Adventures in Missions Celebrates Sending Out Its 90,000th Missionary
by Staff
April 25, 2011
GAINESVILLE, Ga., (christiansunite.com) -- What started out as a family and a few friends getting together in a garage to lick envelopes and send out invitations to mission trips has turned into a movement of people bringing the Kingdom to earth. After 22 years, this spring, Adventures in Missions will reach the major milestone of sending 90,000 people out onto the mission field.Founder Seth Barnes launched AIM in 1989 with a mission trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. He and members of his life group at the time made the decision to take the trip together.
"We would lick the envelopes in his garage," said Rosie Watson, AIM's first mission trip participant. Watson, who is originally from Jamaica, suggested the location. She said she never dreamed the organization would grow into what it is now. "It's pretty exciting to be at the beginning of something that God had such a vision for. (Short term missions) changes you because it forces you to leave your own comfort and your heart is opened to the needs of others."
AIM trips, which are both domestic and international, range from three days to 11 months. Its programs include: short term missions for youth and adults, Ambassadors, a high school age program; Real Life, a college age program; and the World Race, an 11-month trip for 21-to-35-year-olds.
Barnes shares the reason behind its success.
"Starting Adventures in Missions in my garage seemed foolhardy," he said. "(But) it was better to do to that and abandon everything as I trusted Him, than to trust in my own competence. The way of total abandon was really the path that offered the greatest security."
AIM has broken the mold of what short term missions means to most people, creating more than a short lived mountain-top experience by discipling participants and creating long term partnerships with ministries across the world. Its most recent program addition, the World Race, has seen exponential growth since it began in 2006. More than 500 people have already completed the Race and the organization itself continues to grow at 30 percent each year.
To celebrate this historical milestone and keep the momentum going, for a limited time, AIM is offering 20% off a select group of trips. Go to adventures.org/90000missionary to join the ranks of world-changers.
