When Faith got on a bus headed to the airport for her trip to the Middle East, she wasn’t sure she was ready. Fear had been building for days — not the kind you dismiss, but the kind that makes you look for an exit.

She found one thing that helped: Philippians 4:6-7. Peace that passes understanding isn’t a phrase to her. It’s a testimony.

That’s where Part 3 of Faith’s story on the So That Missions Podcast begins.

Joy as a Compass

Before she left, a friend told her she felt like God wanted Faith to experience joy on that trip. Faith didn’t know what to make of it — until she got on the bus and felt it before they’d even left the parking lot.

That theme runs through the entire conversation. Brittany walks Faith through a simple exercise: ask God to bring to mind a moment from childhood when He was present. For Faith, it was racing her brothers down a hill — winning — and the pure, uncomplicated joy of it. What she heard from that memory: He wants me to have joy from now on.

She had just been sharing with another group that morning about anxiety over her future. The timing wasn’t coincidental.

Scripture as a First Response

Faith describes a season of anxiety, driving to a job she didn’t love — 30-minute commutes where dread of being late felt unbearable even when she left early. Her response wasn’t a playlist or a podcast. She memorized Psalm 23 and recited it until the fear left.

She still knows it by heart. Brittany asks her to share it in the episode. It’s worth the listen.

Open Hands

The most grounded moment in the conversation comes near the end. Faith talks about holding plans with an open hand — not because mission work is unpredictable (though it is), but because she’s learned that God’s plan is better than hers.

“If I can go, why wouldn’t I?” she says. It’s not bravado. It’s just honest math.

For Parents

One of the most practical threads in this episode is a conversation about raising children who love Scripture. Faith’s answer is disarmingly simple: find them a mentor who isn’t you. Not because parents don’t matter — they do — but because kids hear things differently from someone outside the home.

She also names what got her into the Bible: a color-coding system for her highlighters, a book of Revelation now full of cross-references in a pink she didn’t think she’d need, and a Psalm she’s carried into anxiety and come out the other side.

Listen

Episode 83: From Fear to Peace — Faith, Identity, and Calling (Part 3) is available now on the So That Missions Podcast wherever you listen. Start with Part 1 if you haven’t — you won’t regret it.

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Go, Pray, Give, Welcome

Faith’s story is one expression of what it looks like to take the Great Commission seriously — not just as a concept, but as a way of living. At FBC Boerne, we believe every follower of Christ is called to play a part: to go, to pray, to give, to welcome those who’ve been brought close. Faith is doing all of it.

If her story is stirring something in you — questions, curiosity, maybe even a little fear — that might be worth paying attention to.

Interested in learning more about missions at FBC Boerne? Visit fbcboerne.org/missions to learn about upcoming trips and the Perspectives class.

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She Prayed for Boldness at 13. Now She’s Going to the Ends of the Earth.

A young woman from FBC Boerne is learning that her identity as a person of prayer and her calling to the nations aren’t two separate things — they’re the same thing.

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She didn’t want to pray out loud. Not even close.

A year ago, Faith — a high schooler at FBC Boerne — would have told you that praying in front of other people was one of her biggest fears. Now she’s the one saying, “Yeah, I’ll pray.” Out loud. With people she’s just met.

That shift didn’t happen overnight. It started with a prayer she prayed when she was 13, a desperate, honest ask: God, give me the boldness to accept you, because I can’t do it on my own. He answered it. And He’s still answering it — one mission trip at a time.

From Mexico to the Middle East

In the past year, Faith has gone to Mexico twice on mission with FBC Boerne’s youth team and returned just weeks ago from a trip to a refugee camp in the Middle East — a region most people her age only know from news headlines or history class.

She almost didn’t go. Someone told her it wasn’t a good idea. Her family made nervous jokes about war zones. And honestly? She understood why. But somewhere in a Perspectives class at FBC Boerne, she heard a missionary describe a trip that was “a little out of the normal,” and something in her stirred. She walked up to a team leader and said, Hey — if you’re ever going somewhere like that, can you let me know?

A week later, she got the call.

What She Found There

The team arrived in a large Middle Eastern city and made their way to a refugee camp — tarps draped to form makeshift homes, dry ground, no jobs, few fathers. Mostly mothers and children who had fled a violent government and were now living in a place where, as one local described it, “there is no hope, there is no life.”

They came prepared for 40 to 100 kids. Two hundred and fifty showed up.

“I just had this overwhelming peace,” Faith said. She later connected it to Philippians 4:6–7 — the peace that surpasses understanding, the kind that guards your heart when everything around you is uncertain.

The team ran what amounted to a VBS — coloring pages, bracelets with the gospel woven into each color, a simple retelling of Jesus feeding the 5,000 using a folded paper that opened into a crowd. When the kids unfolded it, their eyes lit up. Many of them had never seen a coloring page before.

They had to be careful. Camp leadership was watching. The bracelets’ colors — including one representing the blood of Christ — had to be explained softly, quietly, in ways that didn’t set off alarms. The people they were serving believed Jesus was a prophet, not the Son of God. Every word mattered.

And yet.

When the team left on their final day, camp leadership — the people controlling access to the camp — pulled them aside. Are you Christians? they asked.

Yes.

You are welcome to come back. Any time.

On the spot, a team member asked: Can we come back for Christmas?

Yes.

“We still saw God move,” Faith said. “Even when everything was restricted. Even when we thought there was no way.”

Prayer as Identity

Through a Bible study she’s been doing with friends, Faith has been sitting with the idea that God gives each person not just a shared identity as His child, but a particular calling — something placed in them specifically for His purposes.

For Faith, that thing has to do with prayer.

