Missions

The JCC Missions program involves dozens of long-term MISSIONARIES, regular SHORT-TERM TRIPS to support long-term missions efforts, and faithful SENDERS. JCC gives 10% of its church budget to missions and outreach. Our missions committee supports our missionaries in various ways and educates the church body about God’s heart for the nations.

Costa Rica Application

Missionary of the Month

Sierra Holcomb

While not officially a JCC missionary, Sierra has been a part of numerous short-term trips and is a part of our missions committee. She is currently a student in London (a cross-cultural experience in itself!) and had the opportunity to work with missions agency, Lingua Christi, and their short-term teams this past summer. Let’s pray for the ways she has,  is, and will be in the future ministering to people cross-culturally.
Prayer Requests:
1. Praise God for a successful and uplifting mission last summer in Wales! We all had amazing Gospel-centered conversations, shared with love among Welsh-speaking communities.
2. Pray for those conversations to plant seeds, grow faith, and bring forth a harvest of salvation and revival in Wales and throughout the UK.
3. Praise God with me for this amazing opportunity to serve Him while furthering my education, and please pray for discernment and guidance as I step into the next season.

Expanding

One of our core values is EXPANDING. By evangelizing locally and globally, we are joining God as he adds to His church.

Every Christian must be a GOER or a SENDER. Goers from JCC participate in three types of ministry: evangelism/church growth, compassion, and support. Individuals and families are called and trained to take the Gospel to the unreached and to disciple them. Each member of JCC is a sender, essential to the care, prayer, and financial giving of our missions work.

JCC partners with missions work in countries like Nepal, China, India, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Mexico and with organizations such as the San Diego Rescue Mission, Indian Hills Camp, and Spectrum Ministries.
donate to JCC missions

MISSION TRIP REFLECTIONS

COSTA RICA:

Ann
WHAT DID YOU DO EACH DAY?
  • We started each day with personal devotionals and time in scripture. Afterward, we did a corporate devotional (led by Danny) and had worship time (led by Ally). We then got to eat breakfast together and hear what Justin (the missionary host) had planned for us each day. Alongside Justin, we did a variety of things to help minister to the people Costa Rica's peninsula including grocery shopping and assembling bags of food to take to needy families. We also put together small bags filled with candy and a Bible verse to give out on the streets in some of the cities as part of an evangelistic outreach. In addition, we did a beach clean up one afternoon and visited a few local churches where some of our team shared their testimonies. In the neighborhood of one of the churches, we spent time playing games and doing activities with the neighborhood children; we encouraged them to join afterward at the church service. My favorite ministry, however, was the "prayer walks" we did in a couple of the local villages where we spent time asking the Lord to soften the hearts of the people to accept His free gift of salvation. On top of all the ministry efforts, we also got to spend quality time with the missionary host family (the Benedicts) and each other during the trip over meals and van rides.

WHAT WAS DIFFICULT?
  • The heat and humidity were difficult, but nothing an air conditioned van ride could not cure. And while there was no hot water available at the lodging facility, there was no real need for it. The cool showers felt very refreshing.

Lilly
WHAT WAS SURPRISING TO YOU?
  • That I still remembered how to speak spanish! Honestly, I was surprised how open the people were in Costa Rica, they were open to host us and invite us into their homes, open to the gospel and prayer.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN BEFORE YOU WENT?
  • I think I would of wanted to take more spanish bibles, and even take kids resources in spanish, kids spanish bible or books etc.....
    I just want to say that overall I felt like the entire trip leading up, during the trip, and post trip was well organized and I felt prepared from day one. I was grateful for our meetings we had before as well. Great communication the entire time! I know a lot of hard work happened leading up to the trip but I think that helped make the week we were in CS very peaceful and not stressed! Maybe Danny got stressed but I never saw it! I am grateful for everything God did in CS and I will always remember it! Also, I really enjoyed working and serving with Justin! Oh also maybe next time, we can ask Justin if he needs anything and we can bring him more stuff? I think they gave him stuff but I would of loved to bring some music stuff for his kids! :)
Lisa
WHY DID YOU SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP?
  • I signed up for this trip because I really wanted to return to the area, people, and families that I was so blessed to meet last year. And truly, I didn’t want to miss out on the incredible leadership of Danny, (he was made for times such as this!) and the opportunity to get to know my JCC brothers and sisters on a deeper level. What better way to learn more about each other than spending 24/7 with them!

WHAT WAS DIFFICULT ABOUT THE TRIP?
  • Many Costa Rican women on their own, separated from their families, living in conditions we couldn’t imagine, sending money back to relatives who are caring for their children. That was difficult.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN BEFORE YOU WENT?
  • Spanish!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ryan
WHY DID YOU SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP?
  • I was fortunate to go to Nicaragua with my son, and Costa Rica with my daughter. The trips were great and very rewarding spiritually. Both were different, but Costa Rica allowed more me to share the gospel more and a need to push past my fear of speaking in public.

WHAT WAS SURPRISING TO YOU?
  • A realization of how God has been working in my life, even way before I knew Him.

WHAT WAS DIFFICULT?
  • It’s still scary talking to people.


PARAGUAY:

Heather
WHAT DID YOU DO EACH DAY?
  • I led a trip through Christian High School. We got to go into public high schools and do evangelism, through games with students, group testimonies. and sharing. We also did outreach to the Su Refugio orphanage, and a youth group meeting (skits and small group sharing) at Word of Life camp.

WHAT SURPRISED YOU?
  • Street evangelism. I wasn’t excited to do it due to the language barrier, but the Holy Spirit worked in our group like a team- with student translators, and Bible verse translations. We used phones to support the conversations as we all worked together to witness and share the gospel.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN BEOFRE YOU WENT?
  • How cold it would be! I didn’t pack properly. We were outside most of the day and night and really only came indoors to sleep.

IRELAND:

Jason
WHY DID YOU SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP?
  • I had a special connection to the existing ministry that The Ashleys have been a part of in Dublin Ireland for over a decade now. Having been a part of a sending church it had been the desire of my heart to one day serve alongside them.

WHAT DID YOU DO EACH DAY?
  • Our daily duties varied of course. During the week we served with Urban Soul a non-profit organization the Ryan Ashley helps head up. We prepared and served breakfast in the schools. We had a chance to see the daily ins and outs of a missionary family’s duties. Sometimes it was meeting with people in other organizations. We prayed with people that are a part of a new church plant who were mostly refugees from other countries. We lead worship and helped set up for worship and outreach events at 3 different churches. We also cooked for a couple groups including a bible study of locals.

WHAT WAS SURPRISING TO YOU?
  • The local people were very friendly. While that itself was not surprising it was surprising that many people would talk about faith and had knowledge about it but also weren’t personally connected to God.

WHAT WAS DIFFICULT?
  • Driving on the other side of the road was a challenge! Connecting with people outside of the churches was a bit of a challenge. Being seen as an outsider or even perceived as a “tourist” could make you feel marked at times. But people were generally kind.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN BEFORE YOU WENT?
  • How to speak Irish Gaelic!

And Jesus said to them: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20