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But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Since its inception in 2010, missions has always been at the very heart of Ascend. Gera and I see ourselves first and foremost as missionaries of our local church that are tasked with reaching the nations through outdoor programs. In His final words to His disciples before ascending to heaven, Jesus charges them to bear witness to Him unto the ends of the earth. Their charge began locally with their immediate context but it didn’t end there; it expanded outward to ultimately include the entire world. The same is true for us. Missions begins at home. It begins with our neighbors and our community and then extends to the very ends of the earth. I understand this as a command for followers of Christ to bear witness to Him locally but also to give and go globally as they are able. We live in an unprecedented era of global access. Most of you who are reading this have the means to travel to remote destinations that even a few decades ago would have seemed impossible. Through Ascend over the years we have taken teams to South Asia, North Africa, Europe, and South America. We’ve seen the Lord do incredible things in and through His children as they responded to His call and traveled to difficult places to share His love.
This summer I have been invited back to Germany to explore a partnership there. I will be helping with a backcountry youth camp program and looking at ways that we can partner and help this program to grow and be more effective in the future. I’m excited about the possibility, and am looking forward to building relationships with workers on the ground there. These type of trips are not in our standard budget and require special gifts to make them possible. Would you consider giving a special gift to help make this opportunity a reality? Thank you so much for your prayers and support that make this important work possible.