Looking back over this summer’s 2025 Team Australia mission trip, we first and foremost thank our God for such a wonderful opportunity to serve Him. From provision to safety to ministry effectiveness–He answered so many prayers and we are grateful! Also, we are so thankful for you, our ministry/prayer partners and donors, who invested much in our trip and team members as your labor was not in vain.
Trip Summary…
Here’s an exciting overview of our trip and ministry opportunities…
- Ministered to/fellowshipped with 4 Missionaries, 6 Pastors, 1 Evangelist, and overall 9 Churches
- approx. 1,614 people (approx.)
- 11-13 Salvation decisions (+ other decisions)
- Ministries included:
- Local Church (preaching/teaching/singing and playing special music/sharing testimonies in Sunday School, Junior Church, Sunday AM/Afternoon/PM Services, and Men’s Prayer Breakfast/Bible Study)
- Letterboxing (distributing approx. 2,600 tracts, John & Romans) – 4x
- Youth Camp (5 days)
- Young Adult Camp (2 days)
- Youth Rally (3 evenings)
- Holiday Kid’s Club (2 days, 4 days) – 2x
- Ladies Fellowship
- Missionary Fellowships – 3x
- Church Fellowships – 2x
- Youth/Young Adults Fellowships – 2x
- Assisted a New Church Plant
- Team Member Opportunities (approx.)
- Speaking (preaching, teaching) – 26x
- Special Music (singing, offertories) – 27x
- Testimonies shared – 28x
- Others – served as camp counselors/Holiday Bible Club leaders, assisted with camp preparation/special projects, led games/singing/team cheers, conducted puppets, and cooked/served food
Team Member Decisions…
God gave us a great/unified team where all were able to use their God-given talents (and even develop some new ones) as they faithfully served others throughout the trip. They were Christ-like role models, sensitive to the needs of others, and always looking for ways to be a blessing at each ministry. God worked in the lives of our team members. For example:
- At the conclusion of the trip one team member surrendered as a full-time missionary to Australia.
- Another team member reported to her home church that the trip confirmed her calling to the mission field.
- Several team members were able to lead folks to Christ.
Team Member Testimonies…
As a testimony to God for His goodness and for Him working in their hearts, enjoy our team member testimonies…
Jaina Allred: “Initially, I thought I’d be at camp this summer, but God had a different plan, for which I’m so thankful. From teen camp, to Holiday Kids Clubs, to young adults camp, and even letterboxing, God worked in our hearts. He showed me through the testimonies of Aussie believers and my own teammates once again that He is real, and He is good. My heart is so full of love for the people of Australia, especially for the young people. They’re trying to follow God and be a light in a lonely and dark place. I was encouraged to hear their stories, see children saved, and see God’s church growing on the other side of the world. I pray that God will give me opportunity to go back to serve alongside those I met on this trip in the future.”
Mattie Lane: “But God…The two most powerful words I’ve ever experienced. I came on this trip with so much trepidation. I was so scared that I quietly hoped something would happen to keep me in the States. For days, I tried to keep myself in my shell until I realized I could NOT function on this trip if I did that. So, I started to branch out, actually talk to other people on the trip, but stayed in that mindset of fear.
Finally, on week 2, I was able to share with someone on the team the truth of my testimony. God worked through that. I didn’t want to share, I knew my heart, and my heart wasn’t where God needed it to be, it hasn’t been in a long time. That’s when I realized the truth in a few songs that have popped up so much throughout this trip:
- “By your perfect sacrifice, I’ve been brought near, an enemy you’ve made your friend” – Jesus, Thank You
- “My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more” – It Is Well
- “There are times when clouds surround us… and we’re tempted to believe God does not know” – Bow the Knee
These songs hold so much truth and so much power. I was the one holding onto my sin, my struggles, my pride. I was the one choosing to be an enemy of God. The fear, the bitterness, the loneliness I’d been feeling was all on me. I picked it, and what a terrible choice it was.
