SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne
So that...God's ways may be known on Earth.
"So That" is an FBC Boerne podcast focused on what God is doing around the world with missions and through FBC Missions partners.
SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne
Episode 70: MX MISSION REPORT Sawyer Werab God's Purpose Beyond Our Comfort Zone
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A spontaneous decision with just three days' notice led Sawyer Werab to his first international trip—a mission journey to Mexico that would profoundly transform his understanding of faith. Having grown up in church, Sawyer thought he understood Christianity until that moment when everything changed.
Speaking with remarkable candor, Sawyer shares how seeing joy in those who "had nothing" challenged his independent, analytical mindset. The team's practice of constant prayer—"praying when something went right, praying when something went wrong"—revealed a depth of dependence on God he'd never experienced in his comfortable Bernie, Texas lifestyle. "I didn't truly understand deep down how deeply I needed God," he confesses. "I knew all the words to say, I knew all the responses, but until I actually lived a life dependent on God, I didn't understand what I needed to be doing."
Now preparing for engineering studies at Clemson University, Sawyer discusses how his Spanish language skills opened unexpected ministry doors and how pride was checked during his second Mexico trip when stepping aside allowed God to work powerfully through others. His story beautifully illustrates how stepping outside our comfort zones—whether it's the "Bernie bubble," the "Texas bubble," or the "American bubble"—creates space for authentic spiritual growth.
For listeners considering mission work, Sawyer offers this compelling invitation: "If you're looking for a way to meet God in new ways, to truly understand why you believe what you believe, go to Mexico and work for God." The transformation, he explains, comes not primarily through the work itself but through relationships formed and a new understanding of dependence that's difficult to grasp in our self-sufficient American culture.
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Meeting Sawyer and His Journey
Speaker 1Hey everybody , welcome to FBC Missions so that Podcast . So glad that you joined us today . Today I have Sawyer Wareb with me in the studio . We're going to talk about his recent trip to Mexico with our church and I hope you enjoy . Welcome to FBC Missions so that Podcast . This is an encouraging place to hear how God is working in and around us . We know that he blesses His people so that they can bless the world around them . Join us as we discuss how to join God in all that he is doing . Why is God working in our life , church and community ? It's so that , through us , the world will know that he is needed . All right , everybody , so glad that you're with us today .
Speaker 1I'm here with Sawyer . How are you doing , sawyer ? I'm doing great , man , it's great to be here . It's great to have you here on the podcast with us today . We had some people from that team that were on the podcast yesterday , so you're the second recording . I've got another one as soon as this one's over . Let's go . Big representation . Yeah , we're getting some stories from Mexico coming out and I'm really excited to have you here with us . So , yeah , why don't you just introduce yourself for our listeners ? Tell us a little bit about who you are , what you've been doing and maybe why you wanted to go on this mission trip .
Speaker 2All right , let's start there For sure . My name is Sawyer . I went to Bernie High School the past four years , did band for about three years , got tired of that , decided to quit . I was in kind of worked with the football , in kind of an administrative capacity for two years and then I was the student council president this year . So kind of enjoyed some leadership stuff but really got involved in the church here at FBC . My sophomore year had a great group of friends , garrett's doing great stuff over in the uh , the youth um area , and so got involved and just loved the atmosphere and the and what they're doing there . So I I stuck here for quite a while .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's awesome . That's awesome , so uh . So tell me , how did you get interested in going to Mexico ?
Speaker 2That's a . It's a big story . So last year , uh , I was not , not going on the mission trip at all , kind of missed the deadline , and so I speak Spanish . So everybody's like aren't you going on the mission trip ? I was like I'm not going on the mission trip . I was really sad about it , but I was like , okay , I can't really do anything about it . Past the deadline .
Speaker 2And then Brandon Hines had to go do some insurance adjusting work in Florida because of hurricanes , and so they were like hey , sawyer , there's a spot open on the trip If you want to take it , um , you gotta put some money down and you gotta find your passport and stuff . But there you got a couple of days it was like three days before the trip . This was like Wednesday and the trip leaves on Sunday , and so it was wild . And I walk into the , to the youth building and I'm like Garrett , I want to go on this trip . So he puts me in contact with James Smith and we're trying to get this trip ironed out . My passport's almost expired . My dad finds it in the safe . We've got like a couple months left before I have to renew it .
