The Mission of Christmas

What a year it has been for us!  Twenty mission teams have been sent to the field so far, and currently we have a team in Guatemala, and more missionaries ready to be launched out to India and Nepal after Christmas.  What is even more exciting, is that we are expecting 2013 to be our greatest year yet.  More mission teams than ever before will be sent to reach the unreached.  We are sending families, and young people for long-term assignments.  We are also adding more country sites to the places GI works around the world.

When Jesus came to Earth as a baby, it was the ultimate mission trip:  to win the soul of every person who existed, and every person who would ever exist.  Though it is used very rarely at Christmas time, I believe the Bible succinctly states the reason for Jesus’ birth and life in John 3:17:  “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Everything Jesus did revolved around rescuing souls from the pit of hell—both in this life, and the life to come.  He preached, so they would know the path to salvation.  He healed, and performed miracles so the unbelievers would believe.  Knowing that His physical time on Earth was limited, He trained disciples, so He could multiply His impact for the rest of history.  Finally, He gave everything He had, including His own life, so that we would forever have access to salvation and eternal life.  His assignment was to restore the broken relationship humanity had created between themselves and the Father.  He was to provide a way for people to repent of their sins, then live a sanctified and victorious life.  His final goal, was to return to heaven to prepare a place for us, that where He is, there we may be also.

One of my favorite things I hear on mission trips is when we are out ministering, people say to me, “This is so amazing.  I feel like I understand how Jesus felt!  Walking from one village to another, telling people the plan of salvation, praying for the sick, embracing the little kids, and feeding the hungry.”  And the list goes on.  Global Infusion patterns our outreach after the life Jesus led while He walked among us.  I want to say thank you to everyone who prayed for us, gave to us, and came with us in 2012.  Your involvement changed lives for eternity.  We look forward to you partnering with us in 2013, so we can continue to reach the unreached.  Merry Christmas, from everyone at Global Infusion.

Thankful to Serve

Over the last few months, we have all witnessed people taking a stand for what they believe in. Literally billions of dollars have been spent to express these ideas, and at the end of it all, the country is still divided.

Though there are many great causes in this world, as Christians, we should be united, and focused on expanding the Kingdom of God. This requires intentional evangelism and discipleship.

GI Team members in Ghana (October 2012): 160 souls saved!

While many have heard the Gospel and rejected Christ, there are many who still have not heard.  The primary mission of Global Infusion is to reach the lost in countries and locations where the Gospel is unavailable or not prevalent. We also disciple indigenous believers, so they will have both knowledge and confidence to reach their own people for Christ. Not only that, but our teams regularly tend to the physical needs of the people we work with. This includes providing food for the hungry, treatment and medicine for the sick, clothes for the needy, Godly education for children, Bibles for the new believer, and biblical training materials for those being discipled. Whatever it takes to reach people for Christ through the vision of our contacts on the ground, that is what we do.

We cannot accomplish this vision alone. It requires people interceding for our ministry. It requires people to financially invest in Global Infusion, so we can continue to reach the unreached.

It requires people to fill a variety of positions, whether they are staff, interns, volunteers or team members.

Being involved in foreign mission work comes at a high cost. It requires taking great physical risk as we go into unfamiliar environments. It requires a tremendous emotional cost as we regularly take time away from our families. It requires enduring weeks and months without paychecks, when each of us could be working other jobs. But we do this, “For the love of Christ compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14)

I ask you to prayerfully consider investing into Global Infusion, as we continue to touch tens of thousands of lives each year with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Expanding His Kingdom

Greetings from beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado.  While Global Infusion has been moving (literally) across the country to our new location as a base for our ministry, our work to reach the world has not stopped.  This month, we are sending a team to our site in Ghana, West Africa.  I am very excited about this team because they will be training 40 village Pastors, leaders, and their spouses. 

If you have been following what Global Infusion has been doing over the years, you will know that this type of team is very specialized, and plays a very important role in the expansion of God’s kingdom.  One phrase I always teach our teams and leaders is:  “Short term strengthens the long term.”  What this means is, that the focus of each one of our “missions” is to help, enhance, grow, and encourage the vision of our contacts.  They are the ones who consistently live and minister among the people they are trying to both reach and disciple.  We do everything in our power to further and increase their impact, both geographically and spiritually.

