Missions Training Camps

By Pat Hill

   A few years ago, as a result of the burden many of us had to train young people for ministry; we started the YES Program (Youth Equipped for Service).  Many of those young people who came to Tulsa to get trained went on mission trips and continue today to minister in their local churches.  Since then we have had many requests from those who wanted to be trained so in the summer of 2005 we held GGM’s first Mission Boot Camp.

    In June, fifteen of us camped out for a week on top of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona.  We had many experiences that would be just like the mission field.  We ate rice each night, slept on the ground in tents, took bucket showers, and cooked on the open camp fire.  We spent many hours at night in spiritual preparation.  Each day we would go down the mountain where we had the first Vacation Bible School at Tucson Bible Church.  We encouraged their church to continue each year with this ministry.  During that week we saw four children come to the Lord. 

    Each day after VBS we would head up to the mountain for hiking, team work assignments, and our rice.  At the end of the week we even added pineapple to our rice diet.  I was so pleased at was happening during this week as the challenges tested this group.  I don’t think I ever saw anything that was as effective at training for the mission field. 

    After the mountain we got to put into action what we had learned in out training.  We did our VBS presentation at the church on Sunday and then headed to Sonora, Mexico to work with the Risley family.  They have been missionaries in this area for the last twelve years, and have established Bible classes in 46 cities and villages.  It was so much fun to see the amazing ministry of this whole family. They have five children and all of them are missionaries in Mexico.  What a heritage of Grace!

    We slept on the ground, ate beans, ministered to very poor people with the Risleys, and observed as they gave the gospel and taught Bible lessons.  It was amazing how well my team handled it all and then I realized it was the training they had just had.  I am convinced this type of training makes each person an asset to a team.  The Risleys were so pleased with our group that they have asked us to come back and minister with them. 

    Grace Gospel Missions has a goal of training people to do mission work. We will continue Mission Boot Camps for this purpose.  We can then send people with full assurance that they will be prepared both physically and spiritually for mission work. If you are interested in being trained for mission work please contact us.  We train and send short-term missionaries, extended term missionaries, and career missionaries.  The fields are white unto harvest but laborers are few.  Let us help send you.