But God still used. One devotional was on God using us in spite of ourselves. That whole first week is a testament to God’s use of those who don’t want to do what He says.
But God still forgave. I had done things in my life in the past few years that I never thought I would. I became a person I never wanted to be. A bad friend, daughter, sister, and most of all Christian. But “my sin, not in part but the whole” was taken by God, so He could use me as He willed.
But God still welcomed. Again, I chose to be against God, but the truth referenced in the lyric “an enemy you’ve made your friend” became so true in my heart. I used to hate God, and even when I didn’t, I didn’t really care, but as soon as I wanted, NEEDED Him, He freely welcomed me back.
But God…Redeemed, changed, restored, delivered, sanctified, reassured, blessed, and I could go on for hours. I have no words to express my gratitude. God placed so many things right where they should so that He could use me to the fullest. He put me on that boat with that friend at that moment at the perfect time. He put me in a room with the perfect roommate just when we all needed. He tied all of the music together. He allowed me the confidence to confess that I was not where need to be so that I could change to be where I needed to be. I didn’t want to see God, but God never left. He was lying in wait for me to decide to follow Him, and He was gracious enough to provide me with nudges in the right direction when I didn’t deserve them.
I have been so blessed over this trip. The purpose of this trip was to be a blessing to all these people, and that was accomplished in spite of myself. But God provided the most amazing people, and experiences, and opportunities that I will never forget. My heart was filled with fear, confusion, and apprehension, But God filled it with only the utmost love for Him, these people, and His ministry.
My God is so good, so great, so amazing and He is mine. Thank you, God, there are no words.”
Andrew Layman: “I am so thankful to God, beyond words. Traveling on this trip to Australia has been an unspeakable blessing! This trip was an amazing opportunity to serve the Lord and grow in faith. I was afforded the chance to share the gospel, preach in numerous local churches, and minister to people all over the country! I am so thankful for the friendships I made with my team, and in Australia. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would. What an encouragement it has been to me, and I pray that I have been an encouragement to others! May the Lord continue to work in and through the lives of His children!”
Bella Manning: “He will never leave me, nor forsake me…” I have never seen God so clearly as I have seen Him on this trip. From the good days to the hard days, God was ALWAYS there. He IS always there. I have seen His hand of protection and His guidance every step of the way. He has both convicted me and encouraged me.
There was never a doubt in my mind on whether I should come to Australia. God has always been drawing me towards it, and now I know why. Australia truly is a mission field. It is filled with people who have never heard the Gospel. Throughout this trip, God gave me an immense burden for the Australian people.
I came on this trip to share the Gospel, and to be an encouragement to other people. Even though I came to be a blessing, I got blessed more than I could have imagined. Fellowshipping with the Australian people gave me a deeper love for the things of God. These people are so genuine; in their conversing with others and in their relationship with God.
God used this trip to teach me many things. He taught me through service. As I would minister to others, I would see God trying to tell me the very things I was telling others. He taught me through fellowship with other believers. He taught me through the many messages I heard each week. In all of this, I learned that no matter where you are, no matter how many believers you are surrounded by, no matter what you try to do, God will NEVER forsake you!”
