“Why?” You ask. Why in the world would a 20 year old guy like me spend well over a thousand dollars to go to another country? Why would I “waste” ½ month of my life to go “sightseeing” in Peru? This is a country where I cannot speak the language. I cannot share the Gospel other than handing out tracts. You may wonder why I didn’t just stay in America, save the money, and witness to souls here. However, I would like to share a few thoughts about what a recent missions trip has done in my life. I also think that these things would be true for any Christian.

We are all self-centered. We all grow up in our part of town. We know where the local stores are. We know where our neighbors live. We know what people are like. We have our friends. We get comfortable in our zone. Whether you want to admit it or not, we all get stuck in a rut. Every day we wake up and go do the same things. We get into a routine. We don’t expand our vision. We are like a man looking at his feet. Going on a missions trip will help open our eyes. It will help you dream. It will get you out of your comfort zone. When I went to Arequipa, Peru, I realized that there is far more than my small bubble of friends in life. There are millions of people that live totally different than me. Seeing that helped me to have a whole new perspective on life. 

Going on a missions trip will help you realize that our God is a worldwide God. He not only works in America, but all around the world. As Americans, we often tend to think that we are the only ones in the world. Going on a missions trip will help you realize that there is a big need in another country. You will  see that God changes lives in South America as well as in North America. God saves souls in Africa the same way he does in America. There is not just a small part of Atlanta, GA that God cares about. (That is where I live.) He cares about the entire world. He has a worldwide heart. Seeing the thousands of lights from the city of Arequipa, Peru made me think about all the souls there and how God wanted to see them saved just as much as he wants the people in Alpharetta, GA to believe on Him. It is almost like taking the blinders off a horse. Sometimes it is easy to think that God is limited to one country or one continent. He is not! We just have that view, and taking a missions trip will help open our eyes.

Taking a missions trip will burden your heart like nothing else. Riding by thousands of people who would not even know what a Baptist Church is, shows you how much the Gospel is needed. I got to walk up to a hill that overlooks the city. On the top there is an idol that the Peruvians worship. It is a cross with a dying Jesus on it.  Whenever you need a lot of help, you can go up there pray and burn candles to this idol. These people are blinded so that they trust in saints and statues. They think that dead works can bring them salvation. There was also a monastery that I was able to visit. Inside the building there were hundreds of pictures of Mary. There were a few of Jesus. One picture said, “The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world”. On that picture was Mary. The Catholics are not saved. They are not even near it. They are idol worshipers! They are going to Hell, and I have the Gospel that can radically change their lives. Seeing this gave me a much bigger desire to get the news of Jesus out, and take the Gospel to everyone.

I want to challenge you plan a missions trip in the next year. I can promise you that it will change your life. It will open your eyes to see beyond your circle of friends, and give you a greater desire to serve Jesus. It will be worth every dollar and minute you spend.

Feel free to contact me if you would like any information about how, when, and where to go on a missions trip. I am not an expert but I know missionaries that are experts and would love to help in any way possible.