In one of the last days of the second camp, we had time after dinner to share about our dreams with our small group of campers. As coach assistant, I had the opportunity to assist the local coaches who led our campers through the activities and discussions.

In a room without electricity, each of our eight campers felt safe to share their dreams. One of the girls sitting to my right particularly caught my attention as I listened to one of my coaches translate. As she listened to the other kids, she crumbled and tore a piece of paper into pieces. I could see she was anxious about something, so I rubbed her back.

When the first kid finished talking, she volunteered to speak next. Before she began, however, she started sobbing. She said she wanted to tell us something she had wanted to share but was doubtful. From my coach, who spoke little English, I learned that her family life was broken. After she was done, all our campers took turns encouraging her and hugging her.

Our kids had never been to camp before. Some of them were farm kids who lacked strong family bonds, friends and love. They were from low-income homes and wore the same clothes every day. Our camp lectures usually entitled statements such as “You are Lovable” in the big screen.

Listening to their dreams was a humbling experience. As the day grew darker, our room became more intimate, and more kids shared. One wanted to help beggars, another one wanted to find a house for her parents along the seashore for their retirement, and another one wanted to become a professional basketball player.

When it was my turn, I shared my heart with the help of a translator. I talked about how God had given me hope and love in my darkest nights. At the end of my story, I told them God loved them, too, and he wanted to be a part of our lives, be with us in our darkest and loneliest moments. He can hear our prayers. Just like he saved me, he could save them, too.

I thank God for sending me to East Asia to share the hope and love he gives to anyone who wants to receive it.

Gabriela, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, served in East Asia with Go Now Missions. Her last name is withheld for security reasons.

I feel I grew so much in such a short time. I learned to rely on the Lord, knowing that I could not heal or really help these girls in the ways they truly need. This was certainly frustrating at times, but also humbling. I learned to keep coming back to my knees in order to fight for these girls and continually ask for patience and guidance in my interactions and conversations with them. I have confidence that even though they experienced bad circumstances and backgrounds, the Lord is faithful and loving.

I believe that—even when it seems radical, even when my girls can't believe it for themselves. I believe it because I know it in my heart to be true. I am confident God has a plan for each and every one of these beautiful children.

I was blessed with the opportunity to share my testimony with some of the girls on campus.
On one occasion, I presented my testimony to an entire cottage during the week we went to Glorieta, which was pretty awesome. I do not know how receptive they all were, but regardless, I am praying the Lord uses it to speak truth to these young ladies.

This summer I constantly was reminded of God's grace and patience with us. He is patient with these kids when it seems impossible—and trust me, that is not a small thing. He is patient with us, even though time and time again we belittle and ignore him. He is patient when we choose creation and fleshly desires over him. I may not understand it, but I am truly grateful for it.

Claire Pettibon, a student at the University of Texas, served with Go Now Missions at Texas Baptist Children’s Home, part of Children at Heart Ministries.

During our first week with Elevation Church, in our orientation with Pastor Angus McKinley, he asked my partner, Kali, and me what was something we would like to see and experience while serving with Elevation. After giving his question some thought, I answered, "I would really like to see a life changed and a person come to Christ". “That's an incredible thing to look forward to. You should pray about it and see God move," he said. And so I did. And God answered my prayers.

During the Kids Sports Camp, I was put in charge of leading the arts and crafts track that week. One day, I was drawn to a little boy named Josh. We talked for over an hour. After our conversation, I was left with a heavy heart because God showed me this child did not have a relationship with Christ. That afternoon I was just very, very burdened by this. So, I went to a lake and sat underneath a tree gazing at the clouds. I prayed and prayed for this child and for God's work during the rest of the week at camp. I prayed that if God was tugging in Josh's heart, I wanted to see him respond and come to know Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Two days passed. On Thursday afternoon during story time, Josh sat by me. After the devotional, Pastor Angus offered a time of response and invitation. I went ahead and silently began praying for the children in the camp and their families. I prayed that if anyone there was feeling God knocking in their hearts, for them to say yes and not turn away. I peeked and saw Josh raising his hand.

