For those of you who may be new here, let me tell you what SEND North America is all about. For the past seven years, we have been training up young adult disciples to be missionaries to their communities. We are trying to break this new norm of thinking that missionaries are only those who go overseas to reach people for Christ. While those missionaries are amazing, that is not the only way. If you look at how Jesus and his disciples did ministry, you will see that it was primarily through relationships and intentionality as they lived their lives. We can do that every day in our jobs, at the gym, or while sipping coffee at a local café. So, how do we do that during SEND? During the 10 months, young adults experience teachings from 50+ local pastors and ministry leaders who are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the topics that they are teaching, which include “Overview of the Bible,” “Apologetics,” “Sports Outreach,” “Leadership,” and many more. The young adults also get to put what they are learning into practice by participating in weekly mission in the local community along with seven national mission trips, all with a different ministry focus. Then we top off the 10 months with an international mission trip. Whether a young adults end up working in full-time ministry or in the workplace, they have spent 10 months getting to know God more, learned how to serve people wherever they are, and are equipped to reach those around them for Christ.
Now that we are, hopefully, all caught up, I am excited to share that our 2018-2019 SEND team is all moved in and has made it through the first month of the SEND experience! I am so thankful to have three faithful young people who are ready to learn and serve. God has already shown us so many amazing things, and I am expectant for that to continue. God is so good! Now, I am going to let the young adults share what their first month has been like, so you can get a glimpse into their time so far:
“We just recently went on a mission to Holland, Michigan, to serve in a homeless shelter. We stayed in the shelter with the residents, and it was nice to be on the same level as the people we were trying to reach, because we didn’t want any of them to get the feeling that we thought we were better than them. The first night we were there, we had game night at the women’s shelter and there was a young man named Trey – oh boy, was he funny. He sang us a song in Japanese and English; it was truly awesome. The second night we were there, we had game night at the men’s shelter, and it was an amazing experience to get to talk with some of the residents and to hear parts of their testimonies.” – Vanessa
“Each SEND young adult is paired up with an adult, not directly affiliated with the ministry, to be their mentor. My mentor’s name is Liz, and while I have only met up with her once so far, I know that God purposely chose her to be my mentor. We talked for a solid three hours, and it is amazing how on fire she is for the Lord and how the Holy Spirit seems to just seep through her. We have so much in common, and she already is such a blessing in my life. I can’t wait for our future get-togethers and for all of the learning, stretching, and growing she will guide me through.” – Morgan
“…we recently took a trip to Holland, Michigan, to visit a homeless shelter. The people we met and the stories they had to tell were so amazing, and God is changing lives. They showed me that no matter where I am in life and no matter what I’ve done, God will still love me and use me to reach the lost. He also has been beginning to teach me that it’s not me who is changing lives back to Christ; it’s the Holy Spirit working in them. So, I have been having to humble myself and be reminded that this is not by my hand. He may use me, but I am not in control, and I am very thankful for that.” – Andrew
We are off to an amazing start here in Kendallville, Indiana, and I can’t wait to share more stories with you all about how God is moving, working, and blessing. Thank you for supporting SEND, and I pray that you will be challenged and encouraged by hearing more about what we are up to!