Speaker 2Um , so like this , the , just everything lined up so close to , I was like this has to be , like , like God , this is such a God moment . And so I called my mom . I was like , hey , mom , like missions has been a huge part and like you're like , you said like mission trips changed your life . Like can we go on this ? And she was like , absolutely . So I was able to go on it like three days before , which my parents are usually not that flexible , but they made a , they made a change here , um , but ended up on the trip in a crazy , just just moment thing . Yeah , yeah , that's amazing .
Speaker 1Wow , uh , did you any ? Either one of your parents go with you , or it's just you last year , just me last year . Okay , is that have you been to mexico before that ?
Speaker 2I had not . My grandfather lives in mexico . Okay , uh , most of the time I think he's technically still a us citizen lives here , but he gets care for his family , uh , down there in mexico . He's got a daughter of cerebral palsy and so I had my passport , but he drives through like cartel , occupied like northern mexico and so my parents were like you're not going to drive down there , we'll get you your passport , but you're not going to do that .
Speaker 2And so mission trip was the first time I traveled internationally , first kind of deal , and it was great .
Speaker 1Okay , so explain to me how you know Spanish . That's a . That's not something that most Bernie kids have , so tell me that story .
Speaker 2So at Currington elementary they have a dual language program . I think they only have it at like two or three of the elementary schools here , but essentially they put your hat in like a , like a lottery , or they put your name in like a hat , draw a lottery and you can get in the dual language program . And so my mom put my you know name in the lottery or whatever , and I was able to be in the dual language program for six years at Currington Elementary . Wow , that's amazing .
Speaker 2Yeah so there's a . There's a couple of us that I know . I know Landon Wade and Garrett Stevens learned Spanish in elementary school , but the teachers at Carrington did a fantastic job in teaching us Spanish . Me and a couple of friends that I was with all six years learned Spanish pretty well over those years .
Speaker 1That's awesome . That's awesome . I lived in Mexico for a couple of years , so I speak some Spanish , but mine has never been correct . So a couple of years ago , when I was in McAllen , I went to a language school for a little while . A couple years ago , when I was in McAllen , I went to a language school for a little while . It was designed to be a full-time , one-year program and I was doing that on top of a full-time job and so there's no way .
Speaker 1So probably three months in I couldn't keep up with the workload , but it made my Spanish a little bit better . But it's always jealous to meet people who have really good Spanish that have trained well . So that's incredible and that's going to serve you well for your entire life . So did you get to use your Spanish a lot in Mexico ?
Speaker 2Like they understood you you felt good about it . Yeah , I mean , my Spanish is not as like , it's not as fast and as natural as there , cause they're speaking it every day , um , but it's , it's enough . Where you know , I started to kind of think in Spanish while I was down there . I'd never done that before , like it was like it was . I'm usually translating like in my head , and this this year I was able to like like I was like just going straight to , straight to words , and so that was great , um , but yeah , I mean , uh , I got to really use my Spanish , probably more this year . Um , I've been able to kind of speak to the kids both years . Garrett gave me some opportunities , could kind of share , write a little message . Both times I was in Mexico . But this year really was a different experience because I went in with a purposeful kind of like I am going to make relationships .
Speaker 1I'm going to talk to people . Yeah , you kind of knew what you were walking into this year Exactly , yeah , yeah , yeah . Second time it's a little different experience . You get to kind of build on last year instead of kind of laying foundation . Well , that's amazing . So this year , I mean I think we might have answered it a little bit already , but what made you want to go back ?
Speaker 2I mean last year was incredible . It changed my relationship with God like for years . Right Grew up in Bernie here Pretty similar story to a lot of people here right , like you know , did the whole church thing . I was baptized . I understood like Jesus died for my sins and things , but I don't think I fully understood . Like I don't think I fully understood . Like I didn't grasp the idea of like how broken I am as a person and how much I need to depend on God , like I was just like yeah .
