Testimony by Daniel Brickhouse

As I look back over the month I have spent in three different countries spreading the good news of Christ to people, I can't help but sit down now and think of what I have learned from this amazing experience. As I prepared for the first flight that we would be taking to South Korea, I wondered in my mind why in the world I was here. I felt like I totally hadn't prayed nearly enough, and also felt that I needed to have all the questions in my head answered before going on this trip. I wondered how I could share the gospel with others and tell them that God had a plan for their lives, even when I didn't know his plan for mine.

Through this whole experience, I have actually grown more closer to God than I have in a long time. In America, so many Christians like myself fear to tell the truth of God because then we have to live true to what we preach. It's so easy to go along with just being "good" and not totally committing to Christ. By just being "good" to others and not sharing with them your faith, it is easier to do wrong things without being questioned by non-believers about your hypocrisy. Through this missions trip, I was challenged to really choose Christ over everything else. I learned that when we share the love of Christ to others and they reject it, they are in fact rejecting Christ and not us. So many people in the United States fear being rejected by people. Christians also feel this way. They fear being rejected when they share their belief in God, when in fact the people are not rejecting them personally, but Jesus.

Another thing I learned through this trip is how Christians live in other countries and endure many hardships that we rarely encounter, just to share the love of Christ. Before the trip, I often took many things for granted. Now I have a new perspective on life and now I appreciate the possessions that God has blessed me with. No matter how bad I might have it here in the United States, there is no doubt some Christian living elsewhere in the world who live in conditions much worse.

Overall this missions trip has greatly strengthened my spiritual walk with God and has also opened my eyes to the way other Christians live all over the world. Through learning to share my faith with others and to stand for what I really believe in, I feel that I can finally continue to grow in my faith with God. Also, knowing that there are many Christians out there risking it all and enduring many hardships, I feel that I will be a more motivated Christian to share my beliefs here freely in America.