October - November 2018

Best Laid Plans
By Amber DeReus
School of Global Leadership
Former Taste and See Student
Trinidad and Tobago are two sun-kissed Caribbean islands where adventure, culture, and natural beauty blend seamlessly together. School of Global Leadership (SGL) Directors Mike and Pam Lumbard teach a 16-week missionary training school and 4-week missions intensive (Taste and See), and host many short-term missions’ trips on the island of Trinidad. Additionally the Lumbards hold missions training classes and short-term missions trips for many Trinidadian believers.
I had the privilege of attending one of the Lumbards’ four-week Taste and See missions intensives. I recently returned from the School of Global Leadership where I lived and ministered alongside Mike and Pam and learned about being a missionary.

I grew up in a Christian home and knew God from a very young age. When I was 10 years old I felt my heart being tugged by God for the first time to be involved in missions. As I grew older my heart for people and missions increased. Nonetheless, high school was rough for me. I struggled with anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder. This affected the way I thought and felt about myself and others and made it hard to function in my everyday life.
On January 17, 2016, missionaries Mike and Pam came to my home church, Open Bible Church in Boone, Iowa, to share about their ministry. I was a senior in high school and something Mike said during that Sunday morning service has stuck with me. He said, “There are no unreachable people; there are no unreachable places.” Over time this statement created an even bigger fire and desire to one day be involved in missions.
 
I knew God had bigger plans for me than the roller coaster of depression and anxiety that I struggled with in high school. I decided that after my senior year of high school I was going to get a cosmetology license and style hair. Upon completion of cosmetology school I would then be able to use my skills as a hair stylist and be able to pay for Bible College.
 
 I was so excited as I took my first steps towards cosmetology school. Everything was going great. Then after a few heartbreaking events in my life the depression and anxiety I had sought treatment for resurfaced, sending me into a downward spiral. I was at an all-time low. I put cosmetology school on hold to get myself back on track and then started school again the following semester. My dream was once again within reach. I was back to working my way towards what I really wanted to do, go to Bible college and become involved in missions. Little did I know that I was developing tendinitis in both of my wrists and elbows.

I thought, another setback ? I completed physical therapy and was able to fully recover the functionality of both of my wrists and elbows. Praise God! Unfortunately due to the severity of the injury my doctor highly advised me to pick a different career path. So once again my dreams were just beyond my reach. The enemy kept taunting me: What do you have to show for the past two years of hard work? Student loans and nothing else.
 
I had a great plan. Why wasn’t my plan going to get me where God was calling me? I began to feel the sting of depression again but decided to take a step back and look to God for direction. Shortly thereafter, I came across a newsletter from Mike and Pam about SGL and a four-week missions intensive they offered called Taste and See. A warmth arose within me and I could feel hope rising once again. God had a plan – His very own plan for my life. My journey was going to start again! It wasn’t over. This was in reach.

Going to Taste and See wasn’t without obstacles. I had to raise 100 percent of the funds needed to go and trust that God would provide everything I needed. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant to believe it would happen. Some money started to come in at the beginning but very slowly and I was becoming discouraged. I decided to press into God and ask Him to make it all come together if this is what He wanted for me. Wouldn’t you know it, God provided everything! The money was raised for my flight, insurance, and expenses to live in Trinidad for a month. God truly blessed me. I had extra money for when I got back to help me until I started receiving a paycheck again. My employer even agreed to hold my job for me until I returned from Trinidad. God provides! Not only did God provide financially for my trip but physically as well. I was able to get off three medications before leaving. Even more exciting was that the Lord did so much more in my heart than I ever expected even before the trip began.
Taste and See was a life-altering experience for me. I instantly fell in love with the Christian Trinidadian people. I witnessed their hearts and devotion to God. They are the most genuine people I have ever met. One young man I met grew up in a Muslim family. He used to sell illegal drugs but with Christ’s help he was able to turn his life around. He accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior, has been a Christian now for four years, and is attending Bible college. If he can do it, then I can too! I also met a young woman who grew up with somewhat of a religious background. She felt there was something missing and began to read her Bible and pray. Today her intense passion to know Him is inspiring.
My favorite testimony; however, is of a boy who came from a devout Hindu family – not just his family, but all of his extended family as well. His parents agreed to let him get baptized on one condition: he had to promise to commit his life fully to the Lord. To my surprise his entire Hindu family was there at the beach cheering him on and celebrating with him at his baptism! God is doing a miraculous work in this family.
None of the people I met in Trinidad are perfect, but they have allowed God to shine through them like the sun, radiant and unashamed. Most of the people I ministered to in Trinidad are either Muslim, Hindu, or Rastafarian. I witnessed God break through the obstacles of different religions and reach them where they are. It was an amazing experience to see God work in so many different people who come from so many different walks of life.

