Tin roofs. Clothes hanging to dry. Stray dogs and cats. Dirt roads. Buckets of water. Trash. This is what I saw in a slum in South Asia.

But climb a cramped staircase and peer around a corner in this same slum, and you will find a group of children, shouting "Hallelujah" at the top of their lungs.

The children range from toddlers to adolescents, and they are privileged to attend a ministry every Sunday where they can praise God together, learn a story from his word, play games, and even memorize Scripture.

And you should hear them pray. As we pray in English at the end of each session, they whisper their agreement with tightly shut eyes and clasped hands. When we are finished, they pray in their language, with volume and passion. Once they even prayed for a friend of theirs, who told them about some kind of stomach problem he was experiencing. Under the guidance of a minister, they stretched out their hands and prayed for healing.

The poverty itself is appalling, but what gets me even more is the joy of these children. They live in filth, in need and in tragedy. Yet, they come and praise Jesus. We remind them they must turn to him when they are afraid and bad things happen. The only thing I can pray for these children is that they will do just that.

When they lose a friend to a violent death, when they can't afford food for the week, when they go through illness, when they feel oppressed by evil, when others criticize and deceive, when God seems so far away—they will remember these stories, songs and verses. They will lift their eyes up and continue to say, "Hallelujah."

Rachel, a student at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, is serving in South Asia.

The rainy season is at its end, and the hot sun now beats down on the dry, dusty road. Because our team has finished all the available work for the four Habitat for Humanity houses, we are back to our first job—making hollow blocks. Because we now know what we’re doing, I split the team into two. Half work the bricks, and the other do house-to- house evangelism with our translator, Jai.

House-to-house evangelism is as simple as this—walking down the dirt street and asking people if they have time to hear the good news of the Bible. Responses vary greatly. Sometimes, we immediately are invited in, the word of God is received, and our listeners become brothers and sisters in Christ. Others will listen but with every word going in one ear and out the other. The most frustrating is when a person is sitting outside, doing nothing, but says in Cebuano, “I’m busy working.” I wonder about the multitude of excuses Jesus’ disciples faced when he sent them out.

When Jesus sent out his disciples, part of the charge he gave them was this: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town” (Matthew 10:14-15). These words echoed in my heart as we continued to walk down the street, being denied and rejected from place to place. But God provided us with a household whose members were willing to listen to the good news. We will have opportunity to have another Bible study in the house of Norma.

Jesus wasn’t kidding. The passage about shaking the dust off your feet became a reality to me. What is even scarier is the reality of God’s punishment upon sin. Those who die without Christ spend eternity without him. Jesus knew many would reject the gospel. He said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that lead to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

May we examine our own lives to see if we are on the narrow road that few find. Then, we must be faithful in sharing the message to those on the broad road, never stopping, but continually sowing seeds. Where the gospel is rejected, the dust of our feet is a sad, mute testimony to the words of the Savior.

Dan Black, a student at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, is serving with a Nehemiah Team in the Philippines, in association with Habitat for Humanity.

The man staying with us was excited, nervous and anxious about the next day and what the future may hold for his brother, who had served a 20-year sentence.

To put that in perspective, we’re talking about nearly my entire lifetime. I am only 21.

Can you imagine what release would feel like to the incarcerated man? Serving 20 years in prison, and then walking out the front door, getting into a car and not having handcuffs on. Think about how much has changed in 20 years—cars, cell phones, Internet, different options for cable, DVD players and remotes that will turn off your lights. Don't you think he will be in for a wild ride the next couple of weeks adjusting to modern times?

We always invite the families who stay with us to bring the man back to the Hospitality House to take a shower. This kind of symbolizes washing the prison off of you before you leave the town. When you walk out of our doors, you are a new man—free and clean. You have a brand new start. It is always really fun to be a part of this.

When the two men got to the house after release, the newly free man was in tears. He could not contain himself. He was so excited. He found the Lord in prison. So, he kept repeating over and over again: "Thank you Lord, You are so good to me." It was incredible! The brothers were so excited to be back together, and so excited that they both are following the Lord.

Before they left, my supervisor's husband asked me to take a picture of the both of them together. They were excited to do that—brothers back together for the first time in 20 years.

