Dearest Friends,
There are so many wonderful things I could say about our trip to Chile, but I believe you will enjoy hearing from the young people who were with me even more!
KARLEY’S STORY
While in Chile, I was able to experience the joy of the Lord in ways I never had before. I saw Him work through me, exposing my weakness and forcing me to rely on His grace. I also saw Him work through the people we shared Jesus with, as I witnessed their hearts soften toward the Gospel. Public speaking scares me more than not having enough ice cream, and I was required to share my testimony more than 15 times in front of large groups. I learned that even when I stumble over my words, God is still faithful to turn my speech into a message of His love. After one particular speech, a girl told me that it was her favorite part of the show. I’m not sure why or how that could be, but I’m thankful that God can use me. God was also gracious enough to give me ice cream five times on my trip, so I am excited to tell you that He overcame ALL of my fears.
On our trip, we also had the opportunity to speak at an orphanage in La Pintana. At first, it was difficult to see God’s presence there. The children’s faces were desolate. They were obviously familiar with rejection, and I found it difficult to fathom how this tragedy could be God’s plan. But what I saw and experienced over and over again on the trip is this simple message: Jesus is enough. After our show and after Linda prayed, the children’s faces seemed to shine because they had experienced the love of Jesus, the love that will never reject them and the love that will bring them immeasurable joy. Thank you for your support. You have allowed me one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I will never forget Chile – its children, its culture, and the presence of our God, whose love overcomes any sin and any heartbreak. I hope to return to Chile someday in the near future.
GARRETT’S STORY
The Agape Puppet mission trip was a great experience. I saw God work in many different ways. We performed many puppet shows for children in need of a rescue. Once, we performed a show in front of a visually impaired audience. Even though most of them were not able to physically see what we were showing them they still heard the Gospel. We saw so many children that day give there lives to Jesus. We also worked many days out in one of the poorest parts of the city, a place called La Pintana. There is a sweet lady who lives and runs a ministry there . She has so much love for the Lord and went out of her way to feed us lunch almost every day of the last week we were there. She works with a lot of kids that have been physically and in the long run mentally abused.
All these things are great examples of what God has done in Chile, but the best example to me was meeting and being able to help teach the new Chile team. They all have a great love for our Lord and are great people all around. It was an honor to go and do this for the Lord and, I give all the honor and praise to Him for all the blessings I witnessed while there. The trip was amazing! I would love to go back in a couple of years and see how our friends in Santiago are doing and what the Lord has done in their lives. I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer and what God has set for me to do in the near future.
DRAKE’S STORY
This trip was full of trials. From the beginning with the airline losing one bag to the very end with the airline losing 4 bags. But God was merciful in all things. We saw God do huge things in Chile. From hearing lots of kids call on Jesus, to God blessing us with an amazing team to train, but kids were the best part. You looked into their eyes and saw that they were hopeless and sad but we got to tell them about where they could find hope and happiness. In addition to that, we worked with amazing people that we are confident will follow up with most of the kids about what they heard. I’m thankful for all God blessed us with during this trip. And I am confident that he will continue doing huge things in Chile with the new team and all the ministries we worked alongside. Thank you all for praying.
KELSEY’S STORY
Chile was an amazing trip in so many ways! One of the best sounds is children, teenagers, and adults calling upon Jesus to rescue them! The children that we saw were filled with sad stories but became so happy after they asked Jesus into their heart. It was such a beautiful sight. This trip was very special for me. Our team was very close going in but God knitted our hearts together as a family. We are able to trust each other more and become a better team. We also learned to trust Jesus more and His plan for us. Not everything went as expected, but He showed His wonderful mercy. It’s always about Him and never us.
The Chilean team is filled with some of the most generous and loving people. They are going to do amazing things and I am so excited to hear what the Lord is going to do with all of them! Thank you all for praying throughout our trip! We couldn’t have done it without all of you praying! Please continue to pray for the children and the team!
LESLIE’S STORY
I can easily say Chile is my favorite trip we’ve taken so far. From the children we saw, to the friends we made, to the adventures we took, it’s amazing it all happened in only two weeks! However, seeing God at work was easily the best part. There is nothing like getting to watch God show up in a big way like He did in Chile. So many things could have gone wrong, but we got to see how He is in control of every detail. The verse I found that best sums up my experiences on this trip is Psalm 36:7-9.
“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”
This reminds me so much of our time in La Pintana. It is a privilege to work in the bad areas of a town, the places most residents go out of their way to avoid, because in these places are people filled with God’s love. The children hold on to the Gospel with everything they’ve got. People who have so little give with such generosity, you can’t help but reflect on how much you have. What I want to remember most from our time in Chile is God’s abundant blessings and the joy of being surrounded by the wonderful family I have in Christ. Thank you so much for your support and prayers. It’s been a fantastic adventure, and I can’t wait for our next one!
In Jesus,
Linda for Karley, Garrett, Drake, Kelsey, and Leslie