Day 1

Our families have made it! As you’ve read, our high schoolers had an incredible time in Guatemala, but even now that they are gone, God is still working! For our family team, the first day of working was incredible, and we are excited to share with you about another week of serving and powerful encounters with God. Currently, our Woodridge group of 48 people is serving alongside another church from Southern California and two people from New Jersey. Safe to say, it’s pretty crowded over here. But our combined teams are building a total of 7 homes and serving over 100 kids in VBS. God is good!! 

With so many people serving here, we already have so many stories of God moving, in our hearts, our minds, and the world the around us. Our groups have expressed their immense gratitude for all of the ways that God has brought the logistical details and people together that make this trip possible. From the materials, to the masons, to the Next Steps interns, to the Breaking Cycles staff, to the Woodridge Community, and all of the other unseen puzzle pieces put into place. It is a miracle that so many people made it here (WITH their sleep apnea machines) and have the opportunity to make a lasting impact for God’s kingdom. 

All of our teams have seen God in one way or another. One of our teams connected with their translator, Julio, who grew up in the United States and left everything to serve in Guatemala. Another team got to meet the 6-week old twins born in the very house they ate lunch in. Our VBS team saw God in the eyes of all of the kids who came so eager to worship Him. 

While the first day was impactful, it wasn’t just because of joyful moments, but the quiet ones in contemplation. For all of you back home, we have a few questions our group has been reflecting on, that we want you to think about as well. 

1. If there is a God who is just and good, why does He let some people live in poverty, while others live so comfortably?” 

2. Why does it matter that we’re here serving in Guatemala? How much of an impact can we really make in one week? 

3. Is there more to life than what we’re used to? 

Please keep praying for our team in the coming week, as we seek to serve and love God the best that we can. He is doing incredible things, whether we are here or not, and we are so grateful for a God who uses us when He doesn’t need to. Praise God for the days to come!! 

Day 2

Day two is complete! Today has been another day of serving, laughter, and immense joy, and we are so excited to share it with you! Our whole team is so grateful for the wonderful Guatemalan food prepared by breaking cycles, and the ways that their careful prepration have given us such wonderful opportunities to dive into a new culture. Every team has bonded with each other over laughter and labor, and it is amazing how quickly God has united such a large group from so many different generations and life stories. 

Our team has noticed just how amazing the Guatemalan culture is, as they watch the families they are building for, neighbors, and other kids come to help them build with joy and willingness. We are deeply impacted by the underlying belief here, that each person has value and to serve one another is the truest joy. It makes it so easy to serve, because these people serve and love each other everyday. 

Our team is also hearing profound and heartbreaking stories from the families they are working with. A father who wakes up at 2:30 am everyday to farm vegetables. A mother who left her abusive husband to protect her daughter. A woman in the midst of grief at the unexpected death of her daughter. Though all of these stories are incredibly difficult to hear, they point to the prevelance of God and the ways that He comforts those who are hurting, wounded, and broken. It is often in the darkest stories, where God’s light is the most prevalant and powerful. 

As we continue to head into this week, we invite you into prayer with us, that God would continue to make himself known to hearts in Guatemala and that He would reveal His will, His intention, and His purpose in our lives. It has been such a wonderful opportunity to step away from what’s comfortable and normal in our lives, and to step into God’s original intention for us- to be in unity with each other and with him. As we send you off, we leave you with another question we’ve spent the day contemplating: 

If God knows all the choices we make ahead of time, why does he allow us to not choose Him? 

Day 3

The week is almost over. Tomorrow will be our last day of work- putting on the finishing touches of our rooms and saying our goodbyes. But for now, all we can focus on is the gift that God gives us of each day being here together. Today was certainly not easy. We carried heavy loads of sand, rocks, and cement. Mixed mortar and poured concrete. And for many, battled inner brokenness and pain that follows us even where God does. But, what makes life with Christ so special is that He meets us in our brokenness, not after we’ve overcome it. He makes our hearts whole again, and it is often through the most unexpected ways. 

Our work day was filled with short bursts of rain. Of laughter and funny moments among our team. Of cement-covered clothes. Of smiles and cheering that need no language. Because no matter what each of us brings with us each day, what hurt or brokenness we may carry, God is in every moment with us. He uses every person and moment to remind us that He is right there, and He loves us so much. 

As the end of our trip quickly approaches, we wonder: What does it look like to take an experience like this back home with us? How can we allow God to fill us in this time, so we can go back home and love in the way that God asks of us. How can we learn, from our community, from the Guatemalans, and from God himself, what it looks like to have a heart that truly cares for others, despite expectations and judgements? In our time here, we’ve realized that what God desires for us is unity. To let go of our stereotypes and preconceived notions, and to trust God, that being brothers and sisters in Christ is all we need in common. 