Our goal as a ministry is not to create a vacuum every time one of our teams leave a country.  We are always happy to receive great reports about what our team members have accomplished, but it becomes counter-productive to leave a place after starting something we (or our contacts) cannot finish.  Our goal is not to make people dependent on us.  We must operate strategically, in such a way that the indigenous people we work with are stronger when we leave, not weaker.

Team Ghana will be facilitating an extensive conference using training materials that they have used and seen results with in their own church.  They will be focusing on sharing their discipleship and evangelism strategies with men and women who reach their villages every day, but rarely have access to furthering education.  The team is made up of Pastors and lay leaders who have lived and breathed what they are about to teach.

Think of it as taking the Great Commission to the Great Commission.  Teaching people how to not only evangelize and disciple those who find Christ, but showing them how to continue that pattern themselves, long after the team is gone.

If we are to win this world for Jesus, we must do two things.  First, rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit, and His power.  Second, we have to be very intelligent in determining strategy to expand God’s kingdom if we are going to be effective as Christians.  We cannot let false religions and cults influence people the way they have been doing over the past few years.  Those demonic spirits need to be broken so that people can hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  (2 Timothy 3:13-15)

GI Transitions to Colorado

In times of transition, I like to read and meditate on John 16.  The apostle John writes this chapter in such a way, that it feels like you are one of Jesus’ disciples, standing there shoulder-to-shoulder with His original disciples, receiving both instruction and encouragement from the Master.

Before His horrific torture and death, and subsequent glorious resurrection, Jesus takes time to prepare His disciples for the future.  He explains that He will die, and He will leave them in the physical.  However, when He leaves, the Holy Spirit will begin to work in their lives like never before.  Verses 12 and 13 say, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

When the Lord moves you from one place to another, whether it be in the literal or metaphorical sense, it is important for us to realize that it is always for a purpose.  The sooner we realize that purpose is focused on the expansion of His kingdom, the less time we will allow for fear to grip us and stop us from taking steps forward in faith.

While there are many sermons that can be preached out of the words of Jesus spoken in this chapter alone, I always look forward to the ending, verse 33:  “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

No matter where we are on the planet, Jesus forewarns that we, as His modern disciples, will encounter tribulation.  We must expect it, as we live in a fallen world with a real adversary wanting to destroy us.  We must also recognize that Christ has overcome the world, and every assault of our enemy, and we are therefore to walk in peace, and be of good cheer.

Please continue to pray for Global Infusion as we, ourselves, are still in the midst of transitioning.  With more GI families selling homes and moving across the country, we need prayer on every level.  Pray for peace and joy during this physical time of our transition, and also pray for discernment and wisdom as we encounter new spiritual battles.  Pray that God guides each staff member, volunteer and intern, and gives the wisdom to make God-ordained decisions, and that we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.

We also need more of you to partner with us financially, as God has already opened up the door for us in 2013 to send upwards of 25 or even 30 mission teams around the world.  Our plan to do more for the kingdom of God has already been set in motion - we need both your prayers, and your support.

GI Relocating to Colorado

It is with great excitement that I can announce to you that this month, Global Infusion begins relocating to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

There are several reasons for our move.  First and foremost, I believe God has spoken to me very specifically about doing this.  As Global Infusion grows, we must be ready for the changes God requires in order to see us grow successfully.  Each year, we send out more and more mission teams to our sites around the world.  This necessitates more volunteers and workers at our head office.

One of my dreams is to see our Global Intern program taken to a level that not only allows young people to be a part of sending out our teams by working at our office, but also training them to be ready to work overseas with our contacts on a long-term basis. 

An effective intern program requires several key components including, training, education, pastoral oversight, and field experience.  Over the years we have accomplished each of these to a degree, however, we truly want to bring this element of Global Infusion to a new level.

My vision for our Global Intern program is not to have an ambiguous ministry training school that loosely teaches basic theology, then “graduates” students, hoping they can find some sort of employment.  Our contacts need people to help them in active, daily ministry, where they are reaching people in their nation for Christ — they also need this help as soon as possible.  However, we do not want to send people who have no direction in life, and would become a liability.  We want to launch out well-trained, well-equipped, experienced, and anointed young men and women of God that will be an asset.

