Crossroads Podcast: Global Missions (BONUS)

A bonus episode exploring the greater call to global missions, featuring stories and reflections from a recent trip to Guatemala and practical ways we can join God’s work around the world.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

But if you really feel like God is calling you to go, I just encourage you to, you know, step out in faith and and he provides.

SPEAKER_04 0:11

Those people are going to heaven because you said yes, you know, because you said yes to showing up and having a conversation with them that day. It's insane. It's it's so cool. Welcome to the Crossroads Podcast. My name is Jake Christie. I'm our discipleship pastor here at Crossroads, and I get the awesome blessing to get to be the host of the Crossroads Podcast. Today I'm sitting with some pretty awesome people. Really, really thankful for all your guys' time being here today. Let's go around and just introduce ourselves really quick, uh, because I think this is yeah, this is everybody's first time on the podcast. So other than me, we're full of rookies here. It's good stuff. Uh, but we're talking about missions today. And some of you guys just got back from a missions trip that we're gonna hear about a little bit here soon, but I'm stoked. Let's hear from you first, Sonia. Why don't you tell us who you are uh and then what you do here at Crossroads uh and how how long you've been here. Uh and I'd also love to hear really quickly like what your first mission trip was.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Okay. Well, my name is Sonia Spade, and I have the privilege of leading global missions here at Crossroads. I have been on staff for two years, but I've actually been part of the Crossroads family for almost 26 years. So I've been here for a long time. Um my first mission trip was as a teenager. I went just uh here in the U.S., I think South Carolina. We just did a an outreach, um, which really ignited a passion in me. And but I didn't get the opportunity to go on another trip until 2005, and that was to Mexico. So that was my first international trip.

SPEAKER_04 1:52

Very cool. That was my first international trip, too, was Mexico. Get this. My youth pastor loaded up like 180 students and drove on buses and drove us from central Indiana across the border into Mexico. Crazy. I couldn't, I cannot imagine doing that. But that was my first trip. That's awesome. Cool. Well, thank you very much for being here today, Sonny. I appreciate you. Tim, let's hear let's hear from you, man. Tell us a little about who you are uh and how long you've been at Crossroads and your first mission trip that you ever went on.

SPEAKER_03 2:22

Yeah, so my name's Tim Weber. Um I've been coming to Crossroads for eight years now. Yeah, back in 2018 started coming. Um, and my first mission trip was actually here with the church um just two and a half years ago. Got a chance to go to Uganda. My wife and I both got to go and um Yeah, been on a few since then. But yeah, first one was 2023.

SPEAKER_04 2:49

Wow, that's really cool. What what did you guys do while you were there?

SPEAKER_03 2:53

Oh man, there was a lot in Uganda. Um, but yeah, some stuff with uh the kids and the schools there helping out, and we got to do some farming, make a garden for a lady. We got to go out and do some evangelism, which I was very nervous about. But that was actually one of the best days on the trip. Um yeah, there was a lot of stuff. But yeah, fantastic trip. And then that kind of led into a few more and most recently Guatemala, and now here we are.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

Awesome, very, very cool. Well, thanks for being here today, Tim. Appreciate your time. Cutting on the day to be here. Really, really grateful. Roxy, let's hear from you. Tell us about your first trip and how long you've been at Crossroads.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Okay, um, my name is Roxanne Treschler. Uh, I have been coming to Crossroads since I was a sophomore in high school, which involves math. So I don't know, 24, 25 years ago, I don't know, something like that. Um, I work in the coffee shop here, but also um, you know, I've worked in children's ministry before and just serve all around. Um, but as far as my first mission trip, I think my first one was helping with the food in Louisville, uh, with the student ministry, taking them down there as far as kind of local, still in the US. But my first international mission trip was to Cambodia in 2018. Oh wow. Um, and since then I've been to Guatemala three times. So very cool.

SPEAKER_04 4:19

How long was that flight to Cambodia?

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Really long, really long. Uh the longest one was 14 hours. The longest flight. That was one of three flights and a six-hour bus trip. Wow. So much yes, it's a long travel, but it's so worth it. So worth it.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

How many times have you been to Cambodia Song?

SPEAKER_04 4:39

Five. Five. Wow. That's amazing. That's but tell tell us what what what happens in Cambodia, just a little bit about that mission partner, a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

So Asia's Hope, um, we sponsor two homes in Baton Bong, Cambodia.

SPEAKER_04 4:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

And they each have about 22 children. So that trip we get to connect with with our, we call them our family, and we get to um spend time with the kids, encourage the kids, but we also do village outreach and evangelism in the community.

SPEAKER_04 5:10

That's really cool. Uh, can can you really quick, Sonia, just to try to give uh all of our viewers like a picture of uh our our relationship to our global missions partners, really quick. Maybe if you could just quickly list off like where in the world are we supporting right now? How are we connected to them? Uh, that would be, I think, huge for maybe people that are newer to our church that don't know some of this stuff, but even like people that can just be joining us in prayer and maybe supporting in other ways, uh, the people that we are connected with throughout the world. Uh, can you just give us like an overview of all that? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Yeah. So we currently have eight global mission partners. We have um two serving in the Indonesia area, we have one in the Middle East, and then we have five that we actually travel to. We have one in Cambodia, one in Guatemala, Uganda, Nepal, and Brazil. Wow. Yeah. So it's just uh it's exciting to get to hear and see what God is doing around the world.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

Yeah, yeah. That's so that's so cool. Uh and so our our coffee shop is still tied to Guatemala missions, correct? So Roxy, I know you've worked there a lot. Can you kind of talk us through that partnership a little bit?

