150 years ago it took Lottie Moon 6 months to get to the mission field and it was a lifetime commitment.  

5 years ago it took volunteers 6 hours to get to the mission field and was a 1 to 2 week commitment. 

Now you can be on the mission field in 6 seconds and have a meaningful impact on the world during your lunch break. 

TribalConnection is the online extension of Extreme Missionary Adventure’s passion to share the love of Christ with the overlooked people of our world.  Click here for story about our first TribalConnection medical trip to Honduras and here for a 5 minute video of the trip.

Before you continue please read this trip report by Ken, one of our recent volunteers, to give you some context for what follows:

Wow!  Indescribable, but I'll give it a shot.  Did we really just spend eight days flying, driving, boating and hiking to share Christ's love with our brothers and sisters in Honduras?  Yes!  Did I really go?  Yes!  I trusted God enough to get out of my comfort zone in McKinney, Texas, ignore the devil, who kept whispering doubts into my ear, and go!  What a blessing.  We were told that our group was a blessing and an encouragement to the people we met along the way, but surely we were the ones blessed!  As a first-timer this trip was more fulfilling than I could have imagined.  What an amazing and beautiful country and people the Lord shared with us on this trip.

As physically demanding as it was at times, the Lord was with us every step of the way, keeping us moving forward.  After hiking (yes, it was uphill both ways in case you were wondering - sometimes straight up) through alternating bright, hot sunshine and the relative cool of the jungle shade, dusty dirt in the sun, and thick muck in the low, shady places and always humid, the physical demands were nothing compared to the overwhelming joy, love and celebration we shared with the brothers and sisters we met along and at the end of each day's trail.

To be able to share my testimony, to bring a smile to a child's face, to encourage my brothers and sisters, to know that the Lord used me in this way, leaves me in awe.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be your instrument.  Thank you for teaching me to trust you more, to lean on you more.  Thank you for letting me see the joy of your love in the faces of our brothers and sisters in Honduras.  Amen.  Praise be to God!! 

TribalConnection Path One

Ken tells a great story about how the trip impacted his life and the lives of those we served.  But those of you who have served on an XMA trip know (and I’m sure the rest of you can imagine) what it was like when Ken got back home.  A week behind at home and work – hundreds of emails to answer, dozens of calls from customers and co-workers, paperwork piled up on the desk.  In a few days the new friends, amazing experiences and closeness to God Ken felt in Honduras are just quickly fading memories.   

When Ken tries to talk to his friends and even his family about how the trip impacted his life and how he impacted the lives of others they won’t understand.  They can’t understand because words and photos can never fully convey the experience of an XMA adventure with a purpose.  The sights, sounds, smells and emotions must be experienced first hand. 

But what if Ken could continue his mission adventure with just a click of a mouse?  What if he could join an active, online community made up of others who have been on XMA trips, missionaries he worked with and even some of the believers back in Honduras?  What if he could introduce his family and friends to his new friends and they all could have daily chat and video interaction through this online community?  What if he and his family could continue to be involved in the spiritual and physical growth of the people he met in Honduras?  What if he could do all of this from his desk during lunch?  What if his family could join him in the ongoing missions adventure at home in the evenings?  All of this and much more is available through TribalConnection, XMA’s new online adventure with a purpose. 

TribalConnection Path Two

Imagine with me again as we go back a few months to think about Ken and the hundreds of others as they prepare to go on an XMA trip for the first time.  All the doubts, uncertainties and unknowns.  What will the missionaries be like?  What will the local people be like?  What will we be doing?  Where will we sleep?  What will we eat?  Why in the world did I get myself into this???   

Now imagine a different scenario with me.  For weeks or even months before his trip Ken and his family have been part of XMA’s TribalConnection online community we talked about above.  He has already met through live video and chatted with the field missionaries he’ll be working alongside.  He has interacted with dozens of volunteers who have gone before him.  These other volunteers have answered a lot of questions and helped put Ken and his family at ease about going.  He’s even met some of the Honduran believers from one of the villages he’ll serve and used the links within TribalConnection to see Google Earth images of the villages. 

Don’t you think Ken would be much better prepared to serve?  Don’t you think he and his family would be much more comfortable with him going? 

TribalConnection Path Three

Now, let’s look at another pathway that could be available through TribalConnection.  Ken and the rest of his team are from CrossPoint Church in McKinney, TX.  During their time in Honduras God created a strong bond between the team and their new friend Pastor Jose, his wife Silvia and others in the village.  They desire to be a regular, ongoing part of the spiritual growth of these fellow believers and also meeting the physical needs of the people.  One of these needs is for literacy.  Pastor Jose is a tremendous leader but he cannot read.  In fact, Silvia and a couple of others are the only ones in the village who can read.  But how can folks from McKinney, TX help if they can only visit Honduras one or two weeks a year? 

What if some of the folks from CrossPoint and other churches helped set up a high-speed satellite internet connection to link Pastor Jose’s village to TribalConnection?  Through this live, two-way video link Spanish speaking members of CrossPoint (they have several) could conduct live weekly literacy and discipleship classes.  Each Sunday afternoon after the regular church service a teacher in McKinney could lead the studies and interact with students in a virtual classroom.  This same video link would be available for other uses such as basic medical, agricultural and vocational training.  TribalConnection tribe members could have an effective mission experience without ever leaving home.

 Click here for a look at an actual TribalConnection medical trip to Honduras. Click here to see a 5 minute video.

We need you!

The truth is that all of these things we have imagined are possible right now.  The technology and equipment are available.  Just as the printing press radically changed the church 500 years ago the internet is once again revolutionizing how we share the good news.  But we need volunteers willing to invest the time to make this technology work for the Gospel.  Check out TribalConnection on this site and join us today in an Online Adventure with a Purpose.