Speaker 2I'm a sinner and , yeah , I need a savior , and that's great . And I didn't really understand the fact that it was like man , I really need to depend on God , like daily . And so , going down there to Mexico and being with people , we were just praying whenever something went right , praying when something went wrong , and being with people , we were just praying whenever something went right , praying when something went wrong . It was fantastic and it changed my perspective on how the whole Bible and how this life is supposed to be . And so I went back not with really trying to meet those same expectations , because a lot of my friends went down there and gained a similar perspective and it changed their lives in different ways .
Speaker 2But since I didn't have any preparation the first year , I just kind of went in just like blindly , like three days before , like we'll do whatever . Sure , I was able to do that this year also , um , and although I had like memories and perspectives and things , that ways , my life changed the previous year . I was able to walk in with kind of open hands and be like whatever you have for me , lord , whatever you have for me Lord , um , and so it was a different perspective , it was a different experience , but it was also similarly changing .
Speaker 1Yeah , so some of the things that you're talking about that first year you went , maybe the practices of the team , like how often you guys are seeking God , you're spending that time and I think you're saying that that that by engaging with that kind of kind of daily discipline , that it it kind of gave you a different view of the Christian life . Is that is ? Is that a good summary of what you're trying to say ?
Speaker 2Yeah for sure , I just you know , I , I didn't think , I truly felt , like I didn't truly understand deep down how deeply I needed God . I understood a base level . I knew all the words to say , I knew all the responses to every answer , but until I actually lived a life that was dependent on God .
Speaker 1I didn't understand , like , what I needed to be doing in life . So what happened in Mexico that made that visible ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I mean , I walked down there just living a life in sin at home , right , and not realizing how broken I was . And then I went down there and saw people joyful and they had nothing . And I saw us praying even though everything was going right . And when we needed some guidance , instead of thinking more , we prayed more . Instead of rationalizing and planning more , we said , you know what , we'll depend on God
How Spanish Opened Mission Doors
Speaker 2for a solution . And that was transformative into the way I do life , because I'm a very independent person . I think a lot of like to think analytically and data driven and that kind of thing , and I'm going to be an engineering major and so I think about things that way . And so whenever I learned to depend in Mexico , I was like , wow , like there's , this is what dependent dependence is , like I don't need to be independent in everything , I can be dependent on God .
Speaker 1Yeah , not to mention that there's going to be lots of things in your life that you're just not going to know how to do and issues and circumstances that arise that we kind of come to the end of our capability , and especially when you're talking about , let's just say , for instance , an extremely impoverished family in Mexico , you can't fix their situation . There's really nothing that we can give apart from an encouraging word , you know , maybe a small amount of food that may last them for some hours or days , and then obviously we can pray for them . But that's kind of where you leave it . But you're right , like there's a level at which we all are dependent on God from one minute to the next . It just doesn't feel quite as exposed in the world that we live in here For sure . So you wanted to go back , you wanted to kind of get another feeling for it , you wanted to kind of build little closer relationships with some of the people that you met . So how did that go ?
Speaker 2It was fantastic . So last year there was a lot of—I would say there was a lot of emotions last year because a lot of lives were just dramatically changed and I don't know if there was exactly anything specific that we did practically , but the Lord moved for sure last year and so we kind of went into this year kind of expecting a little bit of the same . But and you know , it's hard to change your life again when your life's been like already so crazily changed the previous year Like I went from a mindset where I didn't really understand Christianity to where I understand Christianity , and so it's not like that I'm going to experience that same change again this year . But I was still able to , like you know , build on relationships with team members , and I was going into it this year where I can purposefully be like I'm going to serve the Lord , I'm going to serve the Lord , I'm going to depend on the Lord , instead of being shocked at how to depend on the Lord . Yeah , of course .
Speaker 1Of course . Well , there's so many different things we could ask , but let me ask you this what are a couple things , maybe events , that just stand out to you from this ?
