FSM Peru Team
Demolition God
By: Caden Nance
Peru Trip Round Two! That’s what I called this trip since I had gone last year. Having some experience gave me confidence—I knew what to expect, what we’d be doing, and who we’d meet. I thought that confidence would simply help me lead younger team members, but God had other plans.
After a long flight, we rested briefly, then began our first day in Peru. As the first few days in Comas passed, my confidence shifted in a way that didn’t feel right. I knew exactly what to do and how to do it, but I had no peace. I felt anxious when not working, and numb when I should’ve felt joy. This wasn’t like me, and I kept asking, why?
One day in the mountains, a Peruvian pastor made a joke, pointing at a house high up: “This man is the smartest man in Peru,’ he said, ‘he built his house on the rock.” Referring to the scripture about building on a firm foundation in Christ. That night it hit me—my confidence was built on myself, not God. He was breaking down the shaky house I had made and replacing it with His foundation. No wonder I felt anxious; a house built on my own strength will collapse.
God began construction. The demolition of my “house” was painful, with tears, but through it I learned vulnerability. I let go of past burdens I had carried for years. In their place, God gave me a peace and confidence only He provides. From then on, I experienced the trip in a completely new way.
The release of those hidden burdens was a crucial step in growing my faith. I’m so thankful God gave me the chance to return, so His work could be done in me and through me.
FSM Peru Alumni Team
By: Lauren Jones
Going into the FSM Alumni Peru trip, it had been made obvious by the Lord that John 15 and the theme of “abiding” were to be what our team needed to anchor itself in while serving alongside our global partners in Comas. As we strived to embrace what it meant for our own team to abide in Jesus, we knew we wanted to provide an experience along these lines for our global partners to experience for themselves. Our team of 18 people had the privilege of stepping into a physical form of being the hands and feet of Jesus while hosting and honoring a small group of church elders at a local church in Comas, called Ano Nuevo.
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” – John 13: 3-5
We gathered our own basins, filled them with warm water and washed the feet of the elders. The 10 Peruvians, with their spouses standing in support behind them, sat in the circle of chairs, removed their socks and shoes and willingly embraced a cultural phenomenon that turned into a sacred memory for them and the Alumni team. The act of washing feet can be commonly noted as counter cultural in the country of Peru, so for many of them this was the first time they were experiencing the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples in a tangible way. There were many tears shed as each person was intentionally prayed over and from the feeling of emotional humility and overwhelming love between the two teams. There came a deeper appreciation for the story of Jesus taking the form of a servant to wash the feet of those closest to Him. The church of Ano Nuevo had become holy ground for those few hours. This alumni team, a group of 13 college students and 5 adults, served dinner, gave a devotional on what it means to not do ministry alone, read John 13 in Spanish over the elders, washed the feet of not only the elders but their spouses as well, and presented them with a framed blessing put together by one of Fellowship’s FSM staffers and an elder. This moment set the tone for the entire trip and became a memory that could not be easily forgotten. On the final day of the trip, our team was surprised as the roles were reversed. The elders lined up the same chairs for our Alumni team and returned the act of humility as they removed our shoes and washed our feet. It was the only way to end
the trip. That moment was spent remembering what it means to serve, to abide in Jesus like in John 15, and expressing gratitude over the reverent relationships that develop between people who love Jesus and each other.
Greece Team
By: Olivia Snodgrass
Hellenic Ministries’ vision for their property, Porto Astro, is for it to be “a place of healing for the nations”. That is exactly what we experienced this summer while participating in a family camp there for Afghan and Iranian refugees. These families were met with the gospel during their stay at camp in beautiful ways. HM had some amazing individuals prepared to run the camp activities and ultimately share the gospel with the families in their heart language, Farci. We Americans got to share the gospel through service…serving meals, doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, and helping with children. These were small, simple tasks, but the heart behind them was big. I will never forget one afternoon that two teammates and I made the trek to the shower and bathroom trailers for a cleaning shift. As I exited a shower trailer to get supplies, I looked up to see an elderly Muslim woman watching us clean with tears streaming down her face. She placed her hands on her heart and then gestured toward my teammates and I over and over again. I walked over to acknowledge her, nodding and smiling. She made more gestures as if she couldn’t believe we would be cleaning her bathroom. Culturally, maybe it is unbelievable that we would take a trip half-way across the world to clean some muddy refugee bathrooms. In the Kingdom of God, however, it makes perfect sense. I do not know this woman’s name or her story, but I believe that she was touched by the love of Christ in that moment. I know I was. In my heart I can hear Him say, “as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me” (Matthew 25).
