{"id":24772,"date":"2026-10-20T07:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/?p=24772"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:00:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T20:00:56","slug":"they-came-home-changed-the-impact-of-central-region-youth-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openbiblemessage.org\/es\/2026\/10\/they-came-home-changed-the-impact-of-central-region-youth-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"They Came Home Changed: The Impact of Central Region Youth Missions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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For the last four summers, Central Region has offered an international mission trip opportunity for students ages fifteen to eighteen, each trip led by Skyler Sanford, Central Region\u2019s next generation director. Our church, Cornerstone Community Church<\/strong> in Albia, Iowa, has sent students every year this opportunity has been available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornerstone sent one student to Trinidad in 2023, five to Tijuana in 2024, seven to Costa Rica in 2025, and nine to Nogales in 2026. We already have seven signed up for the trip to Trinidad next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[<\/strong><\/mark>The] transformation does not stay on the mission field.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Each year, we have watched our students come home with a greater desire for the Lord to be involved in every aspect of their lives, a deeper sensitivity for those around them, and increased boldness in their witness. Our students testify to being challenged to live with gratitude as they realize how much they take for granted. These experiences have deeply affected their walks with the Lord, from the way they serve to what they receive during worship and debrief times. The bonds they have built have also impacted our youth group, with several students becoming leaders both in the group and in their schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eighteen-year-old Julia Selby <\/strong>is one of those students. In June 2026, she participated in her fourth mission trip with Open Bible Central Region. She reflects on the impact of those trips:
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Throughout my life, I have loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him and His people. I have been blessed with many opportunities to do just that through short-term missionary work.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each trip has impacted my life in ways that I am so grateful for. Mission trips require you to learn to be flexible, and this trip was no exception. Originally, the trip was planned for France, but God had different plans, and we ended up in Nogales, Mexico. We were supposed to be working with children at an orphanage, but just two weeks before our group left, the orphanage ran into some issues with the state, and over half of their children were removed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of working directly with the children, we had the opportunity to work alongside the orphanage leaders, helping them accomplish tasks in a matter of days that would have otherwise taken weeks. Despite our original concern and disappointment over the changes, God showed that His timelines and plans are perfect. To me and many of the other members on the trip, this was an amazing example of God\u2019s hand being over the trip, the people of Nogales, and each person who was a part of this mission.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nogales Trip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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