Friday, July 26, 2013

10 Years: A Reflection



This month, we celebrate GI’s 10th anniversary.  Since our first year, we have sent out over 130 mission teams, to 13 countries, comprised of over 1,700 missionaries!   

With every GI mission trip I have the privilege of leading, I am always amazed at how the Bible comes alive in a very different way among our team members.  When we are walking through remote villages, and seeing people in extreme poverty, we must rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment.  They are sick, and need medicine, care, and healing.  They are hungry, and need food and clean water.  They are unemployed, work in agonizing and even dangerous conditions, or treated very poorly by their superiors - yet they did nothing to deserve any of these situations.  The children rarely attend school, mostly because they must work, or help at home so others can work.  Most importantly, many of them do not know Jesus because there is no consistent Gospel presence in their area.   Yet we as Christians are called to go.  We are called to go intentionally into the darkest corners of the world and be a light.  We are to look into the eyes of those whom the devil desires to steal from, kill, and destroy.  We must go, because they must hear.  We go with a message of hope, to the most dire of situations, because Jesus promised that He can provide life, and life more abundantly than they could ever imagine.


Those who have had the opportunity to minister on the foreign mission field begin to realize how desperate the situations we see really are.  Though we may bring food, medicine, and clothes, or build a home, school or church, people still need more.  Virtually everything we do will either run out, or deteriorate.  That is why the world needs Jesus.  He is the Bread of Life.  He is the Living Water.  He is the Great Physician.  He is the Father to the fatherless.  He is our Defender.  He is our Provider.  He is the only solution to a lost, hurting, and dying world, because He never runs out.

In the last few months, Global Infusion teams have fed hundreds of people (Guatemala, Philippines, Nicaragua), facilitated outreaches for hundreds of children (Ukraine, Philippines), built a home (Nicaragua), and engaged in one-on-one evangelism (Uruguay, Nicaragua, Nepal, and one closed nation), and held village services in unreached areas (Tanzania, Ghana, Philippines).  In each country, the love of God was shown in a tangible way, and the Gospel was declared.  We have seen many people surrender their lives to Jesus, and we are thankful for each of you who have supported us in order to see this world changed for the glory of God.