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Yeah, so we've been partnered uh with the coffee farmers in Guatemala for, oh my goodness, such a long time, and um have really built a relationship with them, especially Julio. Um, he's the one that processes the coffee beans and everything and packages them up. And so he works with a co-op of like 40 to 50 some other farmers in Guatemala. And so when we go down and visit, we're able just encourage him, support him. Um, we distribute some food bags to them because they work very, very hard uh to make a living uh in Guatemala. So it's very um humbling experience. Uh, but at the same time, like just being able to pour into them and and be able to build connections, and you'll see kind of the same farmers year after year. Yeah. And they're so excited um to see you and to talk to you again. And so it's just it's a really neat relationship.

SPEAKER_04 7:22

Yeah, yeah, so cool, so cool. I I'm I'm really blessed to get to be a part of a church that cares about spreading the gospel to the whole world. You know, we we were just praying before we got started about how we have the great commission in Matthew 28 to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. And really, the whole world includes your backyard and it includes Asia, it includes Guatemala, it includes Uganda, all these other uh the entire world, really, where we are supposed to go and tell people about Jesus. And what I love is to get to be a part of a church that supports people that are doing it indigenously, uh, but also that we're sending people so that we can learn about what God is doing across the world, but also to be able to share what the Lord is doing in our hearts and in our lives with the people across the world. So it's really cool to just get to be a part of the body of Christ and to look at it holistically. And so thank you guys for your involvement with it and and and thinking about your involvement with it. I'd love to hear, and Tim, I'd love to start with you because it sounds like you were the most recent person to start going on trips out of the four of us here. Um, what kind of kick-started this idea for you of wanting to go on these mission trips? How did you know this is what the Lord is calling you to do, basically? Tell us that story.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

Yeah, so that was kind of a process to commit to going on that Uganda trip two and a half years ago. And I remember when my wife and I were first thinking about it, um, there was definitely a lot of uncertainty there, especially financially. I know that's something that um can be a hiccup for a lot of people on these trips, but at that time there was somebody that I was um doing some Bible study with, and he was kind of discipling me at the time, and he was the one that first mentioned it and said that he thought this would be a great opportunity if it's something I'm interested in. And that initiative that someone else took to kind of point that out in my life and suggest it was kind of the spur that I needed to start praying about it more, and my wife talking about my wife and I talking about it more. And yeah. Eventually decided that um we felt like God was leading us to that. And I remember at the time feeling like we had no idea how financially that was gonna work. Yeah, but we were gonna try it and see how it went, and the Lord provides in that trip that is still amazing for me to think back on to this day, how much financially God blessed us to be able to go on that trip and to see it all come together the way it did was was amazing.

SPEAKER_04 9:59

So it sounds like some there were some people that were kind of just encouraging you to take this step, and you just kind of received some confirmation through relationships and opportunities and just kind of took that step of faith, even though maybe there were some some boundaries in the way. Um, that's really cool that that that you that you just jumped in. And it sounds like you fallen in love with it, man. Like you fall in love with with with going over the world. Tell us a little bit about that process of what about taking that step of faith kind of uh sparked this this this aspect of your ministry now.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Yeah, so uh it's been yeah, three trips now, like I said, and uh it's been cool to kind of see God work through those. I remember that first trip, I was definitely unsure how you know how it's gonna handle it. There's a lot of unknowns when you commit to going on a trip like that, but when I was there, um I definitely saw God at work in the people there, and um, and also with the team um coming together and us being able to share the gospel with people there and talk about kind of how God's impacted our lives. And now when I look at it now, I'm excited that I've been able to go on two more trips since then. Um and for me the motivation is like God has so had such a tremendous impact in my life, and I want to be able to share that with other people, and as long as I have the opportunity to be able to go and do overseas missions, then I would love to be a part of that going forward. And it's yeah, it's been um it's been cool to see God use me in that way. Because I know at first I wasn't sure if I would be good at it, or if it's I'm sure that um I mean it's definitely something that was way out of my comfort zone, and it's cool to be in those situations and see God come through because I can look at the things that have happened on these trips and the way that God's used me, and I'm like, I know that on my own, there's no way I could do these things. Sure. And it's so cool to be able to see God work in tangible ways like that. That um He does here in our lives um where we're at as well. But when you're in a situation like that where your sole focus is serving other people and spreading the gospel, it's so much easier to to realize those things when they happen.

SPEAKER_04 12:28

Right. Yeah. Man, what you just said at their interesting is like you you go on this trip and your your sole focus of life changes just a servanthood. And I think this is gonna be a whole this could be a whole other podcast at some point. I might have you back on this for this, but what would it look like? Or how could we get to a place to where that's our sole focus here? Where we don't have to jump on a plane, we don't have to take a long bus ride um and a plane ride, it's the same trip uh to get to that that headspace of my life is dedicated to service. Just like that's that's what Jesus called himself the servant. He said, You have to be a servant, just like me, you know, serve people, love people. Um, that's cool. Well, that thanks for sharing some of that, man. And I'll there there are some other things there I want to unpack a little bit later, but I'd love to hear from you guys too a little bit as well. Roxy, can you can you kind of walk us through um your process of making this of making uh international missions trips just like a part of like what you do as a follower of Christ? How did you get started and how did you kind of fall in love with it?