After the devotional, I had to lead crafts and Josh was right there. Kali stepped up and took him aside. I was so excited when I saw Kali took the initiative to talk to him. After he returned, Kali told me how God guided her as she lead Josh to faith in Christ. I was so overjoyed and even more when I saw him during Sunday morning service with his entire family. Josh seemed like a different person. He was smiling and there was a sense of peace in his eyes. I could see how Christ is shining through him in the way Josh smiled at all of us.

That was the moment when I realized how God answered my prayers this summer. God gave me the great gift and blessing seeing someone accept Christ. He allowed me to see a life changed.
 
Gabby Azua, a student at Tarleton State University, served in  Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado, with Go Now Missions.

One more time, we clearly saw the hand of God. We had learned earlier in our trip not to compare what we did in Mexico to the work we did in an earlier student missions assignment. We needed to trust that if God had called us and we obeyed whatever he wanted us to do, then it was important. And it would be just as fruitful because God was the one working through us.

Having learned that lesson, we were ready to take on whatever the churches had prepared for us to do. What we now needed the most was energy, strength and passion to finish it.  God definitely helped us to finish strong.

Those eight days, we helped with children’s camp, taught at a Vacation Bible School, presented an abbreviated women's conference, gave all churches a message or shared our testimony and visited many people.

Most of our job in Puebla involved encouraging the five churches. God made me realize that encouragement is so vital. Many of the churches didn't have many members attend, but that didn't matter. God wanted the few to be encouraged. I was surprise that after sharing my story, I could see the facial expressions of many people change. A great relief and happiness entered the room.

Cynthia Peralta, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, served with Go Now Missions in Mexico.

It's hard to find the words to describe the amazing 11 days our mission team spent in Moldova. But if I had to sum it up in one sentence, this is it: This summer God showed me how to build relationships with my community to show the love of Christ with others.

The Moldova missions team from Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington.

I am utterly amazed at everything God did and how many prayers were answered before we even arrived in Moldova. God uniquely and purposefully selected this team. We all instantly became close. It was an interesting team, but God knew what he was doing when he chose the Americans and Moldovans for this team.

One thing God put on my heart this year was to embrace the culture and simply to be content and satisfied in every moment—to listen to the struggles of the people in Moldova as we built relationships with them.

Moldovans are the most humble, hospitable people, and they're not even believers. They have nothing materially, but they easily give all that they have. They are not believers, and they are better at showing Christ's loving servant's heart than we often are. They opened their homes to strangers from America and wanted to do everything for us, not letting us lift a finger. When we got home late, they waited up to talk, or to offer us dinner, or give us boiled well water for us to wash. And they give so much, that when they are given something, they do not know how to receive it without giving something back.

Near the end of our trip, we piled into vans after lunch and went to the Nistru River between Ukraine and Moldova to swim and have a team cookout for dinner. When we drove back to the village around 6:30, the ladies in the village had prepared a Moldovan feast for us at the school. Even though we already ate dinner, we couldn't say no—even when they brought out dish after dish after dish. And that night, when we went back to our host homes, my host home had prepared dinner. She had killed one of her chickens that day for my housemates and me to eat on our last night.

The people of Moldova are searching for hope. And we're not the only ones coming to share our faith. Jehovah's Witnesses are big in Moldova. But what made us stand out from the Orthodox Church and the Jehovah's Witnesses was that we actively lived out our faith and served them. Because we worked on the well at the school, invested our time loving on the kids, played soccer with the teenagers, went to their homes and met their needs and listened to them, served women at the ladies' tea and served more than 200 Moldovans at a cook-out, we stood out. It's not telling people about religion—Moldova has a religion. It's about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It's actively sharing the love and hope we have in Christ by reaching out to the community and building relationships with the people. It's love that wins people to Christ, not religious traditions and rules.

It's about serving the Lord wholeheartedly and focusing on people's needs and not about your comfort. When you focus on others and embrace their culture, you will be surprised at what you do to share the love of Christ. God will bring you out of your comfort zone and give you the words to speak and break your heart for the people.

Molly Rae Adams, a student at Dallas Baptist University, served on a mission trip to Moldova with Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington.

When my mother told me she thought she might have cancer in 2009, I had decided to give up my dream of going to school in New York so I could stay close to my family. If anything were to happen to my mother, I wanted to make sure I was nearby. So, I decided to attend school in Kingsville. I had to make sure I was reachable and could still afford to attend college while taking care of my two siblings. So, I let my dream go.

