Question: What do you call 12 people ministering to 8 churches with 4 Missionaries, 1 Evangelist, 7 Pastors for 26 days throughout the 3 major regions/cities of the beautiful country of Australia?
Answer: A memorable and life-changing opportunity to experience God’s blessings by being used by and for Him to reach the lost, encourage the saints, and see God call forth additional laborers into His Australian harvest!
From June 28 to July 24, the 2023 YOM Team Australia had the privilege to minister in 20 church services/related ministries (e.g., Sunday am/pm, Sunday School, Junior Church, Wednesday pm, Men’s Prayer Breakfast), 2 Holiday Kid’s Clubs (VBS), 4 Youth Rallies/Activities, 1 Young Adult Camp, 3 Letterbox Outings, 3 Special Projects, and 7 Fellowship Outings to almost 1,800 people.
Besides having the opportunity to minister to many, it was quite special seeing God use the various gifts of our team members (and even develop new ones) as they had the following opportunities: 19x to preach, 15x to teach, 27x to provide special music, 31x to share their testimonies, along with many other opportunities to serve. Praise the Lord that 8 people accepted Christ as their Savior, other decisions were made, and many gospel tracts were shared with individuals throughout our trip.
A few extra special blessings were:
- Madison Finch (2019 and 2023 YOM Team Australia member) led another child to the Lord at the same ministry where she led a child to the Lord back in 2019!
- Was surreal seeing now full-time Australian missionary Josh Zacharias (2018 and 2019 YOM Team Australia member) introduce Ben Jackey (2019 and 2023 YOM Team Australia member) at Josh’s church in Melbourne. Ben has been teaching in Australia since 2019 and Josh and Ben are from the same church in Elberta, Alabama!
- Chris Carlson (2023 YOM Team Australia member) brought his drone with him on the trip. While at the Young Adults Camp, the camp director mentioned that he had always wanted drone footage of their camp to help advertise it, but didn’t have any contacts or know how to go about getting it. Within 10 minutes of hearing this, Chris was able to get him “free” excellent drone footage!
- Met a gentleman in Bendigo who absolutely loves to listen to John Collier hosting Rejoice Radio’s Afternoon Drive Time and gave us a gift to give to John!
- Met a couple who knew a current Pensacola Christian College student who is from Singapore. That couple showed us a picture of that student on their phone and said to say “hello!”
- Met two Pensacola Christian College alumni at a church in Brisbane.
Testimonies: Enjoy the following trip testimonies from our various team members!
Trevor Campbell – This trip was an incredible opportunity to see God’s work in a whole different country and culture. I loved seeing how each pastor, missionary, and evangelist did their ministry. I enjoyed conversing with each and learning from all of their different perspectives. God taught me so much on how He can use each individual for a purpose in their own context. Each team member worked in their specific ministries, and I got to witness God use each and every one of their gifts in all kinds of ways! Getting to preach and leading games and all the other opportunities were such a blessing to me and were able to grow me and prepare me for a ministry life ahead! Thanks for all the prayers and funds for the trip! God used all of us in tremendous ways!
Chris Carlson – This trip has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. God has shown me so much and has been so faithful throughout the entire trip. When I first landed in Melbourne, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This was my first mission trip, and it was all new to me. Once I met the people here in Australia and we all started serving, I fell in love. God gave me a burden to minister to these people, and I knew this was right where I needed to be. I really enjoyed seeing the different ways churches operate and it was so cool to meet people who love Jesus in a completely different country. I am beyond thankful for this trip, and I know my life has changed for the best.
Madison Finch – During this missions trip, God showed me the power of consistency. Four years ago I went on this missions trip and was able to lead my very first person to the Lord in Melbourne. Now, four years later, I was able to lead another child to the Lord, in the same exact ministry that I had served in last time. If I had not been consistently serving the Lord, this opportunity would not have presented itself and for that I am so grateful.
Morgan Prater – Joining the 2023 YOM Australia team was both a dream and an answer to prayer. I was given the opportunity to serve in Sunday School with children, share my testimony in several ministries, sing with the group, letterbox (put invitations in mailboxes) the community, run youth rallies and children’s events and minister to people all throughout Australia. God provided opportunities to use the gifts he has provided me and to minister in areas that I excel in. I was challenged to be my best self and serve with my all. God taught me to serve to the best of my ability at all times and that ministry doesn’t always look the same in every church. I am leaving this trip with many new friendships and a renewed vigor to serve Christ.
