By Jason Udden
Last week, during FGCU’s Spring Break, two teams from IGNITE consisting of 34 students traveled to New York to serve alongside two of our church partners: Missio Church in Syracuse and Restoration Church in Buffalo. Our desire was that students would grow in their personal intimacy with God as well as their understanding and participation in the mission of God to reach every man, woman, and child with the gospel.
Upon our arrival we engaged in evangelism trainings and began to learn more about both the context of the cities we were in and their desperate need for Jesus. Almost immediately our team was engaging children, youth, college students, and the impoverished with God’s love and God’s word. Each encounter presented new questions and challenges that stretched and grew us. The pastors and staff of Missio and Restoration (some consisting of former Summit pastors) were helpful to encourage and equip us throughout the week.
As the trip unfolded we were able to participate in prayer walks around the city, serve local partners, and visit other ministries and churches with completely different cultures and contexts than we were used to. Firsthand, we were able to witness that God’s mission reaches far beyond FGCU and Southwest Florida. The Lord used this trip to encourage us and to strengthen us. We were reminded how God has uniquely gifted each one of us to love and serve His church where we live, work, and play.
See student testimonies and photo gallery below!
“Seeing how receptive people were to hearing the gospel really encouraged me to share it more! I loved how the Lord was able to work through me to share His truth! ”
“Throughout this entire trip I felt and saw the Lord working in my life in ways like never before. The Lord gave me a new found confidence in evangelism and sharing the good news of the gospel. This trip showed me how important it is to spread the word and how much a simple conversation can change someone’s life. ”
“The reason why I wanted to go to Syracuse, New York was because I wanted to grow in my confidence and knowledge in sharing the gospel with others. The trip surpassed all my expectations! My love for ministry grew 1,000 times more and it also ignited my passion for prayer! My confidence in the Lord has changed so much because of this trip and I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity to serve other college students, people that I met on the street, and also my friends that I served with. ”
“Going into this years trip to Buffalo, I was asking the Lord to reveal himself to me in a new way. Through hearing the testimony of Jabra at Compass Care, speaking with students at University at Buffalo, and praying with one another, God not only exceeded my expectations but also reminded me of how He can redeem even our most broken pieces to further His kingdom and that it is only through Him that we are given new life.”
