Two years ago, I wrote a blog that began like this:
“Have you ever experienced God at work right in front of you? I mean, literally, right where you are and as a part of what you’re doing? For those of you who have, you know it’s an event that solidifies your faith and becomes a mile marker in your life because you know that God did something and nobody can convince you otherwise.”
I wrote about the excitement I had as I anticipated being a part of the leadership team for what was then called the Brio Mission Trip; an annual summer outreach that brought hundreds of teens together to present the message of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. My expectations were high because of what I experienced the year before, 2008, when I first joined the team as they went to Lima, Peru.
On that trip there were 13 teams in all that spent 10 days in Lima venturing into some of the most poverty-ridden areas surrounding the city. Each team had multiple opportunities to perform a drama that told the story of creation, man’s separation from God as a result of sin, and the possibility of a restored relationship through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And, how did God show up? There were nearly 7,000 men, women and children who professed a desire to become Christians. And, on top of that, each of the teens that God returned to their homes with mile markers of God’s reality that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
That experience repeated itself when the outreach, renamed “Never The Same” went to Guatemala in both 2009 and 2010. As one of the adult team leaders, I saw the lives of hundreds of Guatemalans changed as God used the teens on my team to reach out to them with the good news of Jesus Christ.
This year the “Never The Same” Mission trip goes to Quito, Ecuador, and I’m hoping to be able to be a part of it all, as are my two oldest sons, Rob and Ben. Would you consider joining with the others we’re contacting to become a part of our support team? Yes, there’s always the financial part of such a request; the cost is about $2,500.00 each. But, regardless of whether you can contribute monetarily, an equally important need we have is for people
to be praying for us as we prepare to go, and while we’re there.
If you’re interested in becoming a part of this outreach and you’re not already in the Ecuador 2011 Facebook group I created, please request to join our Facebook group by visiting my Facebook page and requesting to join via the link on the left side of the page.
And if you can help financially, there are two ways you can send along your tax-deductible donation to Big World Ventures, the non-profit organization that organizes the mission:
– Online by clicking the “Sponsor Me” button on the righ side of the page or by visiting: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/robert-kirkpatrick/big-world-ventures-inc
– You can also send a check to us. Our address is 3425 Inspiration Drive, Colorado Springs, CO, 80917. Please make out your Check to “Big World Ventures”.
Big World is asking that we have all our support in place by April 1st, so we’d be most grateful if you would let us know as soon as you can.
Rob and Ben are both excited about this opportunity God has placed before them, as well. I’ll post their comments soon.
For more information about the “Never The Same” outreach, go to