Missions Stories
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This past fall, Jeff Derby felt God’s call to join some of his Christ Community family for a short-term mission trip to El Dorado and he fully intended to pay for the trip himself.
We all long to connect with others; to experience community with those who know us fully and love us deeply. But often, it can be difficult to find those types of relationships, especially in today’s rushed and often superficial, photo-shopped culture. At least, this is what Mia Thomas discovered her first year of college. But God used her loneliness and her longing to draw her closer to Himself and teach her what true, gospel-centered community looks like.
Over forty-five years ago, retired Christian & Missionary Alliance (the Alliance) missionary Carolyn Brokopp left Omaha and boarded a ship headed to Africa, carried by her passion for the gospel and the prayers of others. Those prayers, offered continually throughout her service, meant so much to her, she now faithfully prays for missionaries. This is one of her roles as the leader of Christ Communities Alliance Women.
Julie Raether had no interest in joining a short-term mission trip to Africa. Nor did she have any idea the impact the experience would have on one of her most precious relationships closer to home.
When God unites His children around a common mission, He unleashes hope, and sometimes, as was the case for Lynn Caniglia, deep healing occurs.
Most of us like to know what’s ahead. When opportunities arise, we want to know exactly what we’ll encounter and what will be required of us. Or perhaps we long to do something extraordinary—to play a part in God’s redemptive story—except we don’t how or where to start. But as one CCC journey group, led by Mark Krogh and Michael Wheelock, discovered last Christmas, living Beyond Belief begins by simply taking that next right step.
When Tera first learned Christ Community was sending a team to Senegal, she was surprised to sense God’s tug on her heart. But she felt like perhaps the last person who should be taking such a trip. Not only did she have three little girls in need of care and a husband who needed to work, she’d also never been on a mission trip before nor did she know how she felt about them in general.
In 2014 CCC started an initiative called Love Can. This inspired Steve and Kim Ramm to start a store called the Love Can Store, where people in need can get donated furniture for free.
No matter our age or circumstance, all of us can leave an eternal impact, and in so doing, we just might discover some of our closest friends.
Last fall, Shelley Sessions felt as if something were missing. She wasn’t experiencing financial difficulties or marital issues. In fact, she appeared to have every reason to feel happy and content. But God used a series of events to stir within her a desire for more—to experience a life that went beyond belief.
In late October, I was blessed to visit El Colorado. That’s not the state of Colorado, but instead a small, hurricane-ravaged village in central Cuba. As I traveled around Cuba visiting small churches, this particular stop was very important, because many of you at CCC provided resources for hurricane relief in this and other hard-hit Cuban villages.
The Deaf Ministry at Christ Community Church started in 1987, with a group of interpreters who actively interpreted CCC services for the deaf attendees. Several years later, God brought a Deaf man, Stuart Thiessen, and his wife, Linda, and they joined the team to be able to lead and teach in American Sign Language and the ministry continued to grow. This weekend, the Deaf Ministry celebrates their 30th anniversary of reaching the Deaf community in Omaha!
We live in the Vitor Valley of Peru at Camp La Joya. When we first came to Peru, one of our goals as the camp administrators was to host a family event.
This summer, the CCC Alliance Women group is excited to partner with Mission Church, our newest Alliance church plant in Omaha, to help bless Franklin Elementary School in Village One!
Much of West Africa, as you can see from this picture, is very rural and barren land with small villages full of farmers and shepherds.