Kelina Ransom: “I am so grateful for the opportunity that God allowed me to go on this missions trip to Australia. At the beginning of the trip I was honestly quite exhausted from working at camp for 4 weeks with a one day turn around. But, the devil was trying to use my tiredness to get a hold of me but God gave me the strength and energy to keep going and I’m so thankful for that. The first week at Pursue camp with the Marshalls was such a great experience, and the personal conversation I was able to have with the campers were just what they needed and even me. It was great being able to find people to connect with and help them with things I have already been through. The following week we had Holiday Kids club, which was such a blessing to be able to interact with kids I never seen before and they were so nice and sweet to the whole team despite us being from America which is truly a blessing. We also had a youth rally that week as well at a Filipino church and it was amazing being able to be a leader of a team and being able to talk to those teenagers and recognize the burdens that they have. The third week we had another Holiday kids club and a young adults camp. The young adults camp was such a blessing to me to be able to talk to people more my age and a little older and just share each other burdens and desires. The joy that they have for the Lord is so strong; they’re so brave to serve in their towns despite not having a big church or people in their church close in age with them. As, I look back on this trip I can see the hand of God all throughout during the late nights and early mornings, hours in prayer at night, and being a light in a different country. It was great being able to pour into others lives and still be able to sit at the feet of Jesus. ‘Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.’ Luke 10:2 (KJV)”
Josh Summerlin: “Our trip to Australia has been one of the biggest blessings of my life! Our team was able to click right away and through that we were to minister as a whole. The Lord has revealed himself in such amazing ways and most importantly through the teens and kids. I have seen all different types of ages truly show their love of Jesus! God has once again reminded me that he is very actively involved in His creation and through that we have seen many young people led to the lord. In my own life I was strictly expecting to go to Australia and minister to younger people but the reality is I was also ministered to as well. I have thanked the Lord for everything he has poured into me on this trip and I’m eager to see the friends I have made once again!”
Alex Weaver: “After getting to go with YOM to the Philippines in 2024 I assumed my time with YOM was over, but God had different plans. The Lord made it abundantly clear that He wanted me to go to Australia, and now I know why. Throughout this trip I’ve been stretched, pushed, and encouraged. God has demonstrated to me His love through the amazing people of Australia, showing me how lucky I am to have so many people my age who love the Lord in the States. Young people who want to serve the Lord are few and far between in Australia, and I am so blessed to have gotten to know so many of them. I had the opportunity to share the love of Christ through a multiplicity of different ways including leading games, devotions, music, exhortation, serving, letterboxing, and preaching. The sheer gratitude I have for these opportunities cannot be emphasized enough. Ultimately my takeaway from YOM Australia, 2025 is that God is so very good, and the people He divinely appoints to cross your path are the greatest blessings I could ever ask for. God is always only good.”
Kerri Woosley: “From the moment we took off on the plane God used us to encourage believers and sow seeds. Each experience highlighted God’s work in extraordinary ways. God used each team member’s strengths, talents, and weaknesses for His glory. The people I met were so loving and encouraging as we edified Christ together. Throughout this journey, God showed me that our testimonies truly help to draw others to Him and encourage fellow believers in their spiritual journeys. I am immensely grateful for the wonderful team that accompanied me, and the work that God did in Australia. Praising the Lord that He used me to help lead three people to Christ on this trip.”
Christina Wooten: “God is always and only good. This missions trip reinforced that in ways I could never have imagined. Two years ago, I had the chance to go on a missions trip to Australia, and I’m so glad God gave me another opportunity. Returning to Australia reminded me that Christians are united across nationalities under the blood of Jesus. Our group served the Lord alongside believers with different accents, lingo, and food, but the same Savior. Though every moment of this trip was unique, there were a few special blessings. First, the team found ways to encourage each other to grow in grace and develop a passion to share the gospel. God worked in every single team member’s heart over the course of this month. Second, members of our team had the great privilege of leading people to the Lord. We saw souls saved as a result of this trip, and there is no greater experience. Third, the Australian people welcomed us with open arms. They blessed us in so many ways, and we got to be a blessing in return. As we ministered to children, teens, young adults, and pastors, we saw how God is using the Christians in Australia in amazing ways. Every believer we met had such an evident fire for Jesus, which was incredibly convicting. No matter what circumstances we face in life, God has a purpose and plan for us. For me, this trip connected well with my life verse. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God wishes to bring us peace, and in no way is there better accomplished than serving Him. Praise God for this incredible month of service!”
Jud 24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
With Love and Appreciation, 2025 YOM Team Australia