Rio 2018

Going Back, Thinking Ahead – Darby Maggard

The countdown has finally hit less than two weeks until my team and I head down to Rio de Janeiro to share the word of God and love on the wonderful people of Brazil. Three years ago, I went on my first mission trip to Rio de Janeiro and my life changed forever. Before our trip in August of 2015,  I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never been on a mission trip before, never been out of the country, and certainly had never been on a 9-hour flight. I remember going into the trip feeling very overwhelmed and underprepared to do a job as great as what God called us to do. Throughout the course of the week, I saw God’s mighty power replace those feelings with certainty, clarity and friendship.  God broke down every language barriers and allowed us to love His people.  It was through Him that we were given the strength day in and day out to share God’s word with the people of Rio de Janeiro. I left the schools we visited everyday with a great sense of humility and gratitude.

The week made an everlasting impact on me and the way that I wanted to live my life. I came away from the trip feeling completely in awe of what a powerful and loving God we serve. I was able to serve and love alongside my incredible teammates. In this week, we built bonds that would carry us together through the year and made memories together that would last a lifetime.

Betty Wiseman and Sharon Fairchild had such a profound impact on me and our team throughout the week in Rio. We listened to Betty give her testimony in front of hundreds of kids, changing their lives forever everyday. Because of the events of this trip and the leadership of BW and Sharon, I knew that I wanted my relationship with God to be a more real, and a more intimate part of my everyday life.  I decided to give my life fully to Christ on August 4th, 2015, while in Rio.

As we prepare to go back to such an amazing place, I am feeling completely blessed by God to have another opportunity to be apart of spreading the gospel to the people of Rio.  This time, I have no anxiety, no reluctance, but rather am simply overjoyed and excited to watch the sovereignty of God working both on the people of Rio and on our team.  Our team has been preparing in small groups, talking through what God has placed on our hearts and sharing scripture with each other to strengthen our faith for the journey. One of the pieces of scripture that has continually been brought up is from Acts 1:8, “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.” Our prayers consist of asking God to walk with us on this trip and and for our eyes to be open to the opportunities He has placed before us.  We pray that we will be able to invest fully into the lives of others.

The memories and experiences that are going to happen on this trip will be unforgettable and life changing.  I am excited to be able to set the foundation for our 2018-19 season on a rock of hope and love.  By taking this trip and committing ourselves to serving other people, we pray that God uses us as the children we were built to be.  As we leave, we ask for your continued prayers that we will be able to continue to help change lives and do good in the name of Jesus Christ down in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.