What does it mean to minister to an international community without leaving your home country? This past summer, an incredible group of young adults traveled across North America to find out. Every year, the four USA territories send multiple groups of young adults on summer mission trips both internationally and domestically, such as the Southern Territory’s Salvationist Service Corps (SSC). This year, with the FIFA World Cup being hosted in several American cities, the Southern Territory sent their domestic team to three such cities to assist local corps and serve people traveling to the US for the world-famous soccer tournament. 

The Southern Territory put together an excellent group of young Salvationists for this mission: Jayden Outler and Ashley Missie (co-team leaders), Lisa Croney, Isidora Vera, Brynna Drummond, Jeremiah Moore-Jackson, Isaiah Hovatter and Mason Trayler. Spending all your time for most of the summer with the same small group of people is no joke and isn’t always easy, but this group stayed strong and consistent by being accountable to each other, having dinner together and having meetings and group prayers every night. But ensuring team cohesion is just the beginning of a successful SSC trip.

While domestic mission trips may not seem exciting on the surface, these trips are a vital reminder that mission and service are not exclusive to foreign countries. “You can do that right here,” said Isaiah, who, along with Isidora, had to spend the first two weeks of their mission separated from the rest of the team for various reasons, serving at the Marietta Corps in Georgia. “That was 20 miles from my house … Service can be done everywhere. God is working everywhere. There are no limits, no geographical location [restrictions]. It can be done anywhere.”

But this domestic mission was unique. The team was mostly in the US serving Americans, but this year, the World Cup brought the world to us. Huge numbers of tourists visited the United States, bringing their cultures here, and in the process, flipping the traditional idea of a mission trip on its head. “When you think mission trip, you think, oh, I’m going out of the country. I’m going to this developing country and I’m going to help everybody,” said Ashley. “People from different countries are coming to North America to play … and being able to witness that is really amazing.” She added that she is glad God put her on this team rather than having her serve abroad, because she still served people in need, grew with her team and learned something new every day. 

Throughout the summer there were heartwarming and amusing stories of international tourists surprised by American food, hospitality and generosity, and the entire tournament was underpinned by a grand sense of camaraderie. “That’s what the World Cup is; you bring the world together and interact and learn and grow from each other,” said Jayden, who appreciated the diverse cultural backgrounds encountered throughout the summer. “But also you start to see that the common ground for us is God. God is the center of everything we’re doing … uniting all of us together.”

Major Matt Satterlee, territorial youth secretary, noted, however, that this instance of international community is not a one-time thing. “Yes, the world is here with us in North America right now because of the World Cup. But in August, we’re still going to have Congolese people, Polish people, Argentinians and Brazilians living in our neighborhoods every day. You don’t have to go across the sea to be on a mission field. You can go down to the convenience store. You can just walk down the street, and you can see the world has come to us.”

Over the course of their mission, the team spent two weeks each in Seattle, Dallas and Vancouver BC, assisting with camps, vacation Bible school (VBS), street outreach, service projects and more. One notable experience was in Vancouver, where the city’s homeless population had been shuttled into a poorer area to be out of view of tourists — and this neighborhood, one of the poorest in Canada, is just blocks away from the richest neighborhood in Vancouver. “We went on a prayer walk in that stretch, and it was very, very heavy, and it was very spiritual,” said Jeremiah, noting that much of the work the team did was preceded by prayers of preparation, a practice he intends to take home with him. The team also served the homeless there, providing food and water. “It was just crazy. Nothing can really prepare you for that until you see it.” The entire team was deeply affected by that day of street ministry, seeing people treated poorly because they didn’t fit the image the city wanted to portray.

One of the team’s most consistent activities in every city was VBS, which is both a blessing and a challenging experience. “I’m learning to push myself in the sense of leading activities with kids and sharing the gospel more. It’s so different,” said Isidora, speaking to the truth that a missionary is oftentimes more impacted and changed by the mission than those they are serving. “My takeaway is growing, sharing the gospel with different age groups and stepping out of my comfort zone more.”

While in Dallas, the team went to the Portugal vs Spain game to minister to fans outside AT&T Stadium. Half the team attended to Portugal supporters and half the team went to Spain fans, passing out water and popsicles. But refreshments were secondary to the main goal, which was talking about Jesus. The team briefly shared their testimonies while handing out refreshments, leaving a good impression and a lasting impact. “We got to shine that light and be like, ‘Hey, this is God’s love. Come over here. Let me tell you about this,’” said Mason. “It was a great opportunity to speak to the masses.”

“We had only one-minute conversations, but hopefully people from Portugal and Spain saw The Salvation Army here, and when they get home, they will see a Salvation Army and think, ‘Oh, it was hot, and I got a cup of cold water from The Salvation Army in Texas,’” said Major Matt. Oftentimes, connections and kind gestures like that are what bring people back to the Army years later. 

But the World Cup does not bring only sports fans to stadiums. The team had been told that large events like the FIFA World Cup are hotspots for human trafficking, and they were trained to look out for signs of people being trafficked while at the game. “A lot of people don’t want to have to think about [it], but it is so important to have somebody watching,” said Brynna. Some signs they were trained to notice included people not having access to their own ID or passport or being physically held and guided — indications someone may be there unwillingly. “Outside of the game, inside of the game, at the programs that we were helping in, we were looking for it all the time,” Brynna added. “Having people who are educated and ready to say something is really important. Especially when there is so much else going on around you.”

In each location, with each program, service and project, the team was reminded that missions and devotion to the Lord require sacrifice. Jeremiah mentioned sacrificial prayer, such as waking up early to pray, but Lisa discussed smaller, unexpected but nonetheless important sacrifices. “You have to kind of put yourself in the background because you are on a team, and it is not always about you, so you just have to make sacrifices,” she said. “You know that what you are doing is not for yourself, but it is for the glory of the Lord.” It was an experience of growth and of learning vital perspectives that will never be forgotten. 

Major Matt described SSC as an “adrenaline shot of spiritual growth” and said it is common to see people changed deeply by their experience. “You will not come back the same person,” he said. “You leave thinking, ‘I am going to be a blessing to somebody else,’ and it never fails. When they come home, they are saying, ‘I am nothing. The people there got it together. They blessed me so much.’” These trips are unique opportunities for a summer of discipleship where you are removed from the distractions of your life to focus more on God.

Summer missions take you out of your comfort zone, test your character and put you through challenging experiences, deepening a person’s character and dependence upon God. You meet new people and meet God in a new way, creating memories for the rest of your life. And it will inspire you to do more. “It lit a fire in me to help out more at my corps,” said Ashley. “Whether it is with kids, women, men or the homeless, it doesn’t matter. Put me in, Coach.”

Photos: David Reardon and The Salvation Army Southern Territory Youth Department