Now I am back from an experience I will never forget. God helped me fulfill the dream He placed in my heart years ago. With joy I write that by the time you read this I will be taking Bible classes at Harvest Bible Institute in Des Moines, Iowa. I will be learning more about missions, ministry, and international relations. I will learn more about how to live in and adapt to different cultures and possibly learn another language. If you could see my face right now, you would see a huge smile. I will never forget my time in Trinidad and I look forward to going back some day.
God wasn’t always my number one like He should have been, but He loves me so much that He chose to show me His plan and orchestrated the steps that have brought me to where I am today. I have always had big dreams and a heart for the world but I never truly felt strong enough or worthy enough to accomplish them. Truly on my own I never would have, but today is a new day. With God by my side I am a strong woman who can tackle the dreams and calling God has placed in my heart. If God has placed a calling on your life, trust Him and He will get you to where you need to be. God is good!”
For more information about the School of Global Leadership in Trinidad
email Mike and Pam Lumbard at info@sgl-trinidad.com .
What in the world is Global Missions up to?
One of our newest Open Bible works is in Cambodia. Cambodians suffered years of terrible civil war and endured the Killing Fields era.

Global Missions along with Lifesong Church of the Open Bible in Des Moines, Iowa established the Lifesong Learning Center which has made a huge impact on this community. Hundreds of people have been saved through the ministry of the center.

One of Global Missions visions for the Lifesong Learning Center is to provide training to children and young people so that they don't fall into the trap of human trafficking, which is so prevalent in Cambodia.

Global Missions wants to provide these children and young people with hope and a future that will not only transform their lives but also the lives of their entire families.
Global Missions will equip the vocational training center located on the Lifesong Learning Center property with sewing machines, laptops, and other supplies which will allow Lifesong the ability to offer computer training and sewing classes.

Please help us Rescue the Children and Youth of Cambodia by giving to the 2018 Global Harvest Offering. Funds from this offering will enable us to equip the vocational training center which will enable the children and youth to find good jobs to support themselves and the Open Bible work there.
For more information about the Global Harvest Offering for the children and youth of Cambodia or to become a one-time or monthly donor, please click here .


Bucket List Intern
By Liz Klein
Former Puente de Amistad Intern
Puente de Amistad (Bridge of Friendship) is a Christ-centered short-term missions base connecting visiting groups and individuals from the States to the people of Tijuana. Puente Directors Adam and Katie Henaman and missionaries Travis and Heather Hunsaker display the love of Jesus in tangible ways by mobilizing visiting groups and individuals to minister in local orphanages and feeding kitchens, assisting in building projects for the poor, ministering in various churches, and working with other missionaries. The staff at Puente ultimately desire for the people of Tijuana to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and friend.
Over the summer the Henamans and the Hunsakers offered me an internship opportunity to assist them with visiting ministry groups, ministry, projects, and some day-to-day tasks. Being an intern at Puente was a huge check off my “bucket list.”

I fell in love with the idea of missions work in 2013 when I participated in my first short-term missions trip to Puente. There was something about bringing the love of Jesus to the forgotten that really struck a chord within me. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to learn more about what missions was all about and I began to pursue opportunities to do so. God has given me a heart for the people of Mexico, which led me to my decision to enter Puente’s internship program.
I have previously been on four short-term missions trips to Puente prior to my internship. Having done so I thought I had an idea of the ministries I would be working with. As it turns out I had no idea what being an intern would truly entail. Aside from receiving lessons/coaching and working alongside some amazing people of God, the idea of an internship was new territory to say the least. One thing I knew for sure was that I would be learning an exponential amount about missions through studies and hands-on experiences. I arrived hitting the ground running, working alongside several short-term missions teams, completing incredible lessons, and having the honor to step into independent times of ministry.
Looking back now I can honestly say being an intern through Puente will forever be one of the most life-changing experiences in my life. I grew not only spiritually, but as a person and child of God. The pastors and missionaries based in Tijuana poured themselves into me and my growth as a fellow believer, something I will always be beyond grateful for. I was able to meet so many new people and form relationships that will last a lifetime. One of the biggest things I learned was not just how to be a missionary, but how to be a disciple. The Bible states in Acts 1:8 that we need to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. My time as an intern at Puente showed me how to do just that. A person does not need to go to a foreign country to be a missionary. It’s about the everyday moments we are given to just be the love of God to a lost and hurting world. I am so excited to take what I’ve learned from this internship and move forward with it in my future endeavors.

For more information about Puente de Amistad in Tijuana, Mexico,
email the Henamans and Hunsakers at pdeamistad@gmail.com .
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