What can you expect when you go on a mission trip?
Mona Bland shares about her experiences in Brazil while on her first international mission trip
What did you do on your mission trip to Brazil?
On the first night of the trip, we met with the church family of a new Baptist church plant where I had the opportunity to share my testimony for the first time publicly before a large group. As our week progressed, we visited two orphanages and a community center. Our visits gave us an opportunity to express love to the children, to interact with them as we shared biblical stories and the children completed related activities. Also, for the new church plant, we canvased the Vila Nova Palhoça community to share the gospel, to pray for those who wanted it, to invite them to a block party and a special service that was held at the church, and to obtain contact information for follow up visits from the pastor. On the last day before our departure we visited a rehabilitation center for men, toured the facility, and shared the gospel.
How did you see God use this trip for the people that you ministered to?
We attended three church services and a special luncheon at the mother church while we were in Florianopolis. It gave us an opportunity to interact with the brethren. In spite of the language barrier, love, genuine friendship, acceptance, and appreciation were very evident. At the orphanages and community center, the children were like sponges. They absorbed the love we extended to them and treasured the crafts they created. The pastor of the new church plant was very appreciative of the impact we made on the community through the festival and the contact list that was generated as we canvassed the community. As my interpreter and I canvassed the community, we had one woman accept Jesus. She at first felt hopeless and wanted nothing to do with God; but by the end of our conversation, she was asking for prayer.
How did God use this trip to impact/change you?
This trip has helped me see how important it is for me to leave my comfort zone and allow God to use me to impact the lives of others. It was very revealing to me how much I don't know and need to learn. I was not as prepared as I should have been for this trip, but my lack of preparedness helped me to see more clearly my dependence on Jesus to fill my mouth and heart with His words as I converse with other people. This trip has given a new meaning to Bible study and to learning about the beliefs of others.
What did you learn from this experience?
God can use you in spite of your inadequacies and inhibitions. This trip was a first for me in many ways - the first time leaving the continent, first time in Brazil, first mission trip, first time visiting an orphanage, first time going into a community to share the gospel, first time publicly giving my testimony. While the things we did at the orphanages and community center were natural for me, I realized I was not prepared for sharing the gospel with a stranger. I explained to Jan, who is a missionary and was my interpreter, that this was the first time I had ever shared the gospel with a stranger. She gave me a crash course as we walked. She assisted me when I faltered. It was a very prayerful experience. Many times I felt like a fish out of water; I was totally out of my comfort zone. Then we met Alexandria and her neighbor. Alexandria was not receptive to hearing about the gospel. I could tell that our conversation was about to end, and Jan was ready to move on, when Alexandria said something that I believe Jesus used to light a fire in my heart. Gone were the inhibitions. The words flowed. The conversation was between the two of us with the Holy Spirit supplying the words. I forgot the other woman was standing there. By the end of our conversation, Alexandria asked me to pray for her and then invited us into her home. This was a complete change of attitude from our initial encounter. Her heart had softened, and we had an opportunity to share the gospel with her and pray for her family. Through my conversation with Alexandria, I realized how important it is for the Holy Spirit to open the minds and hearts of people. Also, people are willing to be open with you if you are willing to be open and vulnerable with them. Many are hurting and seeking a meaning to life and that meaning can only come through Christ Jesus. Every born again believer has a testimony that can be used by God to promote His truth and the gospel message.
What did you see happen that only can be explained by the working of God?
In addition to the incidence with Alexandria, there were several other things that occurred. The fact that my daughter and I went on this trip was an act of God. I had no intention of leaving the country. When the need for volunteers for different missions was announced in church, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to volunteer. I decided to volunteer for a local one (within the US), but God had other plans. We ended up on the mission trip to Brazil. Many things occurred – some of a very personal nature – to try to prevent us from going on the trip, but God intervened. One incident occurred when Joya and I presented the story about Noah and the Ark. We had prepared material for fifty children and had double checked the amount the night before. There were 25 pairs of animals and 50 activity packs. Before the presentation, a concern was expressed about whether we would have enough material for all of the children. I had made a quick count of the children and reassured them that there would be enough, because we had enough for fifty children. I was unaware that more children had been added after my quick survey. We passed out the pairs of animals to the children – giving each child only one from the pair. Before starting the story, we asked the children to find their mate and sit next to each other. I thought it was odd when one child had no mate. Dean volunteered to pair off with her, and we continued with the story telling. After the presentation, Alana, the missionary in charge of our group, came to me and said that we had just experienced another incident similar to the blessing of the fishes and the loaves by Jesus. She explained that there were over 60 children in the room, yet every child received an animal and an activity packet! There was a transformation that occurred within my daughter, Joya. God used the trip to renew and rekindle a fire for Him in her heart. It was the answer to many prayers, as her father and I saw her struggling to remain close to Jesus during her first two years of college.