Sara Tysman, a recent participant, writes about how her church group experienced God in a new way on their Encounter trip to Appalachia.

Our church recently created a new team called the Discipleship Team.  This team was developed to help the members of our church grow in their faith, and to provide opportunities for them to be and make disciples.  One of the ways the Discipleship Team does this is through giving the people of our church opportunities to serve others on a mission trips. I am the Director of Discipleship, the church’s staff support for this team.

We looked at many locations and organizations for our 2012 mission trip, and we decided to work with Adventures in Missions in Appalachia, Tennessee.  We set up a custom family trip, and 21 adults and children registered for the trip.  I don’t think any of us knew how our lives would be impacted by this trip.  

Many of us had never heard God speak and were doubtful of things like “listening prayer”; but by the end of the trip most of us experienced firsthand how God can and does speak to us if we just take the time to listen to him.  

I am personally amazed at how this trip gave me a more intimate relationship with God, a deeper relationship with my husband, a closer relationship to the members of my church family that went on the trip, and many new relationships that will continue to grow: with our three amazing project leaders and with the people of Rogersville and Morristown, Tennessee. I planned this trip and didn’t know what to expect.

God showed up in big and little ways and he blew me away at how personal and loving he really is!