Pray for this newly free man. Pray that he does not go back to the way he was before. Pray that he continues in his walk with Christ. Only Christ can keep him satisfied, clean and free.

Nina Monk, a student at Stephen F. Austin State University, is serving with Go Now Missions at the Hospitality House in Huntsville.

Sitting in an office working on files all day isn't my idea of fun, but there are times when it is necessary here at World Relief.

Stephanie Gibson holds a Congolese 1-year-old girl named Blessing.

In the midst of it all, sometimes I forget that there are real people behind all this red tape. People behind all the food stamp and housing applications. People behind all the problems. People who just want someone to help. People who need love.

I love kids, especially the refugee kids here. There's just something about their innocent and inquisitive souls that fascinates me. Most of my favorite kids are too young to remember or to have experienced things too harsh for me to think about. They and their parents have been victims of violence Americans pretend to know nothing about. We try to ignore it because it is not comfortable. We try to ignore it because we think we can do nothing to help.

We forget that there are real people involved in the violence—in civil wars where people are turned against their neighbors and children are turned into murderous soldiers even before they turn 15. It's really tough to think about—especially when I see precious children like Blessing who, thank God, was saved from the violence in her home country. She is so young that she will only know the life of her family here in America. I'm grateful for that. But what do we do about the people who are left—those children who don't have the same chance and have to grow up in extremely dangerous areas around the world? What do we do?

Stephanie Gibson, a student at West Texas A&M, serves as a Go Now missionary with World Relief, a refugee resettlement ministry in Fort Worth.

When we came into the one-room church, we quietly took our seats on yard chairs placed in rows. Not an overwhelming crowd, just a steady 25 or so Filipinos. Yet at that moment, as we stood to sing, I would rather have been nowhere else.

The praise band asked our team to lead worship, so on Saturday night, Thomas and I went to the church for practice, picking out songs for the next morning. I would sing, and he would play the electric guitar that would not stay in tune.

Before we came up to lead in praise, the church had its customary opening song and call to worship. There was nothing majestic about the instruments, and nothing magical about the voices. But here, in the most humble of places, we sang “A Pure Heart” by Rusty Nelson:

“A heart that hides your word/So that sin may not come in/A heart that's undivided/But one you rule, you reign/A heart that beats compassion,/That pleases you my Lord/A sweet aroma of worship/That rises to your throne.”This is the unspeakable beauty of the gospel.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been reading though the book of Exodus. In the past few days, I came to the passages where God instructs Moses about the ark and the tabernacle the Jews were to build for the Lord. The list included gold, silver, jewels and acacia wood—the most costly of items. But even with the sacrifices and the glory of the tabernacle, and later the temple, God did not want their sacrifices. He wanted their hearts.

Here in the Philippines, in an old, shabby building of concrete and plywood, the God of heaven and earth was meeting with us. We do not need beautiful buildings ornamented with gold. You see, God does not care about the venue. He does not take delight in guitars or correctly colored carpet. He only wants our heart.

Dan Black, a student at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, is serving with a Nehemiah Team in the Philippines, in association with Habitat for Humanity.

A group from California who arrived here in North Wales to run a basketball camp was short-handed. So, they asked my team members and me if we wanted to help them. We eagerly accepted the invitation.

Williams Bowden with his friend Liam.

Unlike the United States, basketball is not a popular sport here. But the school did have a team of upper classmen who wanted to play the Americans in a friendly pick-up game. They believe anyone from the U.S. is amazing at basketball. We proved them wrong.

After losing to them, I got the opportunity to talk to some of the players. Two guys, Liam and Jordan, connected with me, and we planned to hang out on the weekends to play some more basketball.

I've gone to visit them the past couple of weekends. In visiting with Liam, I found out he attends a Catholic church every Sunday and that he prays constantly, but he didn't quite respond when I mentioned grace or to what it's like to have a relationship with God.

Through this, the Lord showed me that I can't rush his work. Without God I am nothing, and here I was trying rush his process by jumping into turbo-evangelism mode. I'm now focusing more on the relationship with these guys, and waiting on God to direct the conversation when he is ready.

