6 minute read
Alumni on Mission: Jacob & Haley Day
by Haley Day
Fifteen years ago in 2009, Jacob visited Gamerco for the first time while serving on an ACTS team. A year later, I visited for the first time and knew it would not be my last. In 2011 our paths finally crossed as God brought us together on the Pittsburgh ACTS team. The next year, we came to New Mexico together to serve on the ACTS team. In total, Jacob was a member of 4 different ACTS teams. I have been a part of six. In short, ACTS teams lead each of us into a deeper faith in God, to each other, and ultimately to our current ministry. That ministry is working as the pastors at Gamerco Church of God, a small diverse congregation just on the edge of the Navajo Nation.
We moved to Gamerco, New Mexico in 2019 following God’s lead. Going into it, we weren’t entirely sure what His plan for us was, but He gave us assurance that we were following it by moving to the Southwest. We started by helping at the church where needed—helping with youth group, doing office work, and helping Pastor John Thumma with teams. In 2021, we became employed by the CGGC in a missionary position. We also both became licensed pastors through the Western Region that year. In January of 2022, we became the copastors at Gamerco Church of God. Pastor John Thumma still pastors the Hooghan Nizhoni Church. Besides pastoring our congregation, a major part of our job is to host short-term mission teams.
Usually when we think of mission trips, we think of people going halfway around the world. But there is a huge opportunity for us to share the Gospel here in the United States. The Southwest has a long history of encounters with the Catholic Church and missions since the 1600s. In fact, the oldest continuously running church in the United States is in Santa Fe, just a few hours away from us. Name any denomination, and I bet there’s one of their churches somewhere near us. This area, with its numerous Native American tribes, has been a hotbed of missions activity for centuries. The Churches of God have had a mission field here since the late 1970s.
It comes as no surprise then that individuals like Freddy Hall, founder of the Dine Christian Church, have stated that the Navajo people are often referred to as “the most evangelized Native American tribe of North America” and that “40-50% of Navajo are born again Christians.” They’ve had a long history of encounters with the Church and with Christians. Many have heard of the Gospel and know of Jesus.
A problem we often encounter, though, is that they know of Jesus, but many still don’t know him personally. Oftentimes, there is some sort of church hurt somewhere in their lives and they haven’t truly had that opportunity. We believe that the key to lasting heart change is that they need to see Jesus and experience him. We then believe that the way to accomplish this is to show who Jesus is through not just our words, but our actions as well.
To some extent, I think this is what short-term missions have always set out to do. They go to underserved areas to help meet the needs of people, complete projects that locals might not have the ability to do, and to share the Gospel. Many have been successful over the years while others may have caused more harm than good. We can see these outcomes across the world and in our short five years here, we’ve witnessed both outcomes. So have many of our friends and colleagues who also host short-term mission teams at their churches in the area. In the 21st century, one thing that can make or break a short-term mission trip is the mindset of the participants, especially when they’re visiting a place that has a long history of mission work.
I’d like to think that ACTS teams are a better way to do short-term missions. They help participants view short-term missions from a different perspective. ACTS stands for “Advancing Christ Through Service.” ACTS teams are intergenerational shortterm mission trips that seek to help participants grow closer to God, experience the Gospel at work in different cultures and see missions as part of everyday life.
Jacob and I have been participants on ACTS teams and we have been a part of hosting them and working alongside them the last three years. We’ve also hosted and worked alongside 20+ other teams. For all teams, the goals of sharing the Gospel and helping meet the needs of our people, church, and community remain steadfast. But this is why I believe ACTS teams really excel here in the Southwest:
• Participants are asked to come with the mindset that they will be gaining a global perspective. Through these trips, participants witness how there is more than one way to experience and worship the Living God.
• Participants are encouraged to be aware of how God is at work in their lives during the week. It is often the case that their lives will be transformed through this experience just as much if not more than those who they may encounter here.
• Relationships are a priority. Participants work alongside church members and locals on projects when possible. We also encourage participants to listen to their stories and learn from them. We want team members to spend time getting to know the history, experience the local culture, and get to know the community and people on a deeper level. Our goal is to help people understand that this isn’t just a one-time project; this is an investment into our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The ACTS team this year fully embodied these characteristics. We had a team of 14 people come and help with Gamerco’s VBS. They started the week with two days of praying for and getting to know our church and community. Over the 10 days, we witnessed how they prioritized relationships and allowed God to work through their lives.
If you can’t tell, short-term missions in general, and ACTS teams specifically, mean a lot to us. They have impacted each of us individually and as a couple. We have seen how they can not only change the lives of participants, but how they help strengthen our church and community. We’re blessed God has given us the opportunity of hopefully impacting countless more lives through them.
