Outreach Incoming! (December 2025)

Hello Higher Ground family! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a bright New Year! As for myself - it's been an incredible December. The lectures are over and I'm thrilled to announce that I'm writing this from Taiwan!

IRREPLACEABLE FELLOWSHIP

Over the past three months, our class formed a close bond, making goodbyes bittersweet. From trekking Mauna Kea to sharing Thanksgiving, a Hawaiian Christmas parade, and our final departure, these moments have defined our fellowship.

Here are a few snapshots from my journey:

First, I will never forget driving above the clouds to the observatory near the top of Mauna Kea. It felt unreal, like entering a dreamy, almost heaven-like landscape.

Second, was sharing a Thanksgiving meal with Europeans who had never tried most of the traditional dishes; turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes! It was full of laughter and made me proud to share this unique point of our culture.

Finally, was the unforgettable Kona Christmas Parade was unforgettable - an 85° evening filled with lights, bubbles posing as snow, and the spirit of aloha as the whole community cheered “Merry Christmas!”

Afterwards, we returned to base for worship and commissioning, where we received prayer and blessings before heading out to our respective nations. With over 500 people gathered, it was joyful, meaningful, and truly magical.

The hardest part was saying goodbye. As teams left in waves, we watched close friends depart, and coming back to an empty classroom hit especially hard. My team stayed an extra week, and while it was painful, God was still at work - revealing tension we needed to face and drawing us into deeper prayer so we could be rebuilt together in the midst of that brokenness.

As a confirmation of the work God had done in building us as a team, we ended our time with the unexpected gift of an 18-hour layover in Seattle, which turned into a special mini-adventure we all enjoyed together.

The quieter moments also gave me time to consider one main take-away that God had helped me learn over the past 5 weeks of lectures:

LESSONS ON LOVE:

Love does not do nothing. It is not passive. Major issues in societies - and massive positive change - happen because Christians either disciple future leaders or fail to. Discipling means intentional relationships, where you can speak into someone's life.

"19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

The one thing all the apostles asked of Paul was to care for the poor - and that was exactly what he was eager to do:

"16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings." Acts 24:16-17

"... 10 they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10

True love is active. It is discipling intentionally and serving faithfully, in both word and action.

How bizarre!

Can't they just pray and God eliminates all poverty and 'poof' up some Christians? Why do we need to go? When Jesus paid it all for us on the cross, we were completely free from sin - and yet there were still the poor, sick, and lame on earth, even after His resurrection. Somehow, in Jesus' wisdom, He limited Himself to us who go and reach out to these hurting, broken, and lost.

AND SO WE GO:

Humanism is the unbiblical counterfeit to true compassion. It ignores the root of all problems: human sin. That's why we need to preach the gospel - it goes to the source and transforms cultures, not just through good deeds.

All of us can pray. We talk to God, and He moves in these places. If you want to be a peacemaker, you go to the war zones. If you want to be a healer, you go to the sick. If you want to set captives free, you go to the prisons. And if you want to share the gospel, you go to the unreached.

I write this from Taiwan, having received the most wonderful Christmas gift - the opportunity to go to places of spiritual apathy and reinvigorate them. These are dry bones in need of life only Christ can bring. Thank you for your support - not just for me, but to Taiwan - the privilege of serving and loving in His name.

Your brother in Christ,

George