Additionally, we are relocating to Colorado Springs because of a strong relationship I have with a fellow laborer, and brother in Christ, whom I have known personally for over 15 years.  Pastor Jayde Duncan is the Senior Pastor of Freedom Church, who has been a tremendous supporter of Global Infusion’s vision since day one.  Each year he and his church have faithfully sent several mission teams to our foreign mission sites, provided trained facilitators to help me prepare mission teams, supported us in prayer, and assisted GI in a variety of other ways.

Relocating comes with many costs, besides the physical.  It also comes with mental, emotional and even spiritual challenges.  Please pray for our ministry through this transition.  There is also a financial cost involved, and we are calling on you, our partners in ministry to consider donating towards these expenses.  I truly believe we are being obedient to God in this relocation, and I also believe that we will be able to do more for the kingdom of God as a result of this move than ever before.

Our Impact

This past weekend, our nineteenth mission team of the year landed back on US soil .  We are getting inundated with testimonies from our teams as they are coming back from our sites in China, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Tanzania, Thailand and Ukraine.  People are being saved.  Orphans are being cared for.  Families who are starving are being fed.  The sick are being healed through prayer and medicine.  And most importantly, the name of Jesus is being lifted up and proclaimed literally thousands of times around the world.

 

Pictured: Global Infusion Missionary Faith Carrigan in Tanzania

If you would like to know the impact just one of our teams can make, here is a brief summary of what the first of two of our teams in the Philippines was able to accomplish:

Team Philippines (May 2012)

2,000+  people heard the Gospel (some for the first time)

   860  children were fed

   200  children received GI school bags packed with food and supplies

     65  families with disabled persons received groceries

Our Philippines contact wrote to me in an email recently saying,

“[The trip] was awesome! I believe the Lord not only worked through us but ministered to us as well. As much as I enjoyed the missions work, I also enjoyed our fellowship and time of sharing during our down time or when we were together.  The [Global Infusion] team was so prepared that I did not have trouble with the ministry at all.  Thank you so much for the privilege to minister with your teams. This allows me to go to places I have not gone before. For this I am grateful.
 

For all of you who have supported us, I offer a sincere “thank-you.”  This is only a glimpse into what GI is doing around the world, and this is still only the beginning.

Why We Go

There is a real devil.  It may be summertime, and everyone may be excited about sunny days, vacations, school being out, barbequing, camps for kids, finishing remodeling projects, and road trips, but the devil does not take a vacation.

If you were expecting a placid, watered-down, and somewhat Christian sort of letter, you may have to stop reading.  Right now, Global Infusion has eight teams in eight nations battling it out on the front line of Christianity.  If you don’t believe there is a real devil, or he doesn’t really affect our world, then let me remind us all of what the Bible says about our adversary.  While God has a wonderful plan for our lives (Jer. 29:11), and His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Is. 55:8-9), there is someone else who has a plan for our lives:  “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10a).

Just ask one of our team members working in Thailand, ministering to young girls who have been kidnapped out of their village in the night, and are now working the streets if there is a devil.  Visit our team in India, or the Philippines, where they are physically carrying disabled children who have been abandoned.  Maybe spend some time with our team in China who are teaching English, but spending every other waking minute with the atheist and agnostic students  who have grown up under communism.  If you have time, venture out with our teams in Guatemala and Nicaragua to some of the poorest villages on the planet; there, you’ll be able to hand out food to people who are starving.

If you are under the assumption that there either is no devil, or that his work does not affect our world, then I pray that God opens your spiritual and physical eyes.  Keep in mind that all of our teams are largely interacting with unsaved people, most of whom are unreached.

There is a second part to John 10:10, however, and this is why we go to foreign countries, raise money, use vacation time, subject ourselves to less-than-favorable conditions, leave our families, and endure days upon days of rugged travel:  Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

He came and brought life.  Our world is broken, very broken.  Injustice seems to reign everywhere you go.  Poverty and sickness is rampant.  The final truth, however, is that Jesus has already come, He has already paid the ultimate price.

We as Christians are responsible for reaching our generation for Christ (Acts 16:36).  The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor. 5:14).  That is why we go.