But I had a way bigger dream in life, and that was to leave the United States. I love the country, but I just don't feel like that’s where I should spend my life.

I was offered a position to teach in Asia. At first, I couldn't believe it. I was scatter-brained for a while. Is this real? Can someone pinch me? Did I just get a job offer? How would I live? How do Asians react to foreigners? Please, someone pinch me. But there was no pinch. This was reality.

All I could think about was teaching in Asia. It would be so cool to teach in Asia. My dream would be completed. But I wasn't completely satisfied. I knew I had to pray about the idea if I'm really supposed to live in Asia.

Recently, my new friends here in East Asia and I talked about our dreams. It was quite emotional and a deep conversation. I got to share about the opportunity to teach in Asia. But then I told them that I had something holding me back—my family. It's like if things were beginning to repeat itself. I would have to contemplate giving up my dream to stay in the U.S. to be close to my family. All these emotions were coming at me at once, and I couldn't concentrate. I began sobbing and breaking down as I spoke. I could see the sympathy in their eyes. I could feel them hurting because I was hurting.

They comforted me by telling me they supported me in any decision I make, whether to take care of my family or follow my dream and teach in Asia. They wanted me to come back, but they understood my predicament.

Alfred and I decided to take a break. He mentioned how my speech made him very emotional and about to cry. He could tell I loved my family by giving up my previous dream. He thought it was very honorable of me to do that. He said, "I'm glad you opened up tonight, because it helped me realize things don't always turn out as you plan." He knew I poured my heart out for a reason.

He opened up about people telling him that he couldn't fulfill his dreams. But one of his dreams is on the horizon—to complete a bicycling marathon. I told him not to allow people to put him down. I told him that my dream wasn't shut down; it was just put on hold. I believe Alfred can do anything he wants if he puts his effort into it, because he has a beautiful heart and soul. We hugged each other that night—a hug of reassurance that our dreams will come true.

Kevin, a student at Texas A&M University in Kingsville, has been serving with Go Now Missions in East Asia. His last name is withheld for security reasons.

I lived within 20 miles of the fires and 40 minutes from the shooting. It felt as though I was at the core of all the suffering, and my heart felt broken. Broken for the lost, broken for the suffering, and broken for those who seek comfort but can find none.

From these tragedies, so many questions arise. Why did this happen? Why does God let these bad things happen? What was the reason for this? Why, why, why? It is in these times that I don't feel ready. I feel like I don't have the adequate words or answers to comfort people. And I don't feel ready to be a missionary or to work in ministry.

But then I remember a time when I wasn't ready to surrender to Jesus. I remember when I wasn't ready to move to Colorado. I remember when I wasn't ready to share my testimony with people. I remember when I wasn't ready to lead someone to Christ or convey my beliefs. I remember when I questioned everything, and I when I wasn't ready to give up my plans and my dreams. I remember that never—not even once—was I truly as ready as I had wanted to be. And I remember that God has kept and fulfilled every last one of his promises, every single one, in his perfect time.

God says, “Follow me.” And he leads. He does not falter. This summer, God taught me again and again that his purpose is sovereign and his purpose prevails.

Even though my time in Colorado is up, I can feel God moving. I know he will take all of those messes and use them for his glory and divine purpose.

Colorado needs your prayers. Pray that Aurora feels God’s touch. Pray that Colorado feels his touch.

Kali Hellinghausen, a student at Northwestern State University, served in Fort Collins, Colo., with Go Now Missions.

But when they travel home, are they any more satisfied than when they arrived? No, they leave with a giant Mickey-shaped hole in their wallet. What if they left knowing that God loved them so much that he sent his son to die for them? What if Orlando was known more for Jesus than it was for Mickey Mouse?

I spent 10 weeks in Orlando working with ROCK Ministries. Rock Stands for Reaching Orlando with Compassion and Kindness. We reached tourists in all kinds of places. We did Kids Clubs at hotel pools, and we performed puppet shows at secular venues like fast-food restaurants and amusement parks. We did free face-painting at the Fun Spot amusement park, hoping to spark conversations about the free salvation God offers us. We made free salvation bracelets at McDonalds. We went prayer-walking at the most crowded outlet mall in Orlando most Fridays.