Speaker 2year's trip that just impacted your heart and mind . Yeah , I mean the first day we kind of poured some concrete , and we always do concrete , we do some shoveling and do some— Heavy manual labor .
Speaker 1Uh-huh , it's good stuff .
Speaker 2We love it down in Mexico , but the guy that was working , I mean he didn't really know Christ and I saw Brian Austin kind of talk to him and stuff and I was like I didn't talk to him .
Speaker 2Maybe I should make a point out of this . And so just kind of going through that next week trying to trying to talk to like the people around me , even like my friends in the group , and trying to be like like ask deep questions and and I'm most recently kind of learning from especially one of my friends , Sam Mosier , how to ask questions deeply and find those relationships , um , cause they don't just come from surface level conversations , um , but but yeah , we also I'd say the biggest event that was probably impactful for me was the youth night . So I was expected , or I was not expected , but I was told that I was going to be giving a message that night . I'd been preaching kind of the same message all week to the kiddos , kind of a dumbed down version of Noah's Ark or not Noah's Ark . Yeah , no , another boat story has a whale Jonah .
Speaker 1Sorry , brain's a little dead right now . Jonah's story , yeah .
Speaker 2Jonah , the story of Jonah . I was talking about the story of Jonah all week and I was supposed to give that same kind of message at youth and I just kind of felt like the Lord telling me like you shouldn't be talking tonight , like I think you should just let Garrett do this . And I was like , hey , garrett , do it , find yourself a different—because I'm not good at translating . I can speak Spanish but I'm not good at translating . I was like find a like defensive kind of posture in my mind , like like I could do this better even though he's a pastor , and he's way better than me .
Speaker 2I was like like I was getting fed these thoughts in my head which I can now recognize as the enemy , but I was like I could do this better . I can have a better analogy . I could , you know , be more engaging . And I realized like the Lord is trying to check my heart here , like I'm think . And then that night , like multiple people , like I think it was eight or 10 people got saved at that event , like after the worship and Garrett's teaching and stuff , and I realized that it was more than just God wanting to check my heart . But I was being prideful even in recognizing that because it was God was trying to use Garrett , god was trying to move and I was in the way and so it wasn't just about like Sawyer , he needs his heart checked and that kind of thing . It was like the Lord is going to move mightily and Sawyer needs to get out of the way and so , unless I'm a willing vessel of God , I need to not be trying to put on a show .
Speaker 1Yeah , of course . Of course Everybody has to walk through that some space or place any leader , that some space or place any leader anytime that we realize that not only do our personalities and at times our skill sets make a difference , but how they relate and compare to the people around us are constantly kind of being pushed around in our culture and so , yeah , that's really interesting , really really fun little piece there for that to stand out for you . Yeah .
Speaker 2Well , that's a God moment .
Speaker 1Yeah , it's amazing . You know , every trip , every trip has , I'd say , limitless opportunities for those type things where it's an internal heart issue , where you're just like man , I need to figure this out . It could be something like that where you want to teach , you don't get an opportunity to , or you step away and then feel like maybe you should have there's hundreds of those examples , but it could be even smaller like how you get along with people around you , the people that drive you crazy .
Speaker 1The team was one of the biggest teams we've ever sent 42 people on Mexico team , so that's a lot of different cars , that's a lot of different homes , that's a lot of places you're staying in .
Speaker 1That's a lot of different cars , that's a lot of different homes , that's a lot of places you're staying in . There's a lot of logistical deviation from one group to the next , and so there's a lot of pieces to that trip . Some of it happens outside of our control . Last year , actually two years ago our air conditionings didn't work the whole week in the houses and everyone was kind of hot and a little miserable and trying to figure out how to , how to how to succeed in a very warm environment , and one of the takeaways was people live in this country without air conditioning .
Speaker 2Yes , exactly it's crazy .
Speaker 1We're so accustomed to having air conditioning and you go to a place and you don't have it . How uncomfortable it is for us , for sure . But well , that's interesting . Well , there's so many pieces to this . So you're graduated from high school . Now , that's right . You're going on to college .
