2020Annual Report
A Word From Our Founder
What a year!
In early March, we brought 560+ missionaries home from the international mission field. What a team we have! They worked around the clock to keep our missionaries safe and continue our ministry. We prayed; we pivoted, and we pressed on. Learn more
As we end the year, we can see the fruit of God’s faithfulness throughout our ministry. He used our bases to help distribute hundreds of tons of food in eSwatini (Swaziland), India, Cambodia, and Guatemala. We were able to disciple and train around 140 World Race: Gap Year participants on our campus in Gainesville, GA. We deployed missionaries here in the USA at a time where Americans really needed it.
In 2020, we were able to bring help and hope to thousands of desperate and suffering people. The world needs Jesus! And we have the privilege of spreading His love to a broken and hurting world.
Thank you for your participation and your partnership! Whether you supported a missionary, contributed to COVID and disaster relief, or partnered with us in prayer, thank you for playing a part in helping to advance the Gospel around the world. Without you, none of this can happen.
Seth Barnes
Founder
Adventures in Missions
Stories from our leaders
Click a video below to hear from one of our ministry leaders.
Betty Gomez
Beauty for Ashes
Emaily Doherty
Guatemala Base
Brant Copen
South Asia Base
Jeremy Cearbaugh
Semesters & Ambassador
Hope Medola-Wong
WR Gap Year
Chris Scott
World Race
Shannon Bobb
Cambodia Base
Josh Owen
GlobalU
Matt Gerber
Swaziland Base
2020 Milestones to Celebrate our Efforts
Scroll down to view all milestones
January
The year started with the excitement of business as usual, training and launching new Semesters teams and World Race squads to the field! Adventures in Missions also installed Bheki Motsa, a long-time Swaziland base staff member, as our first Swazi base director.
New Semesters teams worshiping at pre-launch training
February
While World Race and Semesters teams served on 4 continents around the world, Adventures’ Swaziland base started constructing the internal roads for the Umdoni Project, a 70-acre parcel of farmland being converted into a center for sustainable agriculture and tourism. This project will train hundreds of young leaders and their families in holistic leadership skills that will bring spiritual and practical transformation to the neediest communities.
The Umdoni Project farmland creating plans for internal roads
Early March
Our Beauty for Ashes Women's ministry hosted their bi-annual Facilitator Training where they trained up female leaders and deployed them back to their communities to host Christ-centered retreats for women to receive God's hope, healing, and freedom. Little did they know that the world was about to change due to COVID and this newly trained group would join an army of female leaders hosting virtual retreats throughout 2020, creating online spaces for women to find Christ and community during what would be a very lonely and challenging year.
Beauty for Ashes Spring Facilitator Training, hosted the week before the shutdowns
March 14-19
In response to the COVID pandemic, staff and field leaders successfully navigated flight cancellations, unstable travel conditions, and issues to bring 560+ World Race, World Race: Gap Year, and Semesters missionaries off of the international mission field. Missionaries mobilized to 5 different airports at major cities around the country for emergency debrief and repatriation. Our World Race America squad quarantined and stayed on the field, continuing their journey for the rest of the year.
The World Race team navigating logistics around the clock in the “war room”
Late March
After the government-mandated stay-at-home order was lifted, Adventures Swaziland was able to feed children at CarePoints while following health and safety procedures to keep the children and communities healthy.
Swazi staff serving meals at one of our 40 CarePoints
April
Adventures in Missions started COVID-relief campaigns at our international bases. Adventures’ South Asia base gathered 80,000 lbs of rice and distributed it among 48 villages. Adventures Guatemala has now collected and supplied 13 different villages with over 1200 food and emergency kits. In Cambodia, the team has packaged enough food for 650 families to have a month-long supply.
Guatemalan women receiving food and emergency kits for their families
June
Summer Semesters teams began serving at missional communities in Asheville and Wisconsin Dells, living in Christian community, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and serving the communities through outreach and discipleship. Our Ambassador high school team also served locally in Gainesville with Pier Center and other partners.
A member of the Ambassador team serving with Pier Center’s summer camp
July
While the World Race redeployed the first group of participants in the United States, efforts to prepare our campus for Gap Year Racers were in full swing. All of Adventures’ Georgia staff moved into one building in order to transform the other building into a safe and healthy place to house the Gap Year program. We also transformed two shipping containers into shower houses that served not only Gap Year, but widened our opportunities for future training and events.
