Connecting Through Language
Mercy Ships are filled with volunteers from around the world, representing different cultures and languages from their home countries. Though it is a requirement to speak English onboard for safety reasons, many of our volunteers find ways to share their native language in different capacities. For volunteer and native French speaker Alexandra – also known […]
My Adoption Story
For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord,” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11. I have had this verse memorized since I was in middle school and it has been a constant reminder of God’s goodness in my […]
Fighting Hunger, Poverty and Suffering
“Woohoo! Man, this is a lot,” one man said with a smile on his face. In his hands, he had several bags of groceries that NASCAR driver Joey Logano and Las Vegas police officers had given him. He went home with food, socks, hygiene supplies, a prepaid gas card, and hope. Joey Logano and Las […]
Rescued
At the end of the medical clinic, after we walked through the district with Seeta (*name changed for privacy), we gathered together back at the center. It was sweltering and the shade of the center’s roof provided much needed respite from the cloak of heat and scorching sun. We scraped our metal chairs into a […]
God is Close
After the Beirut explosion on August 4th, our local partners in Lebanon formed a team to help coordinate cleanup and repairs efforts. Six staff, 11 interns and disciples, and several volunteers joined the effort to visit homes, churches, schools and hospitals to help with cleaning and clearing the glass and rubble caused by the explosion. […]
The Surprising Changes When You Serve… It’s Not Just For ‘Them’
There were a million reasons why I shouldn’t go. I’m not an evangelist. I don’t have any special talents. I don’t have $3,000 lying around. I’ve never been out of Kentucky much less on another continent. I’m not a physically ambitious person. I can’t survive without electricity or running water. But I only needed one […]
When a GAP Becomes a Bridge
For many people, taking a gap year means working some sort of 9-5 to gain life and professional experience, or traveling to another country to be exposed to a foreign culture, or going on a mission trip. For me it meant a hybrid of all three. In the height of the senior year college application frenzy, […]
Think Really Local
Local ministry doesn’t just mean within your area code, city, town, or region. It can be even smaller and closer than you think. Who is physically closest to you right now as you read this? Maybe it’s your mother folding laundry. Your spouse playing with the dog. Your sibling struggling with their homework. Your own […]