Speaker 2Looks like you're going to clemson , you've got the bright orange a beautiful , bright orange columbia clemson fishing shirt . Beautiful is a hard thing , I saw it on the clearance rack for 24 at the clemson fan shop and I said that is beautiful , specifically the prize tag . But yeah , that is beautiful specifically the prize tag . But yeah , that is beautiful , yeah , you know if you're going to go to Clemson then we'll let you call that beautiful .
Speaker 1So I think it's the wrong orange . I like a little more burnt orange personally , but that's exciting , though for you that's a long ways away . So let me ask you this question . You know you've gone to this mission trip twice . You mentioned early on today that your mother had been impacted by mission trips in her life . Um , how do you think this is going to impact you ? Moving forward , like you're going to go to college
Transformation Through Dependence
Speaker 1you're freshman at clemson it's gonna be a lot going on , not only academics , but just the campus life . It's gonna be a lot happening . Uh , I think clemson likes football too , so there's going to be a huge sports fanaticism in that college , like there is in Texas as well .
Speaker 2I think we're like number two in the preseason rankings . I think it's really big . Yeah , we'll see how that goes .
Speaker 1So all of that to say how is what you're taking from your time in the student ministry , your time as a student here , especially since our focus is those ministry trips ? What are you taking and how do you think it's going to impact you as you move forward ?
Speaker 2Yeah , the group of friends that I've had throughout the youth group . I've got a great group of senior friends and we've really grown in our walk with Christ over the last couple years . I mean , we are not the same people that we are when I met them sophomore year and so being able to grow with them , that kind of thing . And now , instead of you know sending each other like songs that are explicit , we're sending each other . You know podcasts and sermons , and so Sam Mosier sent me a podcast . It was by a guy named Jonathan Pluta . He's a pastor in Waco and he had a sermon called Missional and it was talking about how you live a mission-centered life . So you're not just going on a mission trip , but every aspect of your day should be missional .
Speaker 2So I think , going into college , I need to be well aware of that . College is a place where there's a lot of areas and places where the enemy kind of runs rampant and Satan has his way with a lot of college kids and is able to distract people from what really matters . And so as I go to Clemson , I need to be aware of the fact that I have a huge opportunity right here to make a difference . When it is the darkest is the opportunity for me to shine the brightest . And so by living a life that honors God , without you know deviation not you know drinking one night and then you know deciding to go to church the next day or whatever , but living a Christ-centered life and purposefully trying to make deep and meaningful conversations with people , build relationships . Hopefully I can live a mission-centered life in Clemson , yeah .
Speaker 1I think you're going to have opportunities . Of course , you have to look for them , right you ?
Speaker 2have to be intentional .
Speaker 1But there's a couple things I would tell you . When you get over there , look for a perspectives class . It won't be the find a church first or a student body . There's going to be a lot On campus . There's going to be a number of ministries that you can check out . If there's a perspectives class , you're going to want to take it , because what it's going to do is it's going to shape that heart .
Speaker 1You've mentioned the word perspectives a couple times , even how you talk about how Mexico shifted the way that you thought . Well , this class is designed to kind of shift the way that you believe , so that you see what God's been doing throughout human history and find ways to use his gifts and his talents that he's placed in you for his purpose , and it's a different thing . So everyone that takes it goes oh , I wish I had taken this when I was younger . It would have shaped how I live my life differently .
Speaker 1But most of the people that are taking it here in Bernie are retired and every one of them to a T said if I wish I'd had this when I was 19 , I wish I had this when I was 20 , 25 . Well , you're going to have that opportunity and I'll tell you . If you're interested , even reach out to me , let me know . I'll help you find one and I'll even help you get some of the costs established for it , because it costs money . They bring in different instructors , be some in the spring . But , my goodness , if you have a heart for engaging , god's heart for the nations , that class is going to just kind of fuel the fire that God puts inside you .