William Bowden, a student at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, is serving with Go Now Missions in Wales this summer.

I could not believe the things that I heard. Yama told me about the brokenness of her past and the healing Jesus brought to her.

Yama said she had sold her body to men to make money. She was very poor, and she resorted to an easy job. In this city, prostitution, human trafficking and even cross-gender prostitution is common. It breaks my heart because so much human trafficking happens here in Southeast Asia.

Soon after feeling empty and used, Yama met a follower of Jesus Christ, and she saw a radical love in this follower that she longed for. However, like Gomer in Hosea, she kept running from the Father.

Not long after that, she met a foreigner, who again used her, but this time left her alone and pregnant.

God softened her heart, and she turned into his arms, where she found love, healing and restoration. She now has a ministry to other women who have been abused or had the same experience than her.

I was blown away by her steadfast faith, and seeing Jesus set her free physically and spiritually.

Sarah, a student from the University of Texas, is serving with Go Now Missions in Southeast Asia this summer. Her last name is withheld for security reasons.

Aja is a Gambian woman to whom I have been teaching English as a Second Language for the past month and an half. Twice a week, I have gone to her house, sat on her couch and worked through the alphabet and basic words, trying to make the English language a little bit easier for her to understand. Usually, when we are finished with the lesson and I explain what she needs to do for homework, I ask if she has any questions or concerns, and then go on my way.

On this day, as I was getting ready to leave, she looked at me and asked, “Do you have to go, or can you stay for a while?” Seeing that she really wanted someone to sit with her, I stayed. All we ended up doing was watching SpongeBob with her kids. We barely talked about anything other than the silliness of the show.

Once I left her house, I went to visit Maha. I went to help her fill out a job application and to take it to the business to turn in. After we had done these things, I was taking her back to her house with the expectation that I would just drop her off and head back to the office. When we arrived at her house, she invited me in for coffee and thinking I should be polite, I accepted. After drinking coffee, we sat and talked for close to an hour about her life back in Iraq, her family, and the commercials on TV.

Both of these woman clearly needed someone to just sit with them—another woman who would take the time to just be a friend and spend time with them. It didn’t matter if we watched SpongeBob or commercials, if we talked about life or just sat in silence. They just needed someone to care enough to take time to be with them. That’s ministry right there—showing the love of Christ through simple things like not rushing off to sit in traffic or drive through What-A-Burger. It’s living and recognizing the needs of the people around you.

Ashley Whitaker, a student at Howard Payne University, is serving with Go Now Missions at World Relief, a ministry to international refugees in Fort Worth.

Recently, a team from California arrived in Wales, and we helped them lead a basketball clinic for the kids here.

Student missionaries William Bowden (left) from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Casey Stegall (second from left) from South Plains College help a pastor in Wales (center) and volunteers from California lead a basketball clinic for young people. The young woman third from left told Stegall she did not believe in God.

At the end of the first day, I was sitting down, and a group of kids came up to me. We were just discussing our favorite movies when one of the girls sitting beside me abruptly asked me if I believed in God. I confidently turned to her and said, "Yes, I do believe in God."

"Why? I don't believe in him and I never will," the 14-year-old girl said.

I told her about the power of prayer and what it has done for me. I described how it brought me to Wales, and I told her to take a look around her at her friends and at the beauty all around her. "You are looking at the work of God's hands," I said.

"Oh," she replied, "that's just the Big Bang Theory" at work.

I asked if an amazing and beautiful young lady like herself could just come into being without a Creator. "You, your friends, everything around you is God's work, and you are an amazing creation of his, which he loves so much and cares for a great deal," I said.

"Well, I never thought of it that way," she responded. God's creations are breathtaking and astonishing, and you and I are one of them!

Casey Stegall, a student at South Plains College, is serving in Bangor, Wales, with Go Now Missions.

“There’s no way you’re going to get to know them or connect with them on any level all,” the others said. 

After just a short time here at Texas Baptist Children’s Home, I know these girls as my friends and sisters in Christ. I have no earthly idea how I'm going to leave them when my assignment here ends. I am more than just attached to them. I love these girls and adore each and every one of their unique personalities.