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Um, I think I had a little bit of an advantage because of my mom and my dad. Uh so my mom's been on missions, I think it's her 41st missions trip or something already. Thank gosh. Yeah. So um I've seen it lived out uh through her, you know, coming back, sharing all of her stories, watching the slideshows of 900 pictures when she gets back, you know, uh those things, but also just um I think just having a for me personally, having a heart for kids, being a teacher, um going on mission trips where I'm interacting with kids is really where I feel like God was leading me to go. And so um when the opportunity came to serve with the high school kids in Louisville and just go down and and feed them, you know, uh teenagers eat and they need to eat. And so being there provide that so that they had the energy and the things to do to go and um and spread the gospel or work or do something like that, um was such a fantastic thing to watch, you know, to to kind of air quotes get my feet wet, you know, you know, get into it and and watch other people serve and watch those kids grow in their faith um as they were serving at Louisville and then taking the next step and going myself and going to Cambodia and getting to interact with um the girl that we had sponsored for oh my goodness, I think 12 years before we met her. Wow, and then being able to meet her face to face, you know, instead of just Skyping was it was huge. It was so impactful. Um, and and then now getting involved in Guatemala and going three years in a row and really building relationships with uh the missions impact team down there and um because it's not just the students at the school, it's the teachers, you know. It's it's the missions partners that you're pouring into, but then also receiving back from. They're so grateful that we come. They're so thankful that we're there. Um and and you really do, they become your family.

SPEAKER_04 15:42

Right. Yeah. But what what's crazy about that Guatemala trip is like the the level of hospitality that is shown to you when you go. Like, man, the the the the people that we've interacted with, you know, that some of them have nothing, some of them have something, but regardless of anywhere in that spectrum, like you are always extremely welcomed and and and it it's it's a it's a really cool culture to to go and visit. And I've learned a lot about hospitality from the people of Guatemala. Yeah, uh it's it's it's it's great.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Yeah, and and you know that like some of these parents or some of the kids when you talk to them, like they're coming from zero resources from our eyes, you know, what we would consider nothing, and they're the first one to be like, Hey, I made you this bracelet, right? That you know that they had to go get that thread from somewhere that that could have been used to maybe repair a shirt or repair a a skirt or something for them, but they're choosing to gift it to you right in that moment, and it's just um it's just so heartwarming. You know, you walk away feeling more blessed than being a blessing.

SPEAKER_04 16:56

Yeah, yeah. I remember um the last time I was down there, we were getting ready to we were getting ready to have our first kid, and so Monica had just gotten pregnant, and it was like it was our first trip post-lockdown, COVID lockdown. And so we she didn't want to travel because she had just gotten pregnant and everything. And so um, I went by myself and uh we received a gift from Diego that was uh it was like one of those papoose things that you know they see them carry, you see them carry the babies in, like um, and we still have it, we use it. Uh it's it's awesome. And the the level of like intentionality behind that, like I just casually mentioned one day, like, yeah, you know, because he had met Monica on our first time going, yeah, she's have we're having a baby and everything, and like they they took the time and the resources to be able to get us that, and uh that that gift, like, is maybe one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. So um, yeah, it's really cool. Sonia, I'd love to hear from you too. Uh this is maybe a little bit different for you because you've dedicated your um your vocation to this as well. You know, you you work here at the church as our global missions director. Tell us a little bit about your journey with missions. Um, how did you fall in love with it? Um, and what was the process kind of getting started for you um in this kind of ministry?

SPEAKER_01 18:15

Well, I was a nurse for 34 years. So I would go on trips in between working and on my vacations and that type of thing for a lot of years. And I just fell in love with it from the beginning. And even though I had gone as a teenager and didn't really have the opportunity again in until 2005, I had this heart for wanting to go on a trip. So when I got to go to Mexico in 2005, it was just this amazing sense of knowing that I was right where God had planned for me to be at that time. And it was just after that, er every opportunity that I had um to go, I went. And then I finally um just felt like God was saying, I want you to go deeper. And so I left my nursing career. And then a year and a half later, I was employed here at the church.

SPEAKER_04 19:14

Wow, that's that's that's such a big step to not only like take those trips and to like uh step into an entirely different culture to talk about Jesus, which it can be hard enough in our own culture, you know, to do that, but to step into other cultures and and make that just a part of who you guys are. Um, but also like you left your career to to to do this, uh and that that's that's huge. And so um thank you for leading us in this. I I really appreciate you and your your dedication to helping all of us be able to do trips like this and make connections with other other followers of Christ around the world. And so for those of you that are watching, that maybe have been um uh a part of Crossroads for a while, or maybe we just watch with this every week. Um, everyone that's on our staff that has been on this podcast has recommended that Sonia be on here the most. So so I finally got her on here.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Earlier, I have I find that hard to believe. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 20:16

She is the the most requested person to have on the podcast amongst our staff when there anybody said we finally got her, guys. So lock in when Sonia's talking.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Well, I am super excited to get to talk about missions.

SPEAKER_04 20:27

Yeah, yeah. So so tell us a little bit. Uh uh, I want to hear a little bit more about your guys' experience. Um, and whoever wants to go first can go first with this. What what have you guys learned most about the Lord and how has he helped you grow in your relationship with him through the through these trips? Because you're go like what Tim said earlier, you're going to go serve somebody, you're going to go um to spread the gospel these areas, but what has this done for you? How has this helped you grow in your relationship with God through these trips?

SPEAKER_03 20:57

I think first thing that comes to mind to me is you see firsthand the way God is there for people that are in much different circumstances than you. Um specifically thinking about the the poverty you see on some of these trips. Um and like you were saying, Roxy, in our eyes, some of these people have nothing. And yet they're some of the happiest people I've ever met. And they have a relationship with God that um I think has inspired me a little bit to see that like God is there for them in the midst of their difficult circumstances, um, in a way that I think I don't always appreciate when I'm here in the comforts of my home and my life here. Um you see in a much more tangible way sometimes that God is there for them and they need him to provide for them in a way that um Um, we can't always understand, but it's cool to see it lift out.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:04

That's uh that's really good.

