The Impact

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 17:46:44 GMT

Ukraine - August 2021

This picture was taken in Kremenchuk, Ukraine in August of 2021. Little did we know that just a few short months later, the nation of Ukraine would come under attack in a brutal war that is still underway. I’m in the middle there in the red shirt. We took 6 men from our men’s team to go do a 3-day kayaking trip that was an outreach to Ukrainian men far from God. About 40 men went on that trip. The following Sunday, one of those men came to church and accepted Jesus as his savior in front of everyone. It was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. We did leadership training, outreaches, shared worship and communion with two churches in Kremenchuk; ate with them, prayed with them, hugged, laughed, and cried when we left. We could not wait to go back and bring a larger team, including our wives.

Then the war came.

We called them, did video calls over WhatsApp, prayed for them, sent support; everything we could. We are in contact with them now as well, and will go back when it’s possible. During the war they have not stopped ministering, meeting, baptizing, training, etc. I am in absolute awe of their courage and devotion to Jesus. The week we were there we became brothers in every sense of the word. They were impacted, but we may have been impacted by them even greater. We are connected eternally. Even as I write this short testimony I’m wiping away tears thinking about the people of Ukraine and the lifelong deep friendships I now have there in Kremenchuk.

Short term missions change lives. And this is one story. Ask someone you know who has been on a mission trip to share a story with you. Maybe next year you’ll be the one sharing a story like this.

Check out our MISSIONS page for more information.

Kenny Koger is the Men's & Missions Pastor at The Refinery Christian Church. He thrives on long-term meaningful relationships and helping people do things for Christ they never dreamed they would do. He loves Christmas music at any time of the year, and is enthralled by astronomy.

Along with Lindsey Harden, RCC's Next Steps Pastor, Kenny has been instrumental in casting a vision and changing the format and culture of our Life Groups to be a people-loving, intentional relationship-building, disciple-making training ground where disciples make disciples who make disciples; just as Jesus demonstrated and instructed us to do.

A Changed Heart on the Mission Field

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 16:51:54 GMT

In the fall of 2017 my family and I decided to sign up for a mission trip to Rock Point, Mexico with *1Mission. We felt the pull to step out of our comfort zone and do something different, something more, something to help and elevate our service to God. I remember thinking back then about all the impact WE would have, the life change WE would bring this family, and all the blessings WE could pour out to them.

What I did not expect was to be completely transformed from the inside out. What I did not expect was to personally encounter God on a deeper, more authentic level. What I did not expect was a radically changed heart and a completely new outlook of serving on the mission field. This past fall 2022 my family and I completed our 11th trip to 1Mission and it’s no longer about what WE can do, it’s about what God can do WITH us THROUGH us, to fulfill His will and His ultimate plan in sending His creation to reach the ends of the earth with His gospel.

Here is what we have learned on the mission field:

Mission work is the only work that we do not need to be afraid to fail at . We have all already won because the biggest accomplishment was just saying yes. Yes to the pull, yes to the calling to step out of our comfort zones and serve God’s people. God will work and move in ways we cannot even comprehend. The impact may not even be seen for generations, because it is not about us seeing the fruits of our own labor, it’s about us planting the seeds. If we are constantly in need of big experiences to be validated as useful to the kingdom then we will feel unusable the majority of our lives. Rest in knowing that when you say “Yes” you are already pleasing God.
You are an answer to Jesus’s prayer. In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus says the harvest is great but the workers are few. Then he prays asking God to send more workers. He could have prayed for healing, for food, for shelter, or for comfort. He could have just done a miracle and met everyone's needs, but he didn’t … he prayed for more disciples, more missionaries. When you go on a mission trip you are an actual answer to Jesus's prayer. The greatest need is not physical resources like we often think, it’s more people like you. The harvest is great, the people are hungry for the Word of God, but the workers are few. Be a part of the few.

It is not about “us” and “the people who need us.” We’re all equally loved, seen, and valued by God. When we talk about meeting others’ needs, we talk as though we’re the people with all the power, resources, or stuff to share, while the “people in need” are a separate group of people. Our resources and geographical location have nothing to do with our value in God’s eyes. There is only “us.”

The best teams are made up of a bunch of nobodies, who love everybody, serve anybody and don’t care about becoming a somebody. Some of my best friends and lifelong relationships have been found and formed on the mission field, my kids have grown in their faith on the mission field, my marriage is stronger because of the mission field, and my heart has been changed for God’s people near and far.

* 1Mission is a longtime mission partner of The Refinery Christian Church. They are a community development organization giving people in poverty in Mexico, Nicaragua, and El Salvador the opportunity to earn a house by serving their communities.

Nikki Mattison is the Student Director at The Refinery Christian Church. She has a heart for the next generation and a passion to reach those far from God. She not only loves to write and read commentaries about how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, she also creates and performs poetry and spoken word.

the-refinery

The Impact

Ukraine - August 2021

A Changed Heart on the Mission Field