Speaker 1So take an opportunity , put it in the back of your mind that sometime in the next five years you want to take perspectives . It'll shape you so well and it'll give you a really good way to both understand what God's been doing and your place and how that fits . Also start thinking God's going to use that Spanish in a lot of ways . Right , but there's so many different needs around the world missionally and I love our Mexico trip it's a great place for people to go kind of get their feet wet , understand not only the poverty needs of the nations , but just right here in our own backyard , very close to us , there are places a lot of people go to Cancun but very few people go to Cancun and see what we see on our trips Right .
Speaker 1They see just the tourist district , they see just the beautiful blue ocean . They don't see the needs of a of a two million person region that has a lot of poverty built in and built around it . But there's so many , so many neat things there for for us to go and experience in Presidium and bring lasting change , you know .
Speaker 2So , that's .
Speaker 1That's going to be awesome . There's gonna be so many . So , man , look for opportunities to see where God might take you . Elsewise , Like you know , um , there are Spanish speaking parts of North Africa that uh , that would be really unique .
Speaker 1Uh , for , for someone who speaks Spanish , morocco for instance , or Algeria , there's these places where you can go in , the entire city speaks Spanish and yet they're a Muslim background , different kind of culture altogether than what you see in Latin America . So expand those horizons , keep growing , so you can see and get an idea of what God's doing , kind of in the full picture and then , as you start to kind of narrow down on your profession and your eventual life , yeah , figure out how that all fits together , you know .
Speaker 2For sure .
Speaker 1So I'm telling that to Sawyer because he's 18 and he's about to go to college , but anyone listening had the same thing , whether you're 18 or 15 or 55 or 75 , like all of us are looking for how do we participate in what God's doing around us ? And so maybe the scope changes in different seasons of our life , but at the same time , the calling doesn't , so we can be fully engaged in God's mission right here in Bernie , or to the ends of the earth , or even over there in Clemson , for sure . So that's awesome . Well , let's go back to Mexico . So if someone was to ask you if they should go , what would you tell them ?
Speaker 2Man , I mean it will change your life . Be careful right .
Speaker 1Be careful .
Speaker 2If you are looking for a way to meet God in new ways , if you're looking for a way to just truly understand why you believe what you believe , go to Mexico and go work for God , because it's not even about the work . Most of the time it's about the relationships that you form with the people , the relationships that you form with your team members and just the behaviors that you'll engage in . The prayer . I thought the prayer is the single most transforming aspect of the mission work down there . It was just the dependence on God and so , even if you understand that dependence and stuff , being able to exercise that in a way that you we can't really do in the United States , because you know we have everything at our fingertips , um is is great , um , and being able to kind of check yourself , yeah , yeah it's .
Speaker 1It's really submitting ourselves to what God's doing a moment , moment , right , yeah , and so that's incredible . There's some really neat things too when you get outside your comfort zone . This is especially poignant for those of us who are , I would call it , kind of affluent , middle class , kind of your classic Bernie right . Nobody in Bernie likes being a suburb of San Antonio but , kind of like it or not .
Speaker 1That's kind of where we're landing now . Right , people from the city are moving out here . They love Kendall County . It gets them outside the city , but they have resources . It's super expensive to live in this little town it didn't used to be that way , but
Pride Checked at Youth Night
Speaker 1it is now for sure and so you get this idea where you've got a lot of believers . They're affluent , they have what they need , they have everything they want in some ways , and it's really hard to get a glimpse of what God's doing outside of our bubble . And everyone jokes about the Bernie bubble , but it goes beyond that .
Speaker 2There's a .
Speaker 1Bernie bubble , there's a Texas bubble , there's a United States bubble , and uh , and it's really hard to get outside of those things without going outside the United States . And and uh . And . While Mexico is semi familiar , there's a lot of Spanish speakers around us . We all know what tacos and salsa , and uh and uh and uh , fiestas and we know what ? Uh , you know basic kind of Hispanic culture . We're familiar with it . We're Texas , we used to be Mexico .
Speaker 1So , there's enough , but you still get there and all of a sudden you're confronted with another world . They don't use dollars .
Speaker 2They don't speak English .
