Just The Beginning
While we await God’s timing for the next short-term missions team to be sent, we wanted to check in with past STMers and hear how God used past trips to impact their faith journey. May the upcoming series of blog updates be encouraging to you and open your heart to however God is prompting you to answer the missional call.
The second story in this series comes from Clara Hoh, the daughter of CIM’s previous Administrative Assistant, Flora. She went to Ghana and Togo in 2018 and is one of the youngest STMers we’ve ever had! Read on to hear about the trip.
In 2018, I went on a mission’s trip to visit Ghana and Togo. My team and I visited many villages, sharing our testimonies with people, visiting churches, and leading workshops. We even spoke on a radio show! I had the opportunity to spend time with my amazing teammates, strengthening our bonding through long bumpy car rides and nightly devotions. As the youngest member of the team I constantly questioned whether I was qualified to be in this position. However, when we first arrived in Togo, we officially started our outreach with door-to-door visitations. Initially, I found myself hanging back to avoid speaking at all costs. I was quite taken by surprise when Pastor Isaac called on me in the middle of his evangelism and asked me to share my story.
I feel that this was the moment where I really felt was the beginning of my trip. Despite my nerves, God simply took over and rather than speaking the words that I have prepared and rehearsed, I feel that the Holy Spirit was guiding me towards what to say, and I was speaking my own story from my heart. I still remember the woman’s inspiring response, that the story touched her heart and that I encouraged her in her faith because she knew now that someone has experienced something similar and that what she went through was very real.
After the trip, I gained a new sense of confidence and I learned a valuable lesson that God knows that I am precious and I am useful in his eyes and even when I don’t think I am qualified to do something for him, he will always find ways to work through me. 3 years later, I am now in my 3rd year of university. I recognized that the mission doesn’t just stop when I return home. The trip inspired me do my best to model my life after Christ and live my life for Christ and let him guide me towards wherever he will guide me. In many ways, sharing the gospel in Canada can be much harder than on the trip. So many people right here are struggling with past trauma, mental issues, disabilities, hardship, and even resentment towards God. Christianity can sometimes hold the stigma of being judgemental and constricting. As a Christian, I believe that I need to lead by example and live out God’s love and kindness, showing others what our God is truly like. It’s important to be empathetic, kind, and supportive to the people around me, modelling my decisions after what God would want. The mission doesn’t end with the trip, and for me, the trip was just the beginning.
If you are interested in joining us for a future missions trip, send us an email!
Or if you are a past STMer and would like to share your testimony, we would love to hear from you!
June Financials
Pray With Us
Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. Though much of the fighting has been concentrated in Eastern Ukraine, refugees continue to travel west to flee the country. Our partner, House of Mercy is working hard to provide for them and also send aid to the rest of the country. A lot of innocent people are still dying everyday and many from the Roma camps have also fled the country.
Pray for guidance and discernment as to when is the best time to start sending STM teams safely overseas again.
Pray for the pastors and teachers that CIM supports in Ghana. Inflation is currently very high as the cost of living including petrol, food, power, have increased significantly and many are struggling to get by financially.