower coated with lime
juice and cayenne pepper (seriously the best thing Iâ€™ve ever tasted in my
life!), and then there was me preparing one last time to travel with 49 other brothers and sisters to the last country of our 11 month journey on the World
Race (WR).

The Lord
told me a year previous to the WR that he was going to take me where I hadnâ€™t
been and to follow him. Well, he
definitely kept his promise as I traveled with my team to minister in more than
11 countries and countless cities and villages, but more importantly, my faith
and relationship with the Lord grew deeper and stronger as the pruning process
went on. Eyes were opened, paradigms shifted, prayers and praise went up and
his love and mercy came down. Relationships were created around the world and
the kingdom of heaven invaded earth as the dead hearts in Christ came to life
in a Filipino sqwatter community; sick were healed; orphans rescued; witch
doctors in African tribes set free; the hopeless and forgotten were remembered;
Romania gypsyâ€™s valued; kids in the N. Indian slums laughed and danced once
again; Ukrainian Babushkaâ€™s cared for; hope released over Kathmandu; Croatian
friends delivered and encouraged; and Central American villages heard of the
love Jesus has for them and sang praises en
EspaÃ±ol.

And now God has opened a door for me to stay in full-time
ministry to reach the nations and invest in other young adults who reach the
nations through the World Race parent organization, Adventures in Missions
(AIM). Iâ€™ve been invited to join AIMâ€™s staff as an Admissionâ€™s
Liaison/Mentor focusing in the areas of recruiting, interviewing,
mentoring, and discipleship to help prepare World Race participants for the
World Race and beyond. Thereâ€™s nothing I love more than investing
in the next generation to reach the world for Christ so Iâ€™m very excited about
this new role!

Even though AIMâ€™s headquarters is based in Gainesville, GA,
this position allows me to stay in Northern VA and work remotely so that I can
stay committed to leading worship for a new church plant in the area called
Church of the Free. So I wonâ€™t be
leaving the country this time, but Iâ€™ll be working to equip and prepare the
next generation as they step foot on foreign soil to reach the nations for the
Kingdom of God.

This
is my invitation to you to partner with me in this ministry. Iâ€™ve committed to
work part-time with AIM, however staff positions there are fund-raised. In order for me to live in the DC area,
$1,500 needs to be raised per month ($18,000 per year) through tax-deductible
donations. With 100 partners, that
would come to $180 a year per partner. That makes it $15 a month per partner.

If you consider becoming a partner or would like to make a
contribution, please know that all non-refundable donations to Adventures in
Missions are tax-deductible. The easiest way to give is through my World Race
blog at

VISIT: melissgibson.theworldrace.org

CLICK: Become
a Partner

Iâ€™ve been traveling and serving in short term missions trips
for 12 years now. To transition from corporate America to full-time ministry in
the U.S. is uncharted waters for me and itâ€™s something I canâ€™t do alone. Would
you consider praying about how the Lord would want you to partner with me in
this ministry?

Partner
with me so we can impact the next generation and reach the nations to advance
the Kingdom of God and bring more of heaven to earth in our lifetime!

Lots
of love,

Melissa