Speaker 1They don't have any of the things that we take for granted . Like you know , everyone doesn't have a car and everyone doesn't have air conditioning .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , the Coke tastes different , so people can argue whether it's better or not . But all that to say that it's such an important thing for those of us who grew up in the United States to get a sense of what God's doing outside . But I'll tell you again , like I mentioned earlier , if you step into a place like Turkey , it's a completely different world . You go to the of georgia . You don't recognize a few words . None of them are the same you know like you go to india and everything from worldview .
Speaker 1Worldview to faith , to food , to culture , to custom , to language , to to ethnic background , to skin color it's all different right like there's nothing familiar about it at all and uh , and those things are .
Speaker 1Again , it helps us to see that one . We've been blessed . God has blessed us so much to uh , to put us in this place , and it's really not of our own desire . We had no ability to choose where we were born or when we were born . Um , it's just , uh , it's just what God has happened to give us , and so what responsibility do we have to share that blessing with the world around us ? So let's , let me just kind of we're about a couple more minutes here . So a couple of things I'd like to ask us as we finish . We talked about some big moments on the trip and we talked about kind of what you would say to someone who's considering going . But what are you anticipating the most ? You're going to school . Obviously , that means you're investing significantly into your academic , your educational future . But what are you thinking when it comes to what God's calling you to spiritually ? You talked about even sharing the gospel at school , but are you preparing for any kind of ministry or what are you thinking as far as your spiritual life ?
Speaker 2Yeah , so last year when I went to Cairo , a couple of us had already been kind of considering ministry . I like sharing with people and discussing things and building relationships and so I'd love to do something involving people . But right now my major is engineering . Because after Cairo , you know , I expressed interest in ministry and I talked to a couple of pastors Pastor Nick Person who was teaching there , or Nick , I think that was his name and I talked to Garrett and stuff and we were able to kind of talk through that and Garrett said you know , you can always do ministry with whatever undergraduate degree you have . You know , you can go and do ministry when you're 30 , when you're 40 . You don't need to do it immediately . He said that's what I did , because I felt like I was kind of bailing on God if I didn't pursue ministry directly as an undergraduate . But he said there's a lot of people that went a different path and so I felt like it was . It was . It was like God was pushing me towards the engineering area . I just felt more peaceful about it and so I decided to go engineering and and we'll see what happens but I would love to do some sort of ministry related work in the in the future , whether that means , you know , I , I go to seminary and I and I become a pastor , that'd be an that'd be an interesting avenue that I'd like to explore or the other means I'm just kind of working .
Speaker 2Like you know , brian Austin is a member here at this church and he does a lot of great work with the missions group . He's a leader in that , especially in the Yucatan trip . But he has like a job . He works a real job , of course , not a real job but like a daily job that many other people would work but you , not a real job , but like a daily job that many other people would work . But I would love to explore some sort of ministry-related work .
Speaker 1Well , there's going to be endless opportunities and just so you know , I do think that it's an incredible thing to be a professional who loves Jesus and lives out their walk with God in a secular environment . There's some people in Scripture that did that Like . If I ask you , did Jesus have a job ? What are you going to say ?
Speaker 2No , no Did he . Oh , he was a carpenter .
Speaker 1Oh man , you actually knew that already . I knew that one . Yeah , what about Paul ? Did Paul have a job ?
Speaker 2Paul was one of the Pharisees , wasn't he ?
Speaker 1He was a Pharisee , but he had an actual career too . He was a tent maker . He literally prepared tents for the Roman army .
Speaker 2Oh , I didn't know that .
Speaker 1Actually all the guys you know in Scripture , especially the New Testament . They all had jobs outside of their work with the ministry . Most of them are fishermen . We all know that too . But here's the crazy thing is , god gives you completely unique opportunities when you work inside . I hate to use the word secular world because it's the world we all live in . Sometimes , if you work in a church . You're stuck , not stuck , but you're placed in this Christian bubble .
Speaker 1And the only people that come in and out are either Christians or Christian adjacent people , like I say , christian adjacent . If they know to come to the church for help , they're Christian adjacent .
Speaker 2Yeah , exactly you know what .
