Ten years ago, two church members suggested a short-term mission trip for our local congregation. “Let’s do it,” I said, and we were off, like a sled full of children at the top of a hill. We had just received the initial push. Little did I realize how this divine nudge would shape the identity of the members and mission of my church. Each year we do it again. I have just returned from India with seven teenagers and six adults.

God called me to India. It happened the Sabbath before campmeeting. Bob Robinson, Southern Asia Division assistant to the president, sat listening to my sermon about foreign missions and the local congregation. At the end of the service he slipped out of his pew, took hold of my hand and said, “You should come to India.” I knew he was right.

Encouraged by my conference president, I extended the call to others. After nine months, only three people had committed to join me. A few months later two had to change their plans. I came to the conclusion that it would be a rather small “team.” I was wrong.

In the four months preceding our October departure God added another dozen people to the trip, most of them young men and women.

The team now consisted of fourteen people from six Indiana churches who were willing to fly ten and one-half time zones away to bring the good news of Jesus to the village people of Andra Pradesh, one of India's 30 states. Divided into half a dozen evangelistic teams, they would encounter 5,000 people in six locations for 15 consecutive nights of Bible preaching and health education.

Each made personal sacrifices.

Aaron Clark hadn't seriously considered going until, urged by his mother, he felt impressed he should join the team. Going to India meant no family income for a month and leaving behind Ember, his eight-month-old daughter. Would she remember him if he was absent from her life for three weeks? After praying about it, he decided his mother was right, he should go and trusted God to take care of his family. Aaron later admitted he may not have thought seriously about participating in the mission trip without her encouragement.

Larry McConnell decided to go because he believes "the time is short [until Jesus returns]. Our church is a mission-minded church and we should view ourselves that way either abroad or locally. This [India] is an opportunity where the Lord called us abroad."

Larry was saving unused building materials after a disappointing business venture. One day a family member invited him to participate in an auction. Larry thought of the building materials, and India, and decided to put the materials in the auction. Larry said, "The Lord moved the building materials so we could put the funds toward India."

David Ward, a 15-year-old sophomore at Indiana Academy, donated the $1,000 he was saving for something special. He also sacrificed personal time with friends to prepare for the trip and devoted additional time when he returned to make up missed school work.

One teen used his detasseling and lawn mowing money to purchase his ticket.

The preparation for our journey was priceless. Each Tuesday we met at the church to sing, pray, and train for the health lectures and evangelistic sermons. We committed to a simple “John the Baptist” lifestyle and sought to make our hearts right with God, trusting He would do something through us, and in us. One young man captured the value of the experience when he said, “Preparing for this trip has brought more spiritual growth to my life than would have happened naturally over several years.”

How do you prepare for India—the crowds, the dirt, the poverty? The country is a paradox of the modern and the ancient. From industry to agriculture, the contrast of the old and the new is everywhere. One field is cultivated with an ox or a camel and the next with a Massey Ferguson.

Even more startling was the discovery of our revered status as American holy men. Each evening at the end of the meetings, the people flocked to the front wanting nothing more than to have us lay our hands on them and pray. This simple and somewhat misplaced confidence was a humbling experience. And yet, God did work miracles—spiritual and physical.

Luis Evia, Evansville (Indiana) Hispanic Church pastor, with seven national pastors, asked God to stop the heavens' down-pour of rain. By the time he said, "Amen," the rain ceased. Bela Kobor, Evansville (Indiana) Church pastor, applied charcoal to a man's neck and after three days the soreness in his neck was gone. Jose Vazquez, Indiana Conference Community Services director, was presented with a baby who had a fist-size tumor protruding from his back. He laid his hands on the child's back and prayed. God healed—the swelling was gone!

Another young boy was brought by his parents, confident God would listen to the prayers of an American pastor and heal their mute son. In humility and with faith, the pastor took the boy outside the tent and knelt trembling. He felt unworthy to petition God on this young boy's behalf. Hearing two voices, one giving doubt, the other telling him to proceed, he recalled looking up at the moon and in its shadows saw the face of Jesus while hearing one voice get louder. The pastor prayed for healing and the young boy returned to the tent. For the first time they heard him speak the words, "Mama and Papa."

