Dear First Pres,
Tomorrow I embark on what will be my fourth international trip in the last twelve months.
In May of 2023 I was in Ethiopia learning about the wonderful work of World Vision and meeting many of the children who chose us to be their sponsors. In June I was leading a Biblical Tour of Israel under the guidance of our own Professor Brian Schultz, PhD. In November I joined a wonderful group of brothers to build a house in Tijuana, Mexico for Donnie and his family in partnership with Doxa. Now, I’m getting ready to go again.
This time I’m headed to Albania where I will be preaching for our sister church in Ersekë on Sunday and then teaching for the Torchbearers International Bible School Monday through Friday. Many of you already know that FPC Fresno has a long history with the work of God’s people in southern Albania. We first sent folks there in 1992, not long after the fall of the communist regime. Now, for the last 32 years, places like Korce and Ersekë and Bilisht have held a special place in our hearts. What a privilege it is to continue that legacy of partnership this coming week!
If you can’t tell, let me put it plainly. I love to see how God is at work around the world. I love being able to serve with and learn from our mission partners. My life has been deeply impacted by these kinds of experiences. My first trip like this was when I was 15. My home church (now Cornerstone Woodlake) sent a team to Ensenada, Mexico to help a local church run their Vacation Bible School for their neighborhood. It was on that trip that I had the privilege of sharing Jesus and praying for salvation with a young man named Guillermo. It was an experience that forever changed my perspective about the purpose of my life and my call to participate in the redemptive work of God.
Since then I’ve been on some 30 trips. I’ve had the privilege of seeing God at work in Mexico, Chile, Guatemala, Albania, Ethiopia and Israel. And I’ve had the privilege of seeing God change American hearts in each of those places.
That’s why we call them serve and learn trips. We don’t go to bring Jesus. We don’t go to be the experts. We don’t go to fix their problems. We go to participate in what God is already doing wherever it is we are going. We go to serve others. We go to learn from others.
In November a group of men from our church built a house for Donnie and his family. FPC Fresno bought the materials and provided the labor to get it done. It was an incredible gift to a family in need. But it was also an incredible gift to the men of FPC who were there. Eyes were opened. Hearts were softened and warmed. Worldviews were expanded. Callings and passions were provoked. We didn’t bring God’s Kingdom there, we participated in God’s Kingdom coming in us and through us.
I wish every FPCer could have an experience like that. I know that it’s not possible for everyone to go on a serve and learn trip. Still, my dream is that every member of FPC Fresno would intentionally get a passport so they are ready to follow the Lord’s call across international borders.
Yes, there are boundless opportunities for us to serve cross-culturally in our own city. I praise the Lord for that. But I don’t think we have to choose between global and local. It’s both for us. In fact, I’ve seen again and again how an international trip can change the way people think about their everyday lives in their neighborhoods and workplaces.
So what about you? Do you have a passport? Are you open to the idea of a serve and learn trip?
We already have some upcoming trips on the calendar and not all of them require a passport. Next month we’re sending our youth to Sugar Pine Camp to be a service crew for the week. In June our high school and college students will be heading to Arizona to partner with the Naomi House Native American Outreach. We continue to send individuals and small teams to partner around the world with Global Health Outreach (the next example is Jamie Franklin headed to the Dominican Republic March 15-24). The next Men’s Mexico Build Trip is already on the calendar for November 7-11, 2024. And, we’re beginning to explore trips to Brazil, Ethiopia and Albania for 2025.
I know that not everyone is able to go, but I pray everyone is willing to go and to support those who do. Thank you for allowing me to go. May the Lord stir our hearts for what He wants to do in our city and in the world.
Blessings,
Jeremy Vaccaro
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