I had only 10 weeks in Orlando, but some people live in Orlando. We wanted to reach the locals, too. We traveled to churches in Orlando. We talked about our ministry, and we emphasized what an incredible mission field Orlando is. The locals sometimes see tourists as annoying, but we challenged them to pray one prayer: "Let me see what You see."

That prayer was with me since Day 1 when our supervisors took us out to the most-crowded outlet mall for prayer-walking. They told us to pray that prayer and just watch what happens. I met a girl from Israel and a girl from Paris in five minutes. I didn't have to board any planes. I just had to take a few steps. The world truly does come to Orlando. I pray they leave with much more than just memories and an empty wallet, but with Christ in their hearts.

Marlie Austin, a student at Howard Payne University, seved with Go Now Missions in Orlando, Fla.

As I ate, I periodically looked over at the couple. They had a baby and a little boy. Of course, little children look around. When the boy saw me looking at him, he turned shy and looked away. The next time he looked at me, I tried to sign to him. It didn’t work. So, I just ate my food and decided that afterward I would just walk over to them and try to communicate.

So, I walked over and signed, “Hello, I just wanted to tell you that I think your kids are really cute.” I was really nervous. I was afraid my signing must have been all messed up and that they wouldn’t understand a word I said. But they smiled and signed, “Thank you,” back to me. Then the man turned to me and asked how I learned to sign. I didn’t expect him to ask me any questions, but I answered him, and that’s when the conversation started.

We talked for almost an hour or more. It was amazing. I told them that my partner, Jacey, and I were in Denton for a mission trip for the whole summer. They were a little confused. I had to explain it further, which was awesome.  I found out a lot about their lives, which isn’t surprising when you met a deaf person. They are very open most of the time. The man even told me how much his kids weighed at birth.

He ended up telling me where he lived, and then it clicked—Ashli Oaks! That was one of the locations where we were going for our second Rainbow Express. Also it was considered for a possible summer-long location for Mission Denton.

The first thing that popped into my head was: “home visit.”  Mission Denton really tries to dig deep with the families in the community—not only provide spiritual needs for their kids and some time for the parents, but also serve them by coming to their homes, asking if they need anything, and praying for them. The goal is to build relationships with these families. So it seemed appropriate to ask if he would mind if Jacey and I came over the next day after work to visit in their home. He welcomed me over without hesitation. I was really getting excited by this time!

I felt like God had allowed me to see the opportunity right in front of me. I had been reading a friend’s article about how she was able to minister to deaf people where she was. Normally, I would get jealous because of my passion for the deaf culture. And up to that time in my mission trip, I had not had any interaction with the deaf community of Denton. But I was joyful and happy to hear that someone else was reaching the deaf community as well. I was glad God was using someone to reach these people.

Although God has placed a desire in my heart to reach the deaf people, he knows that I cannot do it alone, even if I think I can. So, he showed me I can rejoice when he uses other people’s passions—especially when they match my own. I feel like God was saying, “Yes, Amber, now you understand, and I will be faithful in using your gifts that I have given you as well. You just have to be patient and trust in my plans.” I was, and God was faithful, just like he said he would be.

After I spent time with this family, I understood why God’s plans were for me to wait and be patient. It was amazing getting to know them. I hope they saw Christ in Jacey and me. I’m excited to see how God will let us keep in touch with this family in the future.

Amber Gonzales, a student at  Sam Houston State University, served at Mission Denton with Go Now Missions.

Serving with Kids Eat Free in San Angelo, I was away from home 10 long, wonderful and fun weeks. There was stress, loneliness and some frustration, but I think that has to be part of every great adventure.

Kids Eat Free operates 15 sites, from boys’ and girls’ clubs, to recreation centers, to churches of different denominations. I had the privilege to visit five of those 15 and work with the children there doing some crafts and with the people who serve the food. It was a great blessing meeting all those hard-working people. They encouraged me to work harder but also told me I was doing a great job with the children.

That was a great encouragement, because I lacked experience in that area, especially working without supervision or help. I will admit I was super-nervous the first week, because I didn't know what to expect working alone—and more importantly, working with children. But the volunteers at the sites were very supportive.