SPEAKER_04 22:05

But that's something that I feel like has really stood out to me as well, of just of just being in the different context of of of Christian believers like that that are in a different culture or um that have different um levels of provision, I guess, or like just different resources for them. Um the things they focus on are very different. Uh the things that they rely on the Lord for are very different. And I think I feel like for me, like one of the things that I that I've taken the most away from it is like just recognizing like how the Lord works when the things that normally distract you are not around you, you know, like like that that that's a huge like like benefit for me for going on those trips. It's it's definitely not a vacation, you know, but it's definitely an opportunity to like separate myself from the the normal rhythms, the the normal burdens of life, and to be able to step into someone else's and see how God is working in their life to get a bigger understanding of just how good God is across circumstances. Um, yeah, that's huge for me, man. That's huge for me.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

Yeah, and I think it paints a whole new picture of unity in the body of Christ, um, being in a different culture and being able to worship and pray with fellow believers that are in totally different circumstances, don't even speak the same language for most of them, but you're there, especially worship for me. I love worship and being unified, all worshiping God with one voice, um, in situations like that is it's so cool to be a part of.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

Yeah. Oh, so good, so good. Sonny, how about you? Um, what what are what how has the Lord grown you through your your time going on missions trips?

SPEAKER_01 24:00

I would say just increasing my faith just to see how um how he provides. And um when my husband and I first went to Uganda as an example, um, we didn't really know anybody there, and it was just I felt like God was saying go and we were obedient. And then just uh um just to see how he's working in these other places and just experiencing the Holy Spirit um has just uh I guess increased faith.

SPEAKER_04 24:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

I think for me, like you were saying, breaking out of the routine of being here and feeling I I feel like in our culture we feel very self-sufficient, self-reliant. We rely on ourselves, we don't really depend on God for things. And so stepping out of your comfort zone, realizing it's not about me, um, doing things you're uncomfortable with that you feel inadequate, like you don't feel like I should be able to do this. I shouldn't be going on this mission strip. What do I have to give to these people? Or I shouldn't be going because what do I know about leading a mission strip? Or um what do I have to offer? You know, and just but being present, being willing to say yes and to go and to be present and then just watch the Lord work, not only in myself, but around you, with your team, with the people you come in contact with, with the girls at the school, um, you can it makes you more aware. I think it it raises your level of awareness of um how God works in the spirit and the moving, and especially when we spend times in in prayer. Um, this passion mission trip, um, we had the opportunity to pray over uh three young ladies specifically, and just to feel the unity of the spirit as we were laying hands on these girls, it felt like we were one body um in prayer and to and to just pour out our hearts over these girls um was just it was one of the most beautiful experiences um that I've had and and you don't you you don't appreciate it as much in your day-to-day routine here. So being able to go somewhere and do that is so impactful.

SPEAKER_04 26:34

Yeah, yeah, so good. So so thinking about some of those things that you guys have grown in um and things that have been a really big benefit for you and your walk with Jesus through these, it it's awesome. But I do think that there are some things that um may get in people's way. Uh, they that there's a lot of excuses that make in people's head to be like, yeah, I feel like maybe I should go do that, but X, Y, and Z. You know, you mentioned the financial burden earlier. Um, for me, honestly, like like when I was first thinking about, you know, starting to go on mission trips and stuff like that. I've not been on one in a while. I I really would like to go on one soon. But the big thing for me, it kind of it kind of floats in that area of of resources and stuff that we were just talking about of entering a culture that doesn't have as much resources as what we do here. I was I remember looking at an itinerary for a trip and seeing that we were going to be hosted and fed by a family and thinking, why in the world would I go there to be fed by someone that has nothing in comparison to what I have as far as resources go? And and I remember I remember just saying yes and going regardless of having that potential issue, but being in that space, like feeling like awkward, you know, or like maybe feeling like a little guilty, honestly. Um, but then on the other end of it, you know, growing a lot from that experience, you know, having like looking at back in hindsight and actually going through it, like recognizing the importance of hospitality, even recognizing like even though resources-wise, I might be a lot more better off than than some of the people that I'm serving here. Um, they have a lot of things that I don't have and can't have as far as their relationship with the Lord goes. And um, even just recognizing the blessing for it for them to have us there was huge. So with all that being said, whether it's a financial issue or maybe just even like a concern about going into a different culture for a lot of different reasons, what what are some of the things that um you assume or maybe you've heard from people and Sonia, you'd be a great resource for this. Would love to hear from you first. Things maybe get in people's way for going on one of these trips, and maybe some of the things that you would say to some of those people.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Well, as what was already said, I think the major thing that people are concerned about are the financial is the finance um aspect of going on a trip. Um, but what I like to tell people is like Tim said, um the Lord provides. And um sometimes it's humbling yourself and sending out a support letter, but you're just actually inviting someone to per, you know, to participate with you on the trip, somebody that maybe can't go but wants to donate um towards your trip. We do have a scholarship um opportunity here at the church that you can apply for to assist. So I like to say don't let finances be the reason not to go. And um, we have you know lots of options and um conversations that we could have about that. Um some people are concerned about missing work, and I do understand because I did a lot of trips within the the boundaries of the vacation that I accrued as when I was in nursing. Um but if you really feel like God is calling you to go, I just encourage you to, you know, step out in faith and and he provides both time and finances, comfort. Some people are concerned about what are we gonna eat, or you know, where are we gonna sleep? And um but when you get there, that none of that matters.

SPEAKER_04 30:26

Right, yeah, yeah. Tell us about the sleeping situation on the Brazil trip.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

Well, on this most recent Brazil trip, we actually had a different medical boat. So we actually had like little cabins. There were four of us in a little cabin, and we did have some AC. But on the the previous boat, we sleep in hammocks on on the boat, which I think was a lot of fun. Yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_04 30:49

Uh did you see any piranha while you're on the river?