Croatia Team
By: Jenna Phipps
My experience on Fellowship’s global trips has shown me just how deeply the relationships we form overseas can bless us as well as our global partners. This was my first time traveling to Slavonski Brod, and as a new member of the Croatia team, I had my own ideas, hopes, and expectations for the trip. While those didn’t pan out exactly how I imagined (no surprise there), God ended up doing something sweet and special regardless.
The last several years have been challenging for me as I’ve walked through a long season of moves and changes. Participating in Brodsko Sidro, the VBS and camp that we help Darko’s church host, was a blessing to me despite my own uncertainties and weaknesses. The campers I met in Brod didn’t know any of those things were happening in my life when we spent VBS week together. But their smiles, hugs, and willingness to participate in games and events encouraged me in the midst of an unstable and confusing season.
I know it’s a bit of a cliché that “the people I was going to serve on this mission trip ended up serving me,” but it’s true for a reason! The precious kids, teens, and young adults in Slavonski Brod actively poured into me. Whether that was telling me to sit next to them at dinner, or making jewelry specifically designed for me, or including me in the dancing during a wedding reception, they made me feel so loved and seen. This is the joy and the fruit of Fellowship’s ongoing relationships with our global partners: people on both sides reap the benefits of long-term commitment.
I loved being able to care for the kids in Brod and spend intentional time with them, but as I’ve reflected, what also stands out from my time in Croatia is how intentional and caring the campers were to me. I’m looking forward to the day I get to see them again!
FSM Guatemala Team
By: Emma Pope
Today was the best day ever! Right after waking up this morning, I was nervous as I had no idea what to expect. Safe to say that if I was expecting anything, this experience went above and beyond! As soon as we got to our home visit, I met the family that lives in the house that our group painted. I immediately connected with Erma, despite the language barrier, through our similar names. Before sharing my testimony, I had written it all out in my journal assuming I would just read out of it if needed. But, as soon as I stepped up and introduced myself to the sweet family, God gave me the confidence to put it down. Right before sharing my story, I impulsively decided that I wanted to talk about how God found me at the loneliest point of my life rather than my original topic of the importance of prayer. While speaking, I felt like the Holy Spirit was speaking through me. At one point I said, “God answered my prayer to take control of my life immediately, but He has been changing me progressively”. I felt like the Holy Spirit wanted me to make sure the family knew that I am nowhere near being a “perfect” Christian, but that instead, I’m a child of God who makes mistakes but was still able to be blessed by God in my darkest time. After sharing, I discovered that the strong family was abandoned by their father. Although being kicked out of a friend group does not in any way relate to the absence of a father and husband, I felt like in a way I related with the family. I feel like God wanted me to change the main idea of my testimony in order to relate with the family better, showing how powerful our God is and that He is our spiritual father and king.
FSM Slovenia Team
By: Keeley Dunlap
I was lucky enough to be able to go on the FSM trip to Slovenia this summer. I saw God work in my own lives and in the lives of the Slovenes while I was there.
I got to build a connection with a girl named Eva. Throughout the week at Fusion camp in Slovenia I was able to get to know her better and we were still able to stay in contact even after I left to go back home.
One of the last few days of camp during the evening program, which is where we do some camp songs and some more worship style songs. I was standing next to her in the back (she stood at the back for everything all of camp) during the camp songs. I told her “Hey I’m gonna go up more towards the front for the worship songs in a little”. She responded to me saying “Okay”, but after about 30 seconds she said “Lets go up to the front”. So we went up to the front and we were both worshiping together, in two separate languages.
In that moment that I got to share with her God showed me the importance of seeing people on the outside or who aren’t a part of a main group. And I got to see God working in her heart and pulling her closer to Him even if she hasn’t accepted Him yet.
