Engaging in Spiritual Battle!

Hello friends and family, 

 

Brittany and I are finally wrapping up our summer road trip. Along the way we’ve encountered numerous roadblocks and plan changes, but what the Lord has done this summer is nothing short of miraculous.

As some of you may recall, our original plan for the summer involved us leading 13 mission trips, driving or flying to each different location. We finished our 8th mission trip in the last week of June, and during the first week of July, we had our first restful week all summer. But during the month of July, every plan that we had was changed. We ended up seeking an extra week off the mission field so that we could try to manage all of our administrative tasks, ensure that our marriage was healthy, and of course rest. The remaining five trips we had planned to be on, for some reason or another, were either canceled or we found a substitution.

It’s amazing the amount of stress, exhaustion, and emotional fatigue that 8 mission trips back to back can have on a person. We knew that in order to make these mission trips as impactful and fruitful as they should be, it would be best if we took a backseat, and when necessary focused on our own well-being.

This year has been unusual for Adventures in the amount of last minute cancellations and logistical problems. There were a number of trips where we had to find a new place to host the team or a new ministry opportunity during the week of the trip. Seemingly random problems like bed bugs, Covid, and even black mold and rats interrupted our plans this summer. It was easy to write off these problems as just part of the job, or an unfortunate coincidence that so many trips had problems, but I don’t believe that is the right thinking. 

I believe the enemy is threatened through the discipleship in the ministry that is taking place on these trips. I believe the enemy has used every tactic that he knows to steal, kill, and destroy what is happening on these one-week trips. In the day to day dealing with problems and communication, it can be difficult to remember that we are engaging in spiritual battle. You cannot beat the enemy if you don’t believe that he’s real. 

In Revelation 12:11, God’s word shows us that the way that we overcome the enemy is through the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimonies. I would like to take a few moments to list out some of the beautiful works the Lord has done through our ministry over this summer, as to give the enemy no opportunity to sow doubt, fear, apathy, disappointment, or shame in the silence. So here are some celebrations:

 

1. Over the course of just this summer, our ministry sent 40 different mission teams on trips to 17 different locations.

2. This summer, we launched a new partnership in Manchester, New Hampshire. Our mission trip there was incredible and we are likely going to establish New Hampshire as a featured location in which potentially hundreds of participants will get sent over there next year. Here’s a short video from our New Hampshire trip this summer: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B2JTypadfM)

3. On one of our mission trips to New Orleans, we received some amazing feedback from well-seasoned youth pastors. These youth pastors have gone on trips with numerous other mission organizations, but they said that their experience with Adventures in Missions was by far the best. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dm39CzgWM0)

4. We partnered with a new, evangelically bold, church in Chicago. Bethel Temple Church and their pastor, trained and initiated high schoolers to share the gospel on the streets, and it was so powerful. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma9rb3ueNYQ)

5. In Hilton Head, we worked with a few different programs for adults with special needs, and many participants had their eyes open to the beauty of these people. 

6. In Mayfield, Kentucky, our teams were able to assist in building homes for a few under-insured people who had lost everything they own. Since the rebuild began in March, both of these homes have been finished and these people have a home again.

7. Finally, we have at least 22 new partnerships within all of our locations for ministry opportunities, and several other new locations coming next year. This means more opportunities to be a part of what God is doing in these areas!

We are so grateful to be a part of this ministry and to continue to grow. Again, we are so blessed by all of you, our wonderful friends, family and support team. None of this would be possible without any of you.

While our summer is coming to a close, I’d like to present a few prayer requests for the upcoming season:

1. Brittany and I are officially moving! Since our summer full of hotels, couch surfing, and air mattresses on church floors is over, we are searching for a more permanent place to call home. This will really be the first place we’ll have to call our own since we were married last November. Right now, we are highly considering moving to St. Cloud, Minnesota because of its proximity to Minneaoplis, more affordable housing, and the amazing opportunity to be involved with muslim and refugee ministries in the area. We are so excited to be in a multicultural city where we can be missionaries domestically before moving abroad. We actually just put in an offer on a small house in St. Cloud, and we are praying that if it is the Lord’s will, we will get the house. Please pray for the Lord’s provision, favor, and direction as we look for a place to call home.

2. We as a team are making a ton of adjustments going into the next year. Almost all of the members of our team will be working remotely from a different state. We could use prayer for the proper adjustments to be put in place so that we can be as effective as possible in the next year. We’re looking forward to growing as a team and learning how to work together while being decentralized. 

3. Lastly, Brittany and I are on the way to the airport as I am writing this. We are taking an 8 hour flight overnight to Gainesville, GA to pick up all of our stuff in a UHaul and take it back to my parents house until we find a place to live. We knew that this day was coming, but our date got moved up and now we will likely have to move our things twice, once to my parents house, and a second time from my parents house to wherever we end up living (hopefully that small house in St. Cloud). Together, all of our moving is going to end up costing us about $3,000. We would love to ask for the Lord to continue to provide for our needs. If you would feel led by the Lord to help us with our moving costs, please let Brittany or I know. We appreciate your partnership and generosity. Please contact us directly if you are interested in giving.

 

Thank you all so much,

Ben & Brittany