SPEAKER_01 30:52

And I actually jumped in and swam around. I didn't see or feel them. The water's pretty murky. You can't actually you can't see very well. Yeah. But yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:03

Yeah. That's so that's yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Any thoughts from you guys at all? Like, what are some maybe some concerns that maybe you would address for somebody that's thinking about going on a trip but might have a reason as to why not to?

SPEAKER_02 31:16

Um I feel like a lot of times we feel inadequate. Like we don't feel like God could use us. Um, but he will. And and even in the things where you don't feel like you have anything to give, um, God shows up. You know, like I don't speak Spanish. I know maybe five phrases on a good day if I can remember them. But it that language barrier, it doesn't matter. Like, um, you know, love is universal, sadness is universal, laughter is universal. Google Translate is amazing, and is a lifesaver. So you can communicate and you can you can still make a difference, even though you might not see yourself as uh, you know, a master evangelist or a crazy theologian, or it's being present, giving your time, just being there.

SPEAKER_04 32:15

Yeah, yeah. I I kind of speaking to that too, I I feel like for me, I kind of had to get beyond uh the point of that it was just about me going to serve somebody else too, but like the process of of doing this trip and stepping out in faith doing these trips, um like it really does help you grow. You know, it's not just like it is about going to serve somebody else, but I feel like I always come home with more than what I left with, like as far as like my relationship with the Lord goes. I remember I went on a trip to Guatemala and we we hiked Pacaya. We hiked uh which is uh an active volcano, which is which was super cool. But um, yeah, it was kind of a cloudy day. We got to the we got to the peak and we did a little Bible study up there. Have you have you hiked it before? No, there before, Timmy. Have you been up there as on you guys? You guys gotta do it. Next time you guys go to Guatemala, try to convince Diego to take you up there because it's incredible, it's so cool. You can see the lava splashing at the top of the volcano. It's it's crazy. Um, but we did a little Bible set up there and had like a sack launch, and it was kind of cloudy. We're literally sitting in clouds, and then like a breeze just came through as soon as we were done, and like the sky opened up and we could see like all of Antigua uh Antigua from the top of the volcano, and it was just like all the mountains were surrounded. It was it was absolutely beautiful. And for me, like that that moment, it it may just sound kind of mystical, but just being up there with the Lord in a in a totally different place of the world, having just worshipped him and hiked this thing, this, this, this mountain that it like could destroy us in a heartbeat, you know, just being up there and knowing that you're safe and knowing that you're with him and that like you can see his world, uh, not just in his people, but also with the geography in the space was was such a such a huge moment for me to understand the the vastness and the power of our God. And sometimes you got to get out of your space to be able to experience that. So um, how about you, Tim? Like uh kind of going back to our question here of if someone is kind of concerned about taking a trip, what would what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_03 34:29

Yeah, so for me, I kind of mentioned this earlier, but I think um just the uncertainty of a trip um and the unknown of what's gonna happen, I think is a concern was a concern for me and will be for a lot of people. Um, so to speak to that, um I guess I just want to reassure you guys that Crossroads has done a lot of these trips. Yeah. And these trips are planned out in a way that it is it makes it very easy to go and be a part of a team. Your whole schedule's done for you, everything's planned out, you got a place to sleep that's much nicer than we need, and the food is phenomenal.

SPEAKER_04 35:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:13

You just need to go and be present and say yes, and God'll do that. And there is a lot of unknown, and I think that creates a lot of anxiety sometimes, but be reassured that Crossos have done this a lot of times, and our team that plans these does a wonderful job of planning things out, and it makes it a lot easier to go and just be a part of the team. And when you're there and you say yes, God's gonna use you, regardless of how inadequate you may feel. I definitely felt that on my first trip, and well, I would say every trip, there's some of that that comes up, and you're like, I don't know how I'm gonna do this, I don't know how I'm gonna talk about the Bible in front of a group of men in Guatemala that don't speak the same language, and I have no idea what I'm gonna say. Right, and God used that, and this past trip that was one of the most impactful days on the trip. And man, overall, God has just shown me that when I can say yes and submit to him, he really does provide for us, and he can use our yes in a lot of powerful ways.

SPEAKER_04 36:30

Yeah, yeah. Uh a lot of what you spoke of there, I just kept on thinking about the fact that we are a part of the body of Christ. And so no matter how the Lord has equipped you, no matter how he has um not equipped you, you know, the Lord is gonna give you what you need, and he is gonna give you what someone else needs. Uh so don't rob yourself of the blessing of getting to be a part of the body of Christ and to see how the Lord might use each and every single one of us specifically in those contexts, because we need each other. We we meet each other desperately. We're we're if we don't if we're not all working together, bring what we have, bring what we have to the table, then we're not complete. And so we we need you, we need people to go and and to use what God has given you to serve across the world. Um well, with all that in mind, I would love just to kind of again dive a little bit deeper into some of your guys' personal testimonies. I'd love to hear what's a story, and you guys just got back from Guatemala, so maybe you have one that's really fresh in your mind. What's a story from one of these trips that you'll never forget? Uh, Roxy, can we hear from you first?

SPEAKER_02 37:40

Sure. Um, I think I mentioned it earlier, but um there were three um girls at the school um that have been struggling with uh their emotions and their thoughts and some depression uh things and for various reasons and just hearing their stories and um what they're struggling with and what they're going through and watching our team like really step into that space with them, not shying away from it, not being like, oh, we'll pray for you later, but really stepping in and laying hands on these girls and praying and taking turns. And it wasn't just one person led the prayer every time. It was all of us being unified, pouring words of encouragement into these girls, asking the Lord to heal their thoughts, um, to um to be present, for them to feel his peace uh for them. And um just the power of that moment, the the power of that moment was so great. And to watch these girls who um who normally in that culture are very stoic, very they're gonna put on a happy face regardless of what's going on on the inside, to watch them open up and be willing to share and to be willing to cry in front of us and to share tears with us, and then being able to physically hug them, but also spiritually pour into them. Yeah, was was like it gives me goosebumps right now, thinking about it, because it was one of the most powerful things I've watched and be been a part of God doing um in the life of a of a young lady. Well, three of them actually, but yeah, I will never forget those, those three moments of them coming to pray with us.