Redeploying Racers joining the World Race: America team
September
Adventures’ Gainesville campus welcomed 109 World Race: Gap Year participants, 22 alumni team leaders, and 10 squad leaders for a semester of discipleship, team building, and missional training. Fall Semesters teams launched to missional communities in Wisconsin Dells and Asheville for 3 months. We also welcomed the Global U program and our partner ministry, G42 (usually hosted in Spain) to North Georgia, just 20 minutes up the road, because Spain’s borders had closed.
World Race: Gap Year E-Squad creating community in Gainesville, Georgia
October
World Race hosted their first (usually their last!) Training Camp of the year on campus. So many hours of intentional planning and preparation went into hosting a safe and healthy training camp for around 90 new Racers to launch to the domestic and international mission field. Then, we launched G-squad to start their World Race domestically serving with new partners in Chicago!
World Race G-Squad preparing to launch to their first ministry in Chicago
Mid October
Through partnership with Samaritan’s Purse and other local ministries, our Gap Year participants were able to apply what they were learning in real time. They were even able to spend a few weeks meeting the tangible needs created by devastating hurricanes in Louisiana and Alabama and sharing God’s love with the homeowners and hope with those suffering from great loss.
Gap Year partnering with Samaritan’s Purse in hurricane-relief efforts
November
As Semesters trained leaders who will pioneer our teams to the nations in the coming year, the Gap Year Racers wrapped up their semester. They learned from several of our staff about God’s grace and forgiveness, reading the Bible, and other ways to grow in healthy spirituality. They walked through lessons on conflict resolution, healthy boundaries, the power of vulnerability, and so much more about being the church community God has invited us into. We were also able to spend this unexpected semester diving into deeper training on the Biblical basis for missions, culture and contextualization, and practical applications for ministry.
The Semesters team training leaders for the coming year
December
Our staff wrapped up a year like no other, filled with working from home, virtual meetings, and overcoming new obstacles and challenges to connect, collaborate, and innovate. We navigated through a world affected by global pandemic and the consequential changes and regulations to move forward on the mission that God has given us as a body.
Staff members discussing future trips on Google Meet
Financials
Fiscal Year September 2019-2020
Displayed is a breakdown of the our total revenue for 2020 and how those costs were allocated across the ministry. Program costs include everything involved with running our trips/programs. Admin costs include everything involved with running our ministry day to day. Fundraising costs include all money spent to help staff members and programs raise the financial support that goes back into the organization.
Please note: These financial allocations are subject to change upon finalizing Adventures in Missions 2020 financial audit in February 2021. Any changes will be noted on this annual report web page.
Total Revenue: $11,791,920
Video Stories
3:55
Two Feet in Faith: World Race Baptism
By Wesley Cannon |
8:07
Hurricanes Laura & Delta Disaster Relief - World Race: Gap Year
By The World Race |
7:02
Day In The Life - 2020 World Race: Gap Year Training Camp
By The World Race |
2:35
2020 CampusTour - World Race: Gap Year
By The World Race |
6:29
To My SQUAD | World Race Gap Year
By Connor Gaul |
2:20
WHY I GO - The World Race
By Lauren Munson |
Blog Stories
Out of the water // a series (part one)
An ordinary day on the World Race: Gap Year becomes a day for baptism and revival for Gap D.
By |
THE DRUNKIES: A DAY OF WATER CUPS AND HAIR HOLDING
One World Race team brings the Kingdom of God to the party and shares the love of Jesus in the midst of brokenness.
By |
The church without walls: hurricane relief in Louisiana
World Race: Gap Year squads partner with Samaritan’s Purse to provide hurricane relief and the hope of the Gospel to homeowners dealing with loss.
By |
I took 18,000+ photos on the World Race and these are my favorites.
Kati brings us along on a visual journey of her experience on the World Race.
By |
A Letter To The Love of My Life; Hi, it's me.
Kenzie shares an intimate, heartfelt letter to the One who has changed her life forever.
By |
Through the Kitchen Window
Aspen reflects on the beautiful, authentic community created in a little kitchen in Oman.
By |
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Through uncertainty and change, this year has been a testament to what God can do when we trust Him to lead our daily lives and ministry. What an honor it is to see the fruit of His faithfulness as we share the hope of Jesus with a broken and hurting world.
Thank you for your generous support!
Your partnership continues to make a tremendous impact on the lives of so many. Together, we move forward on the mission God has given us to awaken and activate Christ followers all over the world to their identity and role in God’s kingdom and to make His glory known to the ends of the earth.