How to Engage Youth in Service
Several years ago I called our town hall to inquire about getting a parking sticker for my car. As I was listening to the menu options, I heard, “For the Youth Bureau, press 4.” Our town has a youth bureau? I thought. Forget the sticker! As a youth pastor, I was so intrigued that there […]
The Rewards of Mission Work
“To put simply, they need you,” says mission veteran Nathaniel Planalp. This statement encompasses one of the main reasons why RP Missions continues to send out young people to local and distant places year after year. While mission work may provide different perspectives of ourselves and others, or help us learn more about another culture, […]
Emergency Field Hospital Treating Hurricane Survivors in the Bahamas
Lucinda Haven, her daughter Clarena, and grandson Abel weathered Hurricane Dorian inside a public shelter and avoided the dangers of flying glass, rising tides, and having to walk through miles of waist-high water. Once they returned home, however, Lucinda stepped out of the back of a truck with her family, fell, and fractured the bones […]
How to Prepare Your Youth Before Your Next Mission Trip
If you are taking students on a mission trip and you see it merely as an event you’re “supposed” to do, you’re doing it wrong. I know that’s a pretty controversial statement, but hear me out for a second. Taking your students on a mission trip is predicated on building a missions mindset before the […]
God Brings Full Circle One Young Girl’s Dream
When Regina Palazuelos was nine years old, she boarded a bus at her church for the ninety minute trip to Guaymas, Sonora, where the Operation Mobilization (OM) ship Logos II would dock. Regina recalls, “It was the event of the year, to board this missionary ship with an international crew. It was a big party […]
Days Without Treatment Threatening a Little Life
Eight years ago, Lori, the co-founder of Show Mercy International (SMI) came down with malaria. By the time they realized it, she almost died. God miraculously saved her life. This inspired the Salley’s to share with others the importance of a medical facility. That led to the Medical Clinic at Show Mercy’s base being born. […]
Vanshika’s Story
Vanshika was born on the dirt floor of a hut in the slums of Nagpur, India. As she grew, she would often go to bed hungry, with only water to drink. Both of Vanshika’s parents were HIV positive and often too sick to work. Instead of attending school, Vanshika sold vegetables at the market to […]
When I Touched His Hand, He Touched My Heart
Medicine is only a good intention until it is lovingly put into the hands of the hurting. Only then does it become a life-saver, conversation starter, and connection maker. On a mission trip to Haiti, Bernie Morris, Chief Financial Officer of Blessings International, was struck in a new way by the impact of medicine given […]