This is the article that was in the April 28th bulletin at First Baptist of Eugene

In my opinion college age Christians are the most willing but the least able people to go on short term foreign missions. We are stuck in this crazy limbo stage of life where we are exploring our faith with freedom for the first time and interested in the world around us which looks much different than what we experienced the first 18 years of our existence. Against us is the fact that we are financially poor, out of work for the most of the year due to school, and the majority of us have left the community we grew up in to become a transplant in both a church and a city that doesn’t expects us to last more than four years.

When I was asked to lead a team of my peers to Cochabamba Bolivia this summer to serve with First Baptist’s missionary Dan Collins I didn’t fully grasp the size of the task it would be just to get less than a dozen of us out of the country. Thanks in part to my naivety I have been challenged and discouraged to the point of feeling hopeless. Days, weeks, and months have passed by and still many of our team’s financial and logistical hurdles remain to be cleared. My faith has been stretch, painfully so, but God has proven yet again to be orchestrator of all things deemed impossible.

Two months ago I was told by a member of the team that the University of Oregon was sending a research team to examine the effects of altitude, something Bolivia has plenty of, on human physical exertion. Fast forward to now, as many as three people on the team will get to spend the month prior to the mission trip participating in this study. Which means their flight and the majority of their in country expenses will be covered. How awesome is that? It is so encouraging seeing God accomplish what we cannot and what we never dreamed of.

The Bolivia missions’ team, known as the B-Team, is comprised of college age people from First Baptist’s college ministry CCF. We are a hodgepodge crew with a singular purpose, to serve the people and the missionaries in Bolivia with the love Christ has given us. The transformation that will take place within us before, during, and after this mission is a testament to what our Lord is doing in all of us when we are obedient and we trust in Him.

So much has been done by the Body of Christ to assist our team, people have contacted us about labor opportunities, First B staff has taken a huge load of the paper work, and people have responded to our individual letters for prayer and financial support. With a little more than two months remaining before the first of us leave it will be humbling and exciting to see the ways the Lord provides and continues to challenge us.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:2-4