The summer of 2025 has been a meaningful season for Alliance Church short-term mission teams. From May through August, teams have gone to Europe, Peru, Brazil, and Minnesota, and God has been at work in and through the team members.

One of our teams experienced a 'God at work' moment as they participated in a high school student club, where the goal is to help teens build relationships, hear a motivational message from a speaker, and grow in their relationships with the staff on site. The team was asked to provide the motivational message for the evening. With much prayer, the team member chosen decided to speak about the importance of having hope and purpose and shared a personal story from her life. As she spoke, the students stopped fidgeting and focused on the speaker, some of them fighting back tears. During the small group discussions, another student was able to share the reason she has hope. The vulnerability of our team members prompted the high school teens to open up, and many were vulnerable about their own struggles. The message and discussion had a noticeable impact on them, and the local staff will continue conversations to develop stronger relationships with these students.

A team member on a different team was touched when visiting a poverty-stricken neighborhood in the city where the team was visiting. She noticed how the moms and kids were so happy to see the leaders and volunteers at the weekly kids’ club and noted how they shared joy and love with all who attended. The families in this neighborhood have very few material possessions, but greeted our mission team members with smiles and warm greetings. It was both heart-melting and heart-wrenching for this team member to see those who seem to have so little, generously extending kindness and hospitality to others.

An all-women’s team had the privilege of visiting a family living in Brazil who are supported by Alliance Church. The family was encouraged by the team’s visit, and the team members were blessed to meet the friends of the family and hear about the impact they have had on the people of Brazil. An especially impactful event was the women’s brunch the team hosted for a variety of friends. Many of these women had not had the opportunity to meet each other before, and as a result, new friendships were made that will have a lasting impact. It was a powerful morning, and the women on the Alliance Church team felt challenged to bring their own groups of friends together after returning home.

Learning about homelessness, holding English conversations with Bhutanese Senior adults, and attending an outdoor baptism with a local Ethiopian church were some of the highlights of another team. On the last night of the trip, the Envision staff prayed over each team member, commissioning them to take what they learned back to their community.

Our teams make an impact and are impacted by working alongside the local pastors, teachers, and international workers. When we make ourselves available to God, He uses us for His purposes globally and locally.