During my time in San Angelo, I think I grew to be more confident about working with children and a little bit more creative in crafts. Working with this program let me see the needs of people. It's really not evident in their lives, because they have material things like clothing and vehicles. But in reality, people lack food and barely make their paychecks stretch to pay their monthly bills. It’s really heartbreaking. That is why I’m so thankful for this ministry.

Kids Eat Free feeds children during the summer when school is out, because the only way they get food some times is at school. Complete families show up to a site closest to them. We feed the kids first, but thank God, there is always leftover food, and we feed their parents, too. San Angelo people are very generous. The program here operates from community donations and small grants from the No Kid Hungry campaign. I praise God for the generosity of this people and their efforts and willingness to help end hunger. I know God will keep blessing this community, because they are serving the Lord by serving these children and their families. As of me, I have been so blessed by God through them, and they will be in my heart forever.

Olivia Rodriguez, a student at the University of Texas at El Paso, served in San Angelo with Go Now Missions.

God is doing great things in London.

My team came to help three churches with community outreach and to engage the community by serving them and showing hospitality. These are simple concepts—just part of being a follower of Christ—yet they are extremely effective in sharing the gospel and showing Christ's love.

We just opened up the church, set up couches and chairs, served snacks and drinks, and invited the community inside.

The neighborhood where we worked was predominantly Muslim and Sikh, so the mission field was very difficult. But we just opened up the church, set up couches and chairs, served snacks and drinks, and invited the community inside. The response was incredible, and it was only by God's grace.

Countless people came through the church during the week, most of whom had never stepped foot in a Christian church before. We had countless spiritual conversations

This all led up to a child's day camp and a barbecue. At the child's camp, we were expecting around 30 to 40 kids, and at the barbecue, we were praying for 200 to attend. By the end of the day, there were about 150 children at the camp and more 400 at the barbecue. God showed his faithfulness, the power of prayer, and how it truly is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance and salvation.

Pray that the churches of St. Stephens, Hammersmith and Southall continue their outreach with the community. Pray that the relationships that formed made continue to grow by the Holy Spirit.

Daniel Adams, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, served with Go Now Missions in England.

The preview was a free one-day event where kids got to come and play soccer, football and basketball, make crafts and hear about the love of Jesus. We had about 100 kids show up, and just three hours 17 kids gave their lives to Christ. Those 17 kids who came from all walks of life and backgrounds now have a basic understanding of the gospel, and of what true, unconditional love actually means. Their lives have radically changed, and the impact that they will have on their own friends and family will be immeasurable.

I was soccer  coach of the camp, and one little girl in particular caught my eye and captured my heart. She was one of the first to raise her hand after the devotion to say that she wanted Jesus to come into her heart. After one of the counselors explained what that meant and they prayed together, she made her way over to the bench beside me. She then proceeded to plop down with a huge sigh, and look at me with a frustrated scowl on her face. I asked her what was wrong and after a huff and a few more sighs, she said: "I prayed that prayer to Jesus and stuff. And they said he is in my heart now, and all my bad stuff is forgiven. But does he know I hit my brother last week? My mom said that’s real bad, and I don’t know if Jesus will forgive that. Do I have to do extra stuff for that one?" I immediately explained that all her past and presents mistakes are forgiven — even the really, really bad ones. She was relieved, and I couldn't help but laugh as she skipped off towards her friends.

I sat there pondering the implications of her words, because although her innocence was precious, she voiced something many people struggle with: Am I clean enough for God? Am I too far gone for redemption? Am I really forgiven?

The reality is that Jesus covers all of our sins and all of our mistakes so we don't have to be clean enough. How can we even question this gift?  We keep letting the burdens of our past reappear as if they hold some value, when in actuality they mean nothing and are worthless in the face of Christ.

I reflect on my own life and know that I am guilty of this, and that makes me want to fall on my face in shame. I’ve done it. I do it all the time. We get so caught up in our own selfishness and doubts, we distract ourselves from the simple, pure, beautiful point of it all. His grace is sufficient for us. His sacrifice was enough. We have to rest in this, because if we can't even accept his boundless love for ourselves, than we can't even begin to show his love to others.

Kali Hellinghausen, a student at Northwestern State University, served in Fort Collins, Colo., with Go Now Missions.