SPEAKER_04 39:45

Yeah, the their vulnerability had to be a gift. Yeah. Yeah, for for you guys, especially because like like we've talked about this whole thing, we come from different cultures that maybe even different understandings of what emotions are and how to process them and culturally how to how to how to show them. Because you're right. I mean, like um a lot of the women in Guatemala they're they're very reserved. They they they they seem almost very proper sometimes. Um, and so the the the gift of of their vulnerability had to be huge. Had to be huge, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

Yeah, just um the their willingness to come to us and not not that we sought them out, it wasn't like um we could we could see it, you know, we could pick them out and be like, oh, these are the ones that need prayer. No, they came to us on their own. Um they mentioned to their principal, you know, uh Nisa or or Diego, I'm not sure who who they um went through, but they were like, can we receive prayer? And for them to even take that step and to watch them take that step of faith to realize, you know, like this is an opportunity for me um to to be prayed over and to be loved on, um, because they're they don't receive that love at home necessarily. And so this was their chance and they took it, and we we felt so blessed to be a part of that, um, to be a part of God's working in their life. Um it it was it was it was a gift. It was a gift.

SPEAKER_04 41:15

Yeah, yeah. What this is making me think of is also is just trying to paint a fuller picture of how you even get to this place. Okay, it's not even just you being willing to say yes to go, but it's like what Tim mentioned, the organization of our team that has that has built a relationship with them for decades with the with the people of of this village, you know, that where the girls' school is. Um and even just like like the the funds and the support and the time that have gone into building this girls' school. So am I correct in saying, and you you might know this too, Roxy. Um the the average education level of a girl in Guatemala's second grade. Am I remembering that correctly?

SPEAKER_02 41:59

I think they said fourth. Fourth. I think we're gonna say fourth. I believe it's fourth, fourth grade is the average age that they go to, and then they usually most girls will leave and go home and learn how to be a homemaker and be married by their early teens.

SPEAKER_04 42:13

Yeah, and so if they go through Proximos Pasos, how how which is the girls' school, how much education are they receiving? How does it go?

SPEAKER_02 42:23

It goes up what 10th grade now through 11th. They go through 11th grade and then they have the opportunity to go through like a vocational training.

SPEAKER_04 42:32

Yeah, the nursing schools right next door, stuff. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:34

They have the nursing school, they have the lab tech program, they have a computer science program, and they're they're getting ready to add like dental hygiene. Wow. Yeah. And and the goal for them is not just to provide these ladies with an opportunity, an educational opportunity, but they serve the community of Santa Maria because there is no health clinic there. Right. So the goal is to train up these ladies to then serve their community. And while they're getting their lab tests done and while they're, you know, getting their teeth checked, they're sharing the gospel, they're pouring into the community of Santa Maria.

SPEAKER_04 43:15

Right, right. So so again, kind of painting the fuller picture here. If you come to Crossroads uh throughout the week or on a Sunday and you buy a cup of coffee, you're not just buying a cup of coffee. Okay. Like this is going towards that, you know, of like providing opportunities for us to go and to minister to these people, but also to be able to give some of these girls hope and give this community hope through some of these girls that they would never have had without it. You know, so we're giving them the gospel and giving them physical means and developing relationships with them. It's it's incredible. It's incredible. And that's one that's one of the things that we're doing. And so I'm I'm incredibly grateful for for our dedication to that. Um, how about you guys? Uh, either one of you guys, what's a story that you'll Never forget from one of the mission trips you've been on.

SPEAKER_03 44:04

I'll go first, I guess, because I want to kind of spin off a Roxy's story there from Guatemala this year. Um that prayer time, I think our whole team would attest to this, was very impactful. And it's one of the most special moments of prayer I think I've I've witnessed in my life. And to give a little backstory there, I remember we were at the school. This was our first day. We were at the school all day, um, and we were cleaning up, getting ready to wrap up, and head back to the the community center where we stay. And these girls came back up asking for prayer, like Roxy had said. And I remember in that moment, I was feeling pretty tired and I wasn't sure what was going on at first. And I remember feeling a little hesitant. And then we got into this prayer. And like you said, the way the team leaned into that, not just the team of from Crossroads that was there, but the teachers, um, there was a group of them there as well. And it was a very emotional and impactful moment. And I would agree with with everything you said, describing how it felt. And for me, my biggest takeaway from that, or one of my takeaways was we heard it a lot from those three girls specifically, and we received a lot more prayer requests from some of the other students. And a lot of family-related stuff, specifically what jumped out to me was the father figures or lack thereof that a lot of these girls have to live with, or even situations where they've lost their dads. Um, we heard that in several instances. And the dads that are there, um, we heard a lot about, you know, they're not, they don't have a good relationship with the family, um, dads that are have abandoned their families, um, a lot of father wounds um that we were able to pray over and hear about. And for me, it made me see a much clearer image of God as that father figure. And hearing from those girls, the three that we got to pray over specifically, um, we got to hear them share about their relationship with God and what that looks like. And that was encouraging to me because after we spent all this time in prayer, they talked about their faith and how they view that in light of their situations, they still had faith in God in the midst of that. And yeah, to me, I just couldn't help but feel that like God is a good father, and hearing those girls talk about Him after hearing everything that they're going through, it just painted such a clear picture of God the Father for me that that was encouraging for me. And yeah, it was this was my first trip since becoming a father myself. So that was in the back of my head, and then the a couple days later we got to do a a Bible lesson and spend some time with the fathers of some of the girls, and just having an opportunity to share something about fatherhood with that group, I think is something that is gonna stick with me because it felt like such a significant moment in a culture where fatherhood is not good a lot of times. That father figure, um, there are a lot of issues, and I know that's the case here in the states, here some too, but man, God is a good father, and that was a big takeaway from Guatemala this year as well.