God is so very prevalent in Guatemala, and all we can do is praise Him for the miracle it is that we are here, serving and being served. Even on the harder days, physically, mentally, and emotionally, He sustains us, and He reminds us that we are not alone. We hope that when our group returns to Woodridge, the unity we’ve found with each other will impact and empower the rest of our church community to do the same. 

Day 4

That’s it. Every team has finished their houses, said their goodbyes, and is getting ready to head home. As we look back at this week with tears in our eyes, you would have to be blind not to see all that God was doing in our time here. At the bare minimum, 5 families now have homes and 120 kids heard the gospel. At the maximum, our entire Woodridge team and a village in Guatemala saw God’s hand in their lives. 

Tonight, our team shared some incredible stories of God revealing himself so explicitly. One team shared that as they said goodbye to the single mother and daughter they built for, the little girl looked up at them and said, “thank you for building me a home.” Another team shared how the stoic, strong woman who had worked beside them broke down in tears as they blessed her home. Another team shared how they visited a home they had helped build last year, and saw a father who had been deathly sick, sitting there, still alive. 

As we look back on all of these wonderful stories, I guess the hardest question to grapple with is this: What next? How do we continue to love Guatemala when we go home? How do we keep a connection with a family we’ll never see again? How do we know that the home we built for them will help them to step out of poverty? But with those questions, I think that God has an important lesson for us. 

Sometimes we don’t see the ending. Sometimes we don’t know if we made an impact in the lives around us. Sometimes, we put in all this effort, and it doesn’t feel like it really led to anything. But that is the beautiful thing about faith. Faith is in the things that we cannot see, not the things that we can. Faith is trusting God’s plan, even if we’re not really sure what that plan is. Faith is showing up and doing our best, even if there isn’t an immediate reward. For the families and kids that we served, we don’t know what tomorrow brings, because we are no longer a part of their lives. But while we were, we did the best that we could. And the only reward we need, is the one found in heaven. 

We have faith for tomorrow. Because our lives are in God’s hands. And the lives of the Guatemalans we met are in God’s hands. And for a time, our paths crossed, and we got to serve and love each other. But even as they drift apart again, the same God still cares for all of us, still works in our lives, and still loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend. 

That’s it. Every team has finished their houses, said their goodbyes, and is getting ready to head home. As we look back at this week with tears in our eyes, you would have to be blind not to see all that God was doing in our time here. At the bare minimum, 5 families now have homes and 120 kids heard the gospel. At the maximum, our entire Woodridge team and a village in Guatemala saw God’s hand in their lives. 

Tonight, our team shared some incredible stories of God revealing himself so explicitly. One team shared that as they said goodbye to the single mother and daughter they built for, the little girl looked up at them and said, “thank you for building me a home.” Another team shared how the stoic, strong woman who had worked beside them broke down in tears as they blessed her home. Another team shared how they visited a home they had helped build last year, and saw a father who had been deathly sick, sitting there, still alive. 

As we look back on all of these wonderful stories, I guess the hardest question to grapple with is this: What next? How do we continue to love Guatemala when we go home? How do we keep a connection with a family we’ll never see again? How do we know that the home we built for them will help them to step out of poverty? But with those questions, I think that God has an important lesson for us. 

Sometimes we don’t see the ending. Sometimes we don’t know if we made an impact in the lives around us. Sometimes, we put in all this effort, and it doesn’t feel like it really led to anything. But that is the beautiful thing about faith. Faith is in the things that we cannot see, not the things that we can. Faith is trusting God’s plan, even if we’re not really sure what that plan is. Faith is showing up and doing our best, even if there isn’t an immediate reward. For the families and kids that we served, we don’t know what tomorrow brings, because we are no longer a part of their lives. But while we were, we did the best that we could. And the only reward we need, is the one found in heaven. 

We have faith for tomorrow. Because our lives are in God’s hands. And the lives of the Guatemalans we met are in God’s hands. And for a time, our paths crossed, and we got to serve and love each other. But even as they drift apart again, the same God still cares for all of us, still works in our lives, and still loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend. 

Pastor Annette Jackson

Sent to Love means...

• Sending 300 backpacks of food home with students every week of the school year.

• Adopting or fostering 50 children over 5 years. 

• Providing free childcare and student ministries on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights including small groups so children and students grow up with 5-10 adults investing in their lives.

• Partnering in Bangkok to stop sex trafficking and give hope by teaching conversational and written English using the Bible as a source.

• Partnering with New Life Church Stockholm as they start churches across Sweden.