Sarah, a senior in high school, is the leader of the pack in Cottage 3. So, of course, there is no way I was going to get to know her, I told myself. However through Christ’s assistance she now calls me her “bestie.” I believe she’s led a hard life, and she makes it harder on herself by wanting to leave the children’s home. God has placed it on my heart to try to convince her to finish out her time here. This is where she needs to be—with loving house parents and a strong presence of God on this campus. It is very easy to see her as a troublemaker or someone lost with no way back. God just sees her as his daughter, and I see her as a friend for life.

This was just supposed to be a summer mission trip, and I would leave in August. Now, it seems as if God has made it loud and clear that I am coming back to stay one day.  Our Lord has a way to show us his plan for our lives, and this summer was it for me. Prayers for this entire campus are much appreciated.

Samantha Trevizo, a student at the University of Texas-El Paso, is serving with Go Now Missions at Texas Baptist Children’s Home.

The more we got to visit with Nikki, she would open up more and more with us. Nikki is the sweetest company anyone could have—inviting us into her apartment, showing us family pictures and telling stories from her life. She also told us about what she believed. That was when we got to see how strong faith in Buddhism was. Since then, we have been so prayerful about the next step God wanted us to take in this relationship with Nikki. ??

Recently, Nikki and I ran into each other. She asked me to come to a restaurant with her. She bought me tea, and we talked about our days and the news. The subject of family came up in our conversation again, and I told her I had brought pictures of my friends and family to share with my new friends here in Thailand. I told her if she would like to see them, she was more than welcome to come to our apartment, and I would love to share stories with her like she did us. She took me up on the offer.

??I told stories about my life with Nikki, showing her picture. I had brought pictures of my baptism with me here with the intention of sharing with any of our Thai friends who got close enough. I told Nikki what that was. I asked her if she knew what baptism was, and she said, “No.”

“It’s what followers of Jesus do,” I told her. I got a blank stare and proceeded to ask her, “Have you ever heard about Jesus?"

“No, I don’t understand,” she responded. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

I took a deep breath and said, “OK, I’m going to try to explain this to you. Is that OK?”

She replied affirmatively. What an opportunity to flat out share to share gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time with someone who many have been praying for—to someone who had no idea of the gospel, period! Before I shared, I clearly saw the opportunity God had perfectly planned for me today, and I prayed that he would talk through me. I cannot say verbatim how I shared the gospel with Nikki, but I know that it was Spirit-led. I learned something about my walk with God while witnessing to Nikki. Afterward, I remembered how excited I was to tell this amazing story like I was hearing it for the first time and to see Nikki’s eyes widen. All I could think was: “Wow! This is real happening, and I know but I don’t know what I’m saying. Thank you, Lord for this!”

I pray that our team gets to continue this relationship with Nikki in the time we have left here and just love on her. I pray that the Thai people who live here continue to reach out to her and walk with her. I pray that God stirs in her heart. I pray that she would seek the truth, understand it and want it. I pray that I would not be anxious that I may never get to see her be saved, but rejoice in how God used me to bring her to himself.

Alicia Black, a student at Texas Woman’s University, is serving with Go Now Missions in Thailand.

Patty is my close friend who is not a believer. God opened the doors for me to share the good news. I was able to speak about his sacrifice and our need for him. I was able to tell her about how my relationship with God is so satisfying. She listened intently and smiled. Although there was no desire in her to follow God, she told me that a man shared this with her when she was young.

Instantly I was so joyful. This man many years ago built a strong relationship with Patty and her family and shared with them. He prepared the way for me to share with Patty. His example and investment provided a chance for me to share with her in a nonthreatening way.

I love how God uses people from years ago to directly impact the present. I know God constantly is revealing himself to her.

Regardless if I see a harvest or not, God still is worthy of my praise. I know that I am preparing the way for others to share with her in the future. I am so blessed that God wants to use such a wretch like me for his kingdom. I will continue to live out the good news with my life and my love for Patty. God is at work. It so beautiful to see.

Lauren, a student at Stephen F. Austin State University, is serving in Southeast Asia with Go Now Missions. Her last name is withheld for security reasons.