Speaker 1they already know where to go , but there is a whole nother segment of society that lives outside the walls of the church and and sometimes on purpose , like they don't want to have anything to do with the church .
Speaker 1And so those are the people that the gospel say that the you leave the 99 to go after the one kind of a thing Like who's going to take the gospel to them if they're not willing to come here ? You know they're not going to send their kids a vacation Bible school , they're not going to come to Bernie Bright Light Night because it's cool . They're going to stay away from churches . So how do we engage
Mission-Centered Life at College
Speaker 1them with the gospel ? Well , we engage them with the gospel by having a Christian population that's engaged among the lost , that's willing to love them , care for them , meet their needs , pray for them and , of course , share the gospel when God opens those doors as well , for sure . Well , sawyer , it's super exciting to get to know you . This is really the first time we've had a conversation . So I've been here for almost three years now and I get to meet new people on a podcast like this . So I'm excited to get to know you and pray for you . Hopefully we'll see you when you come back and visit at the holidays , for sure .
Speaker 1And , honestly , if you're going to be back next summer and you want to go on a mission trip there's a lot of places to go let's go trying to work on a trip that maybe is an alternative to mexico , so that some of you guys who've been there several times might have , uh , at least a choice if you want to look at something else that was a big trip , that was a massive trip . There's a lot of people .
Speaker 1I don't think we can take 50 , 60 yeah , so I think we're kind of maxed out 35 to 40 , maybe the the biggest kind of trip we can take down there and um , and that's okay , it's great , um . But we also know we've got man .
Speaker 1I think we're taking almost 200 people to cairo so like crazy if only 10 , which is 20 people from cairo , want to go to mexico next year . Like we don't have space for the people that went this year too . So we've got to figure out how to , how to build capacity for , for other avenues and venues and and maybe young adult focus trip or something like that . But anyway , pray for us as we think through what that means and what that entails .
Speaker 1Garrett and I have been talking and already have some ideas but , too early to share in a podcast , so we'll just keep that there . Well , you're leaving , probably next month .
Speaker 2It's July 1st so in August you're going to head out there About August 11th , I think we'll start our little road trip , based on Southern Barbecue , out to Clemson .
Speaker 1Okay , okay , it's a lot of great barbecue between here and . Clemson . So that'll be awesome , and yeah , so you've got six weeks left to be a kid .
Speaker 2Then you're going to be a college student .
Speaker 1Exactly Well , enjoy it . Enjoy it . How can we pray for you ?
Speaker 2How can we pray for you , man . I would just pray that the Lord would keep me humble Like I said , I really struggle with pride and I need to be checked a lot and then the Lord would give me opportunities to share and boldness to share , in that you know that I would be able to make a difference for the kingdom , not out of my own volition , but that I'd be an empty and open vessel for the Lord's use .
Speaker 1Man , that's awesome . So if you're listening today , make sure you pray for Sawyer . Pray that God would just lead him as he really builds a new life and a new place with a whole new set of people . So that's a hard thing to jump into , but you're going to love it . It's going to be great .
Speaker 2Thank you .
Speaker 1Well , those of you who are listening , you always know why we do this . It's the Psalm 67 , you know , may God bless us and make his face shine on us . But it doesn't end there . It says so that his name will be made known among the nations and his salvation among all the peoples . And so if you're being , if you know , if you can recognize the blessing that God has put in your life , then today share that blessing with someone else , whether that's in a word of encouragement , whether that's in some sort of kind deed , or whether that's sharing the hope of salvation with them as well . Be the blessing that God's placed you in their world to be .
Speaker 1Don't take that blessing and just hoard it . It's not just for us , it's for those around us . So be a blessing to those around you . I hope that this has been encouraging to you . If you have any questions or comments , we'd love to hear more and I hope it's been a blessing . So have a wonderful day . God bless , we are so thankful that you joined our podcast today . We would love to hear any feedback you may have for us . Remember , Psalm 67 says may God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that always may be known on earth and your salvation among all nations . Don't forget why the Lord blesses us it's so that we can be a blessing to those around us . Until next time , God bless .