SPEAKER_04 47:56

Yeah. So good. Um Sonia, uh how about how about from you? Any any stories that come to your head?

SPEAKER_01 48:03

It's hard for me to pick just one, but kind of a theme we've given time. It's okay. I could go on. I've been on on dozens of trips.

SPEAKER_00 48:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:12

But um the ones that I feel like are most memorable are kind of going back to what uh you know what Roxy said about somebody not feeling qualified to go or that they don't have the skill. I've seen multiple times where somebody will share their testimony, a team member will share something they went through here, a challenge in their life. And sometimes when we go to these different countries, they view Americans as having a perfect life. We are rich, which we are rich in comparison monetarily to what they experience, but they they think we have no challenges or troubles in our lives. And so when a team member will share their testimony of something they walked through, and then watching the Holy Spirit like connect them with just the right person on the other end to share that with and connect and just to see what a difference that makes in both of their lives. I just love that.

SPEAKER_04 49:15

Yeah. That makes me think of something that um was was maybe a little bit of another struggle that I had with going, was I assumed across the whole world everyone hates Americans. Like the amount of times I've been in another country and I've been like, so how do you feel about Americans? And I've gotten a kind of a surprising answer, whether it's been, oh yeah, like what you said before, that you have guys have no problems, and you know, whatever. I I can't learn anything from you, or the opposite side of like, I'm just super curious about what you're actually like, you know, and like, or like, we love Americans. Yeah, I was um we did the uh the Greece, Turkey, and Italy trip uh a year ago, uh the footsteps of Paul trip, and I was talking to uh a Greek guy that worked in our in our hotel, and I asked him that question. He was like, We love Americans, you're just like us, you're loud obnoxious. I was like, oh, that's so fun. You guys like to party? Great, yeah. Um, but what what has that been like for you guys? Um, being from this culture and entering a different culture? How how have you learned to spread the gospel in another cultures in in comparison to yours? And how has that helped you maybe even build confidence to spread the gospel here? Is that does that question make sense? What what what have you learned about giving the gospel to people that are that are in different cultures?

SPEAKER_03 50:40

Well, I think it makes me think about like Sanya was just talking about sharing our testimonies. That is far and away the easiest way for us to share the gospel is to share how Jesus has impacted our lives and just share our story with other people. And that's gonna resonate with some people. Like you said, a lot of a lot of problems are universal. Um so our struggles here as Americans wherever we're going, there's gonna be some people there that are struggling with the same thing. And um yeah, just being able to be honest and vulnerable and share our testimonies goes a long way. Um, because I remember my first trip, this was one of the things I was most most nervous about, I think, because I'm like, I don't really know how to share the gospel because I need to know what scripture to share and like when to do that, and um had an opportunity to do it. First trip. I talked a little bit earlier about um in Uganda two and a half years ago, my first missions trip, we had an entire afternoon dedicated to just doing evangelism, and I had no idea how it was gonna go. Yeah. And we went out that day, and it was I think from that trip, one of the most unique parts of the trip, or one of the stories that stuck with me the most, um I got to do this with my wife, Johanna, which was made it even more special. But we were going out with a couple of um team members from Show Mercy there, and we were going to this village and our only mission was to evangelize. And before we even got to the village, there was this house that we weren't gonna stop at, but this lady came out and was talking to us, so we stopped in, and there was a family there, a very large family. The mom was a Christian, and she was just ecstatic that we were there because she's like, I've been praying for my family for years, and um there were I don't remember how many kids she had, but there was an aunt and uncle living with them and and a handful of kids, and my wife and I got to share our testimony, and we spent a lot of time with the family there and ended up having I believe it was six, yeah, six of them. Wow, Jesus and praise God, it was amazing. I'm like I couldn't dreamed this up like the way that the situation unfolded for us to even stop at this house was just perfect, and that family needed to to hear um hear about Jesus that day. Yeah, and we were able to share and to see God work in that way, that especially on my first trip, I'm like, I had no idea what I was gonna say there, but God used it in an impactful way, and yeah, it was it was incredible.

SPEAKER_04 53:52

Yeah. I think what I want to kind of wrap up talking about today are are two things. Number one, um the the fact that um by going on these trips, yeah, and again, whether it's it's a trip to North Carolina, you say it was North Carolina or South Carolina, your first trip. So um yeah. If it's one of the states, or if it's a trip to Louisville, or if it's a trip to downtown, you know, or anywhere really. Like if you're like we are called to go in Matthew 28, the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations. And that again, that could be locally, that could be globally, either one. But there was somebody at some point in history that reached somebody, whether it was in their local context or if it was them traveling to a different place, um, that reached somebody, that reached somebody, that reached somebody, there's somebody that to get us to the point to where the four of us are sitting here today talking about how good God is across the world. And I I I think what I want to want to try to communicate is is just the importance of us fulfilling that great commission that Jesus gave us before he ascended into heaven in Matthew 28, but also just recognizing that when we obey that, the fruits of it are real. Like you got to you, you were in a context that you had no idea how to even ask for food or where the bathroom is, you know. But the reality is God used you in that space and the team that you were with to be able to talk to people about Jesus. And the mom literally communicated to you, you guys being here today is an answer to my prayers. Like, wow, like, like how like we can't rob ourselves of this opportunity to spread the gospel that, like, whether it's locally or globally. We have to do that in both spaces and to be able to see just how much God wants to use us, just as much He has in store for us. And so that's part of the reason why I wanted to have this conversation at all today is to try to communicate to anybody that's watching, like, like, hey, whether you can go on a trip or not, being a part of this and understanding that we're a part of the global kingdom of God, the universal kingdom of God that it has been commissioned to spread the good news of Jesus to the world, you have a part to play in that, whether it's here locally, where wherever you live, um, or if it's by going somewhere else, because who knows who you can reach? Who knows, regardless of how equipped you might feel, how how you can impact someone's eternity, someone's eternity. Those people are going to heaven because because you said yes, you know, because you said yes to showing up and having a conversation with them that day. It's insane. It's it's so cool. Um, so kind of wrapping all this up, I I would love to talk a little bit just about um the the biblical precedent for for us going. You know, I talked about the Great Commission, uh, but Sonia, I'd love for you to kind of walk through this a little bit. What examples do we see in Scripture of how to go about doing missions? Um, who were missionaries in scripture? Who can we kind of model some of this stuff off of? And maybe even like if we go when we go crab co crack open our Bibles tomorrow, who can we read about to see the impact of going into the world and making disciples?