Cailyn Roach – I am so grateful for everything this trip has taught me. From the very beginning, I knew that I would love serving with my team, and we ended up a close family. We were able to go to many different churches and youth rallies. We learned about how people do ministry differently across the globe and as neighboring churches. I was able to see and learn how to put together schedules and games for events and experience the hard work that has to be put in to make an event successful. I loved the opportunity to teach in Sunday schools and children’s church and talk to so many people about their walk with God. The best part of it all was seeing how God worked in the lives of everyone involved. We were able to see souls saved, people counseled, and countless seeds planted. I know that I, along with everyone else on this trip, are leaving a changed person.
Josh Stephens – The opportunity to serve in this capacity in Australia was a revolutionary experience in my personal walk with the Lord. The primary thing the Lord taught me on this trip is how perfectly God can bring together a group of people who were primarily strangers going into the trip and use their strengths and gifts to serve Him. Even though we had never served together before, we were able to serve like a well-oiled machine in the youth rallies, holiday kid’s clubs, and churches. Seeing how God is working in many different local bodies of believers was heartwarming, and it was such a blessing to serve all of them. Not only did we work hard together, but we also had fun together with a handful of touristy days scattered through Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. This YOM Australia trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime blessing that I will always cherish.
Marenda Williams – I came into this trip exhausted from working three weeks of camp in the middle of Georgia. i came with low expectations and mediocre excitement, but oh boy, did God have some amazing things planned. It was so special from day one. God really put an amazing team together with strengths and weaknesses that coordinated beyond perfectly. Each of our testimonies and talents got to reach people individually and personally. In particular, I had a young man of 23 come up to me saying that he was encouraged by my contagious love for the Lord. He said that he was thankful that another young adult understood what it was like to serve God alone in a small town. He was looking forward to sending the video of my testimony to a friend of his who needs salvation. That is just one small glimpse into the many ways and countless stories of how God used our team. What an honor to serve a mighty God, a God who has a special plan for each of His children, and a God who is full of patience, mercy, and love for each individual. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” 1 Peter 5:10
Christina Wooten – This trip has been a wonderful opportunity to see how God uses circumstances in our lives to bring others closer to Him. As soon as we landed in Australia, I realized that this month would be a very busy time. From the youth ministries in Melbourne; to the fast-moving week in Sydney; to the more concentrated serving in Brisbane, I was always encouraged by the company I kept. The people of Australia were just as much a blessing to me as I had hoped to be to them. God reminded me throughout this journey that my testimony can not only lead others to Christ, but also inspire fellow believers in their walk with the Lord. God was so good to have given me a fantastic team that truly wished to serve Him and new friends from a different culture. The memories I have made in Australia are ones I will always carry near to my heart, and the lessons I have learned about the incredible joy that comes from serving Christ will never be forgotten.
Finally, thank you Heavenly Father for allowing us to be a part of your divine plan and purpose–for entrusting us with the Gospel of Christ and giving us the opportunity to use that Gospel to be a light and testimony to others for your honor and glory (Matthew 5:16). Thank you, Father, for safety in travel and for strength in ministry. Please continue to work in our hearts and may additional laborers be called into the Australian harvest.
Thank you to each of you who prayed and who gave so generously so that our team members could have this life-changing opportunity.
Thank you to our Australian missionaries and ministries who so graciously allowed each of us to minister and to be ministered unto. We love each one of you and thank God for your faithfulness and love for our Lord. We lift you up in prayer and pray that your strength, vision, patience, and love for God, for His people, and for the lost would abound more and more. To our blessed Australian friends, stay strong! (Eph. 6:10)
Thank you to our 2023 Team Australia members for your faithfulness, your dedication to the task, and for serving tirelessly as you allowed God to stretch you in amazing ways. Always remember what God has done in your hearts and always keep your Australian brothers and sisters in Christ in prayer as the needs are great–that God would call forth laborers into His Australian harvest.
Jud_1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
2023 YOM Team Australia
