Many individuals and churches are preparing for upcoming mission trips across the globe. There are numerous organizations that partner with church mission teams to venture into countries and areas that are in desperate need of help and to hear the gospel.

Darryl McAuley is pastor of the McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church in Brandon. He says their church embraces missions on many levels, with the most recent outreach being to send Bibles to Cuba. They heard of the many pastors in Cuba who don’t have a Bible to lead their congregation, and the church jumped into action raising approximately $30,000 to purchase and send over 25,000 Bibles.

“A couple of months ago, we had a need brought towards our congregation,” says McAuley. “The churches in Cuba right now are just multiplying, and they’re meeting in garages and small, little lean-to buildings and these are small churches being pastored by pastors who don’t even have Bibles. So, when our church heard about that we very quickly asked ‘What can we do?’

“I think each of our church members have more than one Bible in their homes,” he adds. “They have multiple Bible translations available on their smart devices and computers. So, we began to ask ourselves that question, and it was answered very quickly that we can send some Bibles.”

“So, just a few months ago our church started raising funds and through that some $30,000 came in over the month. And, that money now is being translated into sending about 25,000 Bibles to help these pastors to pastor their churches. We don’t think it’s right that a pastor should have to lead a congregation without the word of God. And, we’re pretty excited to be part of that. It’s just opportunity that our church has.“

McAuley encourages everyone to take the opportunity if it presents itself to be a part of a mission team. “To be able to go into a different culture and see how the gospel is translated into that culture, how the gospel was transforming that culture is a great opportunity.“

“We live in an unprecedented time where it’s fairly inexpensive to travel around the world and some ask if it’s a good use of money to travel to another nation. Most of us have couches that are worth a trip into regions where we can really see what God is doing, and I think for the most part, anybody who has gone to a cross-cultural experience, God does something in their heart. Because we believe as Christians that one day every nation is going to gather around Jesus and worship Him. To be able to be a part of that here on earth right now I think is a special glimpse that we get into what we are going to experience in heaven before our Saviour. “

To prepare for a mission, McAuley says there are a few ways, starting with getting to know your team and pray together. “As you pray together study the culture that you’re going into. Find out what are the people like in that region. What are they experiencing? What is God doing in their midst? So, begin praying into it, begin learning, be a study of culture that you’re going into. “

McAuley encourages individuals to gather people around you who will be praying as well. He reminds us that as we are a body, His hands and feet, we need to surround ourselves with those who can support us on the mission field. “Some will go and some will stay. Some will help with prayer and others financially, whatever it might be but we’re all doing it together.“

Next month the McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church will be focusing on Compassion Canada through prayer and support and hearing presentations from this world-outreach organization.

In April of 2018, Pastor McAuley is looking forward to joining pastors from across Canada in a week-long mission trip travelling to Guatemala to visit Compassion Canada centres and the children they sponsor through their local congregations.

“’Missions’ is just God inviting us in to what He is already doing around the world. We get to do this. We get to be part of what God is doing around the world; that’s true locally, but that’s also true globally and I am thankful I get to be a part of what God is doing here and around the world. Missions are great! Engage fully into what God is doing.”