• Partnering with the Timothy Initiative, an international disciple making and church planting organization.

• Partnering with Converge Worldwide in church planting around the world.

• Partnering with World Vision to bring clean water to much needed areas of our world.

What will be your "sent to love" story?

As part of the Aspen Grove Network we start and support sites through out the Twin Cities. All the sites and missional communities are interdependent working to expand the opportunity for people to know the love of God found in the Lord Jesus. Currently Aspen Grove sites are:

• Woodridge Church – Medina

• The Highlands Church – Delano

• Mercy Hill Church – Minnetonka

• Foundry Church – Plymouth

EVERY MEAL (Formerly Sheridan Story)
More than 300,000 children in Minnesota live with food insecurity.  We’re on a mission to change that. Every Meal fights child hunger by focusing on filling the food gaps children face on weekends, extended breaks, and summer when they’re not able to access school meal programs. When they don’t have consistent access to enough food, the risk of hunger is very real. Through our multiple food gap programs, we provide children and families experiencing food insecurity with access to good food. You can sponsor a child for $150 per year.

OTHER INITIATIVES IN OUR CITY:

• We join with Converge North Central in church planting efforts across the Twin Cities and through out Minnesota.

• We regularly participate in food drives in our local area through IOCP.

• We support Young Life in Orono and Wayzata schools.

FAMILY SERVING OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR CITY

Many of our attenders have asked for ways that they could serve our community as a family. As a church Sent to Love we wanted to provide you with a list of opportunities in our city that would be a good fit for you and your family. Click HERE to download the list, look it over and pray about how God could use you in our city to love others. Each of these organizations can be contacted directly with the information provided.

We partner with Converge Worldwide in church planting across the United States.

Student Mission trip to Utah each summer. This vision trip will help our partners at The Front Church in Salt Lake City, Utah run their amazing Kids Camp ministry.

GUATEMALA

Each summer, Pastor Annette Jackson leads two trips to Guatemala, a high school trip and a family/adult trip. We partner with Breaking Cycles Guatemala “…to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free…” Isaiah 58:6. On this trip, our teams work to construct homes for families in need, as well as lead a vacation bible school for the children in the community.

High School Trip

Our high school trip is open to any students completing 8th grade by June.

Family & Adult Trip

Our family trip is open to family's w/kids as young as 8 years old and individual adults.

Stay tuned for our summer 2027 Guatemala dates!

WORLD VISION WATER PROJECT

World Vision Water Project

• Everyday 800 kids 5 years and below die due to dirty water 

• Usually kids walk for the dirty water and predominantly  girls

• Kids are often abused, trafficked and attacked by animals on the walk 

• Kids especially girls don’t get to go to school because they have to walk typically 8 miles a day in total for dirty water 

• $50 brings lasting clean water and completely changes a life! 

• You can save a life for $50!

TOGO​

We partner with the 6 Degree Initiative, a team supporting and raising up and equipping local Togolese leader. Find out more here 6 Degree Initiative.

$200 pays for an internship that results in a lifetime career. $1000 for a Community College degree that will provide a community leader. $5000 for a University Degree that will equip a nationwide leader.

The Togo team is building a 7 bedroom guest house for interns and visitors. Internships are one of the best ways to get long term missionaries in Togo. The cost of the guest house is $50,000.

THE TIMOTHY INITIATIVE

The Timothy Initiative (TTI) is one of our ministry partners and is an international disciple making and church planting movement. Imagine starting a church in a dried up river bed in Africa or sharing the Gospel in Asia with someone who's never heard of Jesus. Imagine the thrill of planting the first church an unreached village has ever had! More than 3 billion people, 41% of the world, live in areas with little to no access to the Gospel. 

Imagine starting a church in a dried up river bed in Africa or sharing the Gospel in Asia with someone who's never heard of Jesus. Imagine the thrill of planting the first church an unreached village has ever had! More than 3 billion people, 41% of the world, live in areas with little to no access to the Gospel. You can plant a church for $34 a month!

Our network of churches has a goal of planting 1,000 churches! Help us reach that goal by committing to being a sponsor. 

You will be able to pray for your new church plant and follow the progress. Click the button below to learn more and plant a church. Yes, you can plant a church with people who have never heard about Jesus for only $34/month for one year! CLICK HERE to plant a church!

HAITI TEEN CHALLENGE

We partner with Haiti Teen Challenge, a residential recovery program in Haiti. Haiti Teen Challenge (HTC) is the only residential recovery program in Haiti where troubled young men and women are transformed by Christ and equipped to be catalysts for change for THEIR nation. HTC is gospel-powered, community-based, owned and led by Haitians. Learn more here.