Late on Independence Day, I returned home to Texas from my 19th mission trip during 21 years of service as a missionary for Christian Outreach International (COI). This summer’s COI trip was my first domestic mission (Orlando) that was not disaster relief. I had been warned by an experienced missionary that domestic mission trips that are not disaster relief are “a little boring.”
My experience helping to lead a COI mission trip in Orlando was not boring – quite the contrary! Every ministry venue was unique, challenging, gratifying, inspiring, and very fruitful for The Kingdom of God: Vacation Bible School in an at-risk neighborhood, preparing linens for shipping to areas of great need all over the world at Harvest International, feeding the homeless on the streets, feeding parents of children with cancer at Ronald McDonald House, and leading worship through music and drama at a nursing home for low-income, elderly residents. In future blogs, I intend to share a lot about each of these ministry venues.
This month I want to focus on the Porterville Missions team from IL., that I helped to lead in Orlando. I believe that The Kingdom of God flows through personal relationships.
God’s blessings flowed between and out of this year’s team members that included more youth than last year’s. They blessed the people they ministered to at every venue, they blessed our Orlando ministry partners, they blessed each other and they blessed me. These wonderful ambassadors for the Lord were on the front lines of ministering to “the least of these” in other countries through Harvest International and in Orlando. Their actions, attitudes, and loving hearts proclaimed God’s love, The Gospel, and extended His Kingdom. Many team members, adults and youth alike, were deeply impacted throughout the week. I was very blessed by the Lord’s presence in all!!
Please consider putting together a team from your church to make an impact with COI in Orlando next year.
Trent Detamore, COI Missionary, Fort Worth, Texas