Through the past four years, every time I went out and did missions it was always in Latin culture. My DTS outreach was to Guatemala and Costa Rica. On that particular trip our main focus was evangelism. Daily we went out and presented the gospel to the people of those countries. Through obedience and faith we saw the Lord move in miraculous ways, ways that forever changed my life.
This past summer I had the opportunity to embark on a new journey. Something different. I drove around America in a 15 passenger van with 10 friends, driving 9,000 miles through 23 states. We stopped in 16 cities and shared the Love of Jesus with people we met. Something that I’ve always loved and appreciated in Latin culture was even if they were busy or needed to be somewhere, they would slow down and talk. But this trip was a lot different from my past experiences. People were more cold, and if people didn’t want to talk they would just walk by. We were denied a lot more and felt much more resistance. Because of this, it was the most impactful trip of my life. This trip gave me experiences that completely shaped my identity. I had to grow an unoffendable heart, one that if I stepped out in obedience to pray for someone and got shut down, I would directly move to the next person and try again. Besides, we don’t know what kind of impact it could have on someone’s life by just asking if we can pray for them. The Lord moves in amazing ways and we can’t always comprehend it. It is all about finding our confidence in the Lord knowing that what we are sharing is the next piece of a plan the Lord is fulfilling in that person’s life.
We were denied a lot more and felt much more resistance. Because of this, it was the most impactful trip of my life.
The most impactful thing I found on this trip was that there is Hope in America. The Lord has people, churches, and organizations placed in every single city that He is using. In each city there are strongholds, but in each city God is bigger. I found that America needed to know that we have a good Father. And our Father loves us unconditionally. My team’s heart was to show that our Father is who He says He is.
Each trip I have been on, the Lord has built my character, He has used me for moments I would have never imagined, and He has established new passions in my heart. And most of all, He has given me hope!
Written by Tyler Strating