For two weeks we preached the gospel, visited under thatched roofs, prayed for the sick, and handed out 4,200 Telegu Bibles. We navigated congested streets and shared principles of healthy living. Over 4,000 people gave their lives to Christ and confessed their love through baptism. We left 15 Global Mission Pioneers to give ongoing spiritual nurture to 30 new congregations. We purchased property for 18 churches, which are currently under construction, and paid for it all with American dollars. We have 12 more to fund and build.

Because of our global organization, we have a network in place to help us recapture this vision. Members of our church—brothers and sisters around the world—can benefit from our fellowship and service. At the same time, we gain a vision of the world work like never before. Entered into carefully and prayerfully, the experience is transformational.

It transformed Aaron's life. "I took a quantum leap in spiritual faith," he shared. "The trip opened my eyes to where I was spiritually and helped me see the importance of talking to others who do not know Jesus." While Aaron was experiencing the blessings of God overseas, his wife Holly was experiencing the blessings of God back home. Expecting to be without Aaron's income for a month, the Clarks were overwhelmed when they learned family and church friends had donated so much for Aaron's trip that the excess would pay for his trip and bills in his absence.

The trip also changed David's life. David was teamed with a seasoned pastor, Jose Vazquez, who encouraged and coached him through health lectures, sermons, and many surprising experiences. More importantly, "we prayed together and helped each other in many different ways," David shared.

David felt frustrated after his first health lecture, but was determined to do better the next time, so he prayed and studied harder. It was then he felt the Holy Spirit working with him. He felt God's blessing and was amazed as he saw God remove his fears and give him powers of speech. Witnessing God at work in his own life helped David realize the whole experience was not about him, but about God.

David learned lessons he wouldn't have learned in a classroom as he also witnessed the Indian people's faith. "They relied on us. They poured out their hearts to us and believed if they would ask, they would receive."

"Sharing the Bibles with the people really brought home the meaning of the words, 'Go ye into all the world ... ’ for me," David remarked. As individuals were baptized, they returned to the Americans who taught them about Jesus for another prayer. It was then that the Bibles were presented to them. David says "Religion ... was the only thing that brought them joy. By giving them the Bible, we gave them the key to happiness."

Would he go on another mission trip? David responded, "God willing, I'll go."

Larry was moved personally by his teammates' testimonies upon their return. "They gave me personal strength and reminded me our God is an awesome God, waiting to pour out His blessings if we just take the step or leap," he emphasized. "To see individuals before the trip and to know them afterwards ... you can see a difference. You are a different person. I'm such a small vessel and so imperfect, but to be used in the perfect work of the Lord meant committing my all to Him."

Mission experience can become the catalyst for a passion and a competency for evangelism in America.

"Mission trips strengthen your church body," stated Larry. "The Holy Spirit moves the hearts of the whole church family to make it [mission trips] happen. Following the trip, Cicero (Indiana) Church members listened to their missionaries tell stories about unfinished projects in India. They are rallying to do what they can to finish the work there. "People are just making them happen," remarked Larry. In addition, Larry has seen local church outreach strengthened as members' lives have been changed following church mission trips. "It is a contagious kind of virus and it's wonderful to see people coming together."

I have a clipping on the bulletin board in my church from an Indian newspaper. It tells the sad story of a woman who threw her newborn baby girl into a muddy ditch believing that black magic would change her from a girl to a boy! This lady is just one of the 1.1 billion reasons I went to India. Others like her are why we are called to go back. There is a reason to sacrifice. There is a reason to pray. There is a reason to pull together. And when we do, there will be a reason for rejoicing.

“Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary” (The Desire of Ages, 195).

Ron Kelly is the Indiana Conference family ministries director and Cicero (Indiana) Church pastor.