How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

It’s an old saying, but it’s a timeless principle when it comes to tackling a large goal. At Missionary Ventures, our goal is the one set before us by the final words of Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).  The whole world is a pretty big “elephant,” so we have to look at it in small bites as well.  

How do you reach the whole world?

One person at a time.

For decades, we have helped send one person, one family, and one team at a time to serve where God has called them. From short-term 1-2 week trips or a lifetime of ministry, we have equipped people to be INVOLVED in reaching the world for Christ. It’s the first word in both our tagline, “Involve. Inspire. Impact.” and our mission statement, “Involving People to Impact Nations for Christ.”

Miraculous things happen when people go. In Guatemala, a team of eight came from the Detroit area to help conduct youth events alongside missionaries Randy and Brenda Purcell. They brought gifts and an incredible program for children in two centers. Then at two other youth events, around 100 of the youth came forward at the end for prayer to accept Christ or to recommit their lives to Him. Amazing!

In Kenya with Deb Deren, a team from Great Britain was invited to visit one of the church leader’s homes. In the very dimly lit, smoke-filled room, they talked, sang together, drank sodas, and laid hands on the church leader’s visiting grandmother who was scheduled to be hospitalized the following day for chronic joint pain. The next day, the grandmother woke up without any pain and proceeded to milk one of the cows and do other chores. The hospital appointment was canceled and she walked to the next Sunday morning church meeting to testify what God had done for her, jumping up and down to demonstrate her joy and healing.

Not only do miraculous things happen in the places where team members serve, but their lives are often changed as well. This is sometimes the first step into a lifetime of ministry. After a trip to Guatemala, one of our team members recently wrote, “We don’t want our testimony to just be “we went to Guatemala!” Instead it needs to be, “We went to Guatemala and THEN…”

The story never ends with just one trip. For so many, it is just the beginning.

You can help the ongoing recruitment of new missionaries through a gift to Missionary Ventures Mobilization initiative.