October 31, 2017 | Mission Trip Stories

Light through the Cracks: A Look at Ways Mission Programs Penetrate the World’s Darkest Places

At a Glance

Throughout the world, God is triumphing over darkness and is using Adventures in Missions in His redemptive plan.
God’s call to shine the light into the darkness leads missionaries to travel to places they wouldn’t normally go.
Through programs like the World Race and Ambassadors, Adventures in Missions creates mission opportunities for high school ages through adults.

Adventures in Missions’ missionaries give us a glimpse into the darkest of places, and how Jesus is bringing hope into each situation in the far corners of the earth.

It’s no coincidence that Dracula’s castle is in Romania. There is a pervasive darkness in the country, a heaviness that goes beyond grim legends and fairy tales, according to World Racer Katharine Tomkin.

“This is a battlefield of spiritual darkness,” she says. “The devil is waging war.”

Here are some of the things she’s seen:

“Witches pace in front of where you live, chanting curses and leaving dead animals to send evil spirits into your house.”
“Men beat their wives almost to death because they are full of so much anger and pain and the children come to you out of desperation, not knowing what else to do.”
“Witches hold international conferences here to gather and collectively practice satanic rituals.”
“Many attempt and many succeed at committing suicide because they see no escape out of the hell they are living in.”

As a World Racer, Katharine and her team chose to saturate dark places with prayer and overwhelm them with power of the name of Jesus.

Katharine has seen the power of light over darkness: “In this country where the spiritual darkness is heavy, the motto of my Race rings brighter and more encouraging than ever before.“

She quotes Acts 26:18:

“I am sending you so that you may open their eyes, to turn from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness for their sins, and a place of inheritance with those who are sanctified by faith through Me.

Photo // Hamilton Dilbeck, Team Praying over Romania

Megan Parham, World Race Alumni and now Squad Mentor on staff with the World race, has witnessed the power of God’s light triumphing over the darkness throughout the world, and understands the heartbeat of being called into the darkness.

God’s call to shine the light into the darkness starts with a willingness to go into places you wouldn’t normally. Megan says, “Some people need to hear Truth from a perfect stranger in order for it to ring true and strike a chord in their hearts. Would you be willing to be that stranger?”

While the World Race is a missions program for young adults, Adventures in Missions also sends out individual High School missionaries through the Ambassador Program.

Tori Bueno found herself facing the darkness while on an Ambassador trip to Uganda. Her hope was this “in running the race with diligence we will see the light through the cracks.”

During a hospital visit, Tori found herself praying for a man named Israel who was beaten by a witch doctor. “He was emaciated, just skin and bones.” Tori and her teammates prayed over the man, believing God’s light can penetrate the darkness.

The next week they returned to look for Israel, only to find an empty bed. Concerned that the worst happened and he died, Tori went outside to pray. As she stood outside Israel was walking towards her. “I am healed,” Israel said as he waved to Tori. God healed him, and Tori was able to be a part of his story.

Throughout the world, God is triumphing over darkness and is using Adventures in Missions in His redemptive plan.

God is moving in places like Swaziland, where Adventures in Missions is helping transform lives through Jesus Christ by caring for orphans, who make up 12 percent of the population, in hopes to raise the next generation in God’s love, like Bhutana’s story: “I just found love,” he says.

Matt and Kriek Gerber have been serving at the Adventures Base in Swaziland for years. They have witnessed an entire generation of Swazi people triumphing over the darkness of impossible circumstances.

Kriek says, “I am beyond thankful for the ways the ministry has grown and for the amazing things we have been part of. The way kids’ lives have been changed. For amazing staff. For Ngesikhatsi (grief counseling / emotional awareness course), for Sisekelo Setfu (our discipleship curriculum), for our carepoint choir, for sports ministry, for our Swaziland Leadership Academy. But I was reminded today that for some of the carepoint kids the food at the carepoint is still the only meal that they will get. And that hasn’t changed in 10 years.”

As Kriek shared, even with all the Church has done and continues to do, dark places still exist, and people are still in need of the light and hope of Jesus.