My CFCI Mission Trip

5 Responses to “People I Met”

1. Sheryl says:

   March 5, 2009 at 12:05 pm

   My first mission trip experience out of the States was a 6-week orientation to get acquainted with ministries and staff in Costa Rica, Colombia, and two areas of Mexico. During that time I met many people who impacted my life in deep ways; however, the one I think of when I remember that trip was a man named Ramon in Medellin, Colombia. He was the Base Director there, and led a number of Pastors’ groups in the city. What impressed me the most was his humble spirit. He was gentle, and absolutely dedicated to the call God had placed on him for that season.

   He later came to the States, and we had opportunity to spend several days with him in a number of ministry situations. I was even more impressed with his heart for God at that time. I realized that being surrounded with opportunities and materialism contributes to pride and an ungrateful heart. He demonstrated character qualities that let the character of Christ shine out.
2. Keith Norris says:

   April 12, 2009 at 6:12 pm

   The person I met in Rivas, Nicaragua that impacted me the most would be my Mama Norma of my host family which we stayed with one night. She accepted and welcomed Wes and I into her home on Tuesday night with love and gracious hospitality. It was a highlight of my week to spend the night in her home with “mi hermanas, hermano, y mi papa”. Mama Norma’s faith in the Lord was obvious through the passionate things she said, the prayers we shared with each other, and her love for us. The best part of my week was personally experiencing believers in a foreign country who have a different culture and a different language than myself, but seeing first-hand we worship the same God and have faith in the same Jesus.
3. Lisa says:

   April 18, 2009 at 12:52 am

   My first missions trip was to panama, in san miguelito.I went with my class from school . It was a life changing experience that i will never forget. God moved me emotionally and physically and i felt he was with me 100%. On the missions trip the locals impacted me in a big way! they were so accepting and easily heart opening to me, and my class. They would give even if they had nothing. All the parties we had with the children coming over and learning new chants. trying to communicate with them was priceless.

   i really appreciate and cherish every second in my heart forever.
4. Justin Ray says:

   May 14, 2009 at 3:09 am

   I have now had the privilege of leading two medical mission trips to El Salvador. I went with other students and one teacher from Wake Forest University. I worked with Javier Osorio, who is one of the most amazing men I have ever met. He is an incredible servant of God and also a wonderful pastor and friend. The way Javier lives his life for the Lord is incredible to witness and it challenges me to also strive to be a stronger, more dedicated Christian that lives every moment for God. Javier and his wife, Karla, are wonderful people that always look out for others before themselves. Their loving and servant hearts inspire me. In addition, the love and open-heart attitude of the people in El Salvador is incredible. Our group became close friends with many of the locals our age (including Maltez, Chamba, Stanley, William, Julio, Isaac, Juan Ramon, Josh, Benjamin, and others). The love and kindness of all the people we encountered really challenges me to be more loving and open to strangers.
5. Alex says:

   June 26, 2009 at 11:06 am

   We were able to meet a young man named Marcel while we were down there one day when we went to practice, and able to see a day by day transformation in his life. It was a miracle in itself that we found a young man who could speak English perfectly in the middle of Bolivia, and who could be an asset to our short handed team. It was awesome to see Marcel grow more and more curious about why we would all leave our lives back at home for over a week and spend time in Cochabamba, Bolivia playing and teaching basketball. Little did he know when he said yes to being on our team that our mission was bigger than just that, it was about meeting him, a total stranger and sharing the Gospel with him. We were able to see him grow and open up a little more every day, and not only see God use Marcel as an answer to our prayers, but used us as an answer to his. It is not often that you can build a relationship with a young man in 8 days that brings him nearly to tears on your departure, but that is exactly what happened.