Impact Report September 2012
Thank you for supporting our ministry with your finances and prayers. With your support, we are able to offer mission trips like this one that are transforming people’s lives. Thank you!
David Lee, Executive Director
Stuart stood under the oak trees at the University of North Texas (UNT) and waited for his next divine appointment.
A young lady approached the Justice For All Exhibit, and like a stone statue, she stared at it. It was not raining, but a drop of moisture ran down this statue’s face. Then the statue cracked and became human.
Reacting to this sign, Stuart gently began a conversation. He learned that she had chosen to have an abortion earlier in the year. He asked if she would like to talk about it with someone who had made a similar decision. He then brought her to Lori Navrodtzke and Angela Weatherly, two JFA volunteer missionaries.
Lori and Angela sat with the young woman on a bench under the trees for over two hours. Besides providing her with immediate lay counseling, they were able to connect her with local professional counseling options and a local post-abortion women’s Bible study.
Stuart later reflected, “This experience has not only motivated me to be more confident in being able to talk to anyone about Christian values, but has given me the tools to be more effective in doing so.”
Stuart’s learning experience was aided by the combination of Seat Work with Feet Work. He was able to immediately put the skills and principles he learned into practice. His learning was not just theoretical; it was practical.
In addition to the combination of Seat Work with Feet Work, people learn even better in an environment that forces them to immerse themselves in using the skills they are trying to master. That is why many Christian families prioritize a family mission trip.
Many Christians feel that it takes a trip out of the country to accomplish these goals, and they believe they cannot go because of the expense. But there are other ways that families on a tight budget can experience Christian leadership and discipleship training, as evidenced by the Boyes family.
Stuart and Susan Boyes, along with three of their six children, traveled from Oklahoma City to Denton, Texas, for a three-day Justice For All mission trip. On the first day of the trip, the Boyes family attended a seminar, where they studied and practiced how to defend their pro-life beliefs. Then over the next two days, the family went to the mission field, in this case the campus of UNT, to engage students in heart changing dialogue about abortion. This process included Seat Work followed by Feet Work, and they experienced both in a super-charged learning environment.
Stuart explained, “I think the [trip]…provided better learning opportunities because of the fact that we were immersed in learning for three full days… Being away from everything else, I was able to focus on our immediate task without distractions from work, other ministry, and other things that constantly fight for my time and attention.”
Stuart’s seventeen-year-old daughter Jennifer said, “JFA has taught me so much! I have learned skills I can use in any conversation, like asking questions, listening, and finding common ground.”
Stuart concluded, “Thank you so much to the JFA organization and the leaders and mentors, who are so great at training and leading by example, for giving my family and me the opportunity to minister to the students at UNT. This has truly been one the greatest experiences of my life.”
JFA mission trips powerfully transform participants by combining Seat Work with Feet Work and by immersing participants in a focused, intensive learning environment—the mission trip experience. The best part is, from defending life to sharing the gospel, you will not need a passport or shots on a JFA mission trip!
JFA’s cost to provide the educational experiences of the mission trip is approximately $200 per participant. Please consider funding a scholarship, so that more families can attend this leadership and discipleship training program.
Give at www.jfaweb.org/donate and designate the gift “Mission Trips,” or mail your gift to our home office in Wichita, Kansas.