SPEAKER_01 57:21

Yeah, well, I guess the pioneer cross-cultural missionary was Paul. Yeah. And so there's uh lots you can read about him in Acts. Um, you can read in Titus and Timothy, uh, Romans. There's it's just there's so many examples of um what he did in his missionary journeys and how he went, but then he partnered with the indigenous people in that area. Yeah. And he directed Titus to, you know, assign elders to the church and and Timothy to, you know, raise up leaders and and just um so I feel that we are commanded to to to go. Um, but then also, you know, with our short-term trips, we aren't gonna make necessarily, you know, disciples in a week or two weeks. Right. But the mission partners that we have, they're there 365 days. So they are continuing the work. They are the real heroes, and we just get to go and encourage them and just be part of what they're doing.

SPEAKER_04 58:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's so cool to get to go and learn from them about like how to do ministry as well in ways that um we can't think of in this context. Like the amount, the amount of conversations I've had with Joe Mesh and Nepal about what he's doing at Dream Church, you know, and like it's like, oh, that's a great idea. I'm gonna explore that here, you know, and see how well that can work here, you know, and vice versa, like the amount of stuff we've traded over time, you know, because there's things that and places his mind has to go to that I don't have to, and again, vice versa. And so getting into shared discipleship, you know, oriented uh strategies and you know, ways to speak with people and stuff, it's it's really cool. It's really cool. But um, yeah, Paul uh was was God's chosen instrument for the Gentiles. And I I kind of like to close with this just in just as encouragement. Paul was was again God's chosen instrument to reach the Gentiles, and he he's on the he is a Pharisee who is literally killing Christians, okay, literally murdering Christians, putting them in prison. Not a great guy, okay, but he's also super rich, he's also super educated, he he's a very important person, but then he meets Jesus on the road to Damascus and is blinded, right? And then he goes into Damascus and and basically holes up in this building because he's scared and doesn't know what to do. And then God reaches out to a Christian who lives there, Ananias, and says, Hey, Paul is right down the road. I want you to go, you're lay lay your hands on him, and he will he will be healed because you're laying in and give him the Holy Spirit in that moment. And Ananias is like, uh, God, do you know who this guy is? Like, um, how about I go kill him instead? You know, how because he is literally murdering your people. He is literally killing people that are professing faith in Jesus Christ. And God's like, no, like this is the guy that I have chosen to go and to reach people that are not Jewish, people that need me, people that have no sense of even who I am in the first place, because they're not Jews at this time. Um, but he's gonna go reach people in Rome, he's gonna go reach people in Crete, he's gonna go reach people in in Corinth and Thessalonica and all these other places. He's gonna he's gonna travel the world and go tell people about who I am, and the impact was huge. So if God can redeem a murderer who felt in his heart was fully justified in killing and imprisoning people, how much more can he use you who probably hasn't killed somebody? You know, so he he can he can equip you to do what you need to do to spread the gospel to people in every context. And how much could he heal the things you have done in that process? How much can he like reveal to you what he has in store for you in your life by just saying yes to sharing the gospel with people? Your hope in him can only grow. It can only grow through this stuff. So, guys, thank you so much for joining me today. Any closing thoughts, anything that you want to leave the people with uh watching this podcast today about about missions, maybe an encouragement to go, anything like that at all?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:03

Um, I would just like to encourage anybody that feels called to go, um, for them to reach out if you have questions or um concerns. I would love to communicate and um chat with you to answer any questions and um just an encouragement that if you really feel like you're being led to go, just to step out in faith.

unknown 1:02:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:26

How would how do people get in contact with you, Sonia?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:29

Um, so you can email me at crossroadswired, Sonya.spade at crossroadswired.com or on the mission on our website. If you go under missions global, there's a a button you can um hit that to fill out a form that comes to me.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:46

Awesome. Well, what if someone's in a position where maybe uh they they can't go on a trip, maybe it's a health issue, or maybe it just schedule-wise, it doesn't make sense for what trips we have coming up. What are some other ways people can be involved?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:00

So we have um several giving opportunities for missions. We have Asia's Hope sponsors or Asia's Hope Homes. That money goes to um towards supporting the the two homes that we have in Batonbaum, Cambodia. There is Guatemala. Um, you can become a sponsor for one of the girls that that they got to meet and minister to. Um, or there's mission trip support as a giving option that you can just uh make a donation and that money helps support the scholarships or the project fees for our trips. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:35

Awesome. Awesome. Thank you very much, guys, thanks for being here today. I appreciate you guys sharing your hearts and some of your experiences. Guys, thank you so much for watching today on the Crossroads Podcast.