What an amazing Mission Trip to the Amazon with our Rolling Hills Team and Justice & Mercy International. It was such an unforgettable experience, and I am so thankful for all our God is doing in the Amazon for His glory. We slept in hammocks at night on our new JMI Boat, the Splendor. This was the inaugural mission trip on our new boat – praise God! We would wake up in different villages and do ministry there all day. Sarah Rodriguez and our Justice & Mercy Amazon Staff are incredible! We had an amazing team and an awesome God who allowed us to join Him in what He is doing in one of the most beautiful and needy places in the world.
Here are just a few of my Highlights:
1. My Family – I had the amazing privilege to be on this mission trip with my entire family. Wow! This was a dream come true. I have longed to do an International Family Mission Trip before our oldest daughter, Grace, goes off to college. My girls have been hearing for years about the work in the Amazon through JMI and Rolling Hills, and now they have been a part of it first hand. What an incredible experience to serve the Lord alongside my wife and children. I am so proud of them all! I encourage you to pray and find an opportunity to do this. It is so special!
2. The Pastors – For the past ten years, we have hosted the JMI Amazon Pastor’s Conference. I have had the honor to teach, listen, counsel, pray and encourage the pastors from the Amazon. We have had over 1,200 pastors and wives from the Amazon be a part of the Pastor’s Conference in this ten-year time. I was just at our JMI Pastor’s Conference in February and now this trip. I was able to be in the homes and villages with three of our pastors. Pastor Francisco even won a guitar four years ago at the conference and showed me it in his home. He taught himself to play so he can lead worship at church. I loved meeting their families, praying over their homes and churches, and seeing God using them in a mighty way to reach their communities for Christ! To hear them talk about how much the Pastor’s Conference means to them each year and to see them implementing what they receive and learn at the conference is absolutely incredible. All glory to our great God!
3. The Ministry – Every day we were able to do ministry in different villages. We had a VBS team that worked with the children (they were amazing and the kids all loved this!). We had medical and dentist teams who saw patients all day in each village (this is was life-saving for many). We had a team that painted schools (some of the schools JMI has built over the years (the teachers and community were so appreciative). We had a team that gave away clothes, shoes, food, and more (this was so special to see). Everyone had a part in serving God and the people. We had a large team, so this allowed us to do a massive amount of work/ministry every day. Praise God!
4. The Team – We had 62 people on our team! This included our team of 36 from Rolling Hills along with our Brazilan translators, JMA Staff, nurses, and dentists. We all worked, worshipped, prayed, and played together so well. When you are with people 24/7, you become very close. Everyone grew deeper in Christ and loved the entire experience. Ask anyone on the trip, and they will tell you how special the entire week was. Thank You, Father, for this team and Your Church. I’m so blessed to be a part of Rolling Hills and JMI with such outstanding people!
5. The Fun – Yes, Mission Trips are also fun. It is cool to see other parts of the world, to enjoy fellowship with other believers, and to embrace a new culture. Our fun included: – Playing games with children – Brazilian vs. USA Soccer game – Catching cayman (yes – alligators 🙂 with our Jungle Guide, Milton. – Fishing for piranha – Swimming with dolphins – Holding sloths – And, the joy of serving with brothers and sisters in the Name of Jesus.
As Christ-followers, we are called to live our life on mission. Live your life like you are always on a mission trip. Listen each day to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Always be ready to serve and share Christ with others. Put Jesus first, others second and yourself third. God wants to use you to do great work for His glory. It doesn’t have to be in the Amazon, it can be in your school, workplace, neighborhood, and church. Let’s go on mission together and live for Jesus. Start with your family and live it out every day. And, you will have a lot of fun on the journey :).