Lyn Abad, an upcoming campus minister from Victory Ortigas, shares her experiences on what it means to reach the nations through a Ten Days mission trip.

I’ve always had a desire to reach out to Buddhist countries. I believe God gave me a burden to reach out to the people from these nations. He honored that desire when in 2012, I took part in my first Ten Days mission trip in Macau. I was able to participate in another mission trip in Myanmar, another Buddhist nation, shortly after.

Joining a Ten Days mission trip involves enlarging your vision and territory, for you to be used in different parts of the world. One of the challenges I encountered was overcoming my natural shyness to talk to people I didn’t know—from a different culture, no less! I learned to trust God with regard to my shyness. Didn’t He say in His Word that we can do all things through Him, who gives us strength?

I also discovered that engaging people isn’t just about making friends with them and finding out about common interests—it also involves imparting to others who God is, in terms of who He is. In one of my mission trips, for instance, my teammates and I got to talk to young people who were asking about the earth, how the universe came to be, and the existence of God. This was a beautiful opportunity to share about creation, and most importantly, the Creator.

Part of being in a Ten Days mission trip includes raising funds for ministry support. The entire process of the mission trip was challenging in a faith-stretching way! It really takes faith to believe God to provide for everything that you need.

My faith was also stretched in terms of trusting God as my healer. Two weeks prior to my second mission trip, I had to undergo an operation. I was already discouraged from pushing through with the actual trip, and experienced pain even up to a few days before the trip, but I believed God for my speedy healing. I had faith that He would bring me complete healing, and at the same time be able to go to the nations. What’s interesting is, when I set foot in our destination, I didn’t experience any pain at all. God healed me completely so I could do the work He’s called me to do!

Another facet that made me so encouraged about joining short-term missions is the character molding I experienced. I got to be in a team with different people of different personalities and temperaments. God really taught me about unity–that I should fight for it, not shift blame to other people, but really step out in faith to love them.

Overall, a Ten Days mission trip is a life-changing experience. If God has called you to go and reach the nations for Him, no one can stop you from doing this!