She didn’t like that answer at first. You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t even like praying. But she’s been leaning into it anyway. And what she’s found is that the more she prays, the more she sees — in Mexico, in the Middle East, in a refugee camp with 250 kids and a bracelet in each hand.

She’s now signed up for her fourth mission trip. South America, if they’ll have her.

She’s not done.

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Hear Faith tell her story in her own words on the Sew That Missions Podcast — Episode 82, Part 2. Listen below or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen to the Full Episode:

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Go, Pray, Give, Welcome

Faith’s story is one expression of what it looks like to take the Great Commission seriously — not just as a concept, but as a way of living. At FBC Boerne, we believe every follower of Christ is called to play a part: to go, to pray, to give, to welcome those who’ve been brought close. Faith is doing all of it.

If her story is stirring something in you — questions, curiosity, maybe even a little fear — that might be worth paying attention to.

Interested in learning more about missions at FBC Boerne? Visit fbcboerne.org/missions to learn about upcoming trips and the Perspectives class.

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Subscribe to the SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne

Never miss an episode. Subscribe on your favorite platform:

She Kept Saying, “Not Yet.” God Showed Up Anyway.

Faith knew something was missing.

She grew up in a Christian home. She heard the Gospel. She sat in church. She knew, somewhere deep down, what the empty feeling meant. And for years, she made the same quiet bargain a lot of people make: I’ll get there eventually. Just not yet.

She wanted to be in the world first. She was afraid of missing out.

It’s an honest thing to admit — and more common than most people say out loud.

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A Dream She Couldn’t Shake

When Faith was 13, she had a dream. In it, Jesus was returning — coming through the clouds, just as Scripture describes. And she saw herself on her knees, desperate, too late.

She woke up and understood something she hadn’t let herself face before: you don’t get to choose the timing. You can’t decide you’ll follow Jesus after you’ve had your run at the world. The moment isn’t yours to schedule.

The dream planted something. But it didn’t change everything immediately. She carried it with her — and kept finding reasons to wait.

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God Uses People Before They’re Ready

Here’s the part of Faith’s story that’s hard to explain and impossible to ignore.

Before she had surrendered her life to Christ, she signed up for a youth mission trip to Mexico. She pulled a few strings to get on the roster. She went. And while she was there — not yet saved, not yet sure — God moved through her anyway.

She gave away a Gospel booklet half-reluctantly, wanting to be done with the moment. Instead, someone started reading it aloud. A crowd gathered. People leaned in to listen.

She turned the corner and saw it happening without her.

“Even when I was like, I don’t want to do this,” she said, “God was still using it.”

That’s not a story about Faith. That’s a story about God — His patience, His pursuit, His refusal to be limited by our hesitation.

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The Surrender She Almost Missed

Later that same summer, Faith went to camp. Every night, she sat in tears. She knew it was time. Every night, she didn’t move.

On the last morning, she broke down in the lunchroom — in front of a lot of people, exactly the thing she’d been afraid of. A leader found her. They talked. And finally, after years of bargaining, waiting, and running out of excuses, Faith surrendered.

She described it simply: believing that God’s got it, and then letting go.

Knowing something and believing it are two different things. She knew the Gospel for years. Believing it — trusting it enough to let go of everything she’d been holding onto — that took longer. And it happened not in a quiet, private moment, but in a crowded lunchroom, in tears, surrounded by people.

God isn’t particular about the setting.

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What Happens After Surrender

Since that summer, Faith has been on two more mission trips — including a recent trip to the Middle East. She took a 15-week class called Perspectives that introduced her to the 10/40 Window: a geographic band stretching across North Africa and Asia where more than three billion people live with little to no access to the Gospel.

Three billion people who may live and die without ever hearing the name of Jesus.

That reality undoes something in you, if you let it. Faith let it. And it changed what she’s doing with her life.

“The reason we’re still here on earth, once you’re saved,” she said, “is to go and make more disciples and bring people to Christ. And if I can do that, why wouldn’t I?”

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Her Story Is Still Being Written

Faith is in her last year of high school. She’s already been on three mission trips. She’s already seen God use her in ways she didn’t expect and couldn’t take credit for.

And she’s the first to say: none of this is about her.

“It’s not my story. It’s God’s story — just using me.”

That’s the most honest thing anyone can say about a life on mission. You don’t have to be impressive. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to stop saying “not yet.”

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Hear Faith tell her story in her own words on the Sew That Missions Podcast — Episode 81, Part 1. Listen below or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen to the Full Episode:

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Subscribe to the SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne

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There Is a Historical Movement of the Gospel Taking Place Among the Iranian People

What God is doing in Iran right now is unlike anything in modern church history.

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We are witnessing a pivotal moment in Iran, shaped by God’s purpose for King Jesus.

Amidst war and widespread displacement, God is working in unexpected ways — turning people’s hearts into fertile ground for the Gospel. The underground church is not retreating. It is advancing.

Despite pressure and persecution, believers are stepping forward with courage and faith. FBC Boerne’s ministry partner, To Every People (TEP), recently hosted a live briefing where church and ministry leaders heard directly from Iranian believers — firsthand accounts of lives transformed and a church growing stronger in one of the most hostile environments on earth.

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Two Million Believers. The Fastest-Growing Church in the World.

Iran now has an estimated two million believers — confirmed, practicing, baptized Christians. Through TEP’s ministry alone, 16,000 people have been brought to Christ. The Iranian Christian Church is widely recognized as the world’s fastest-growing church.

Praise God.

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One Man. Nineteen People Groups.

Among those who shared at the briefing was Ali — his name changed for his security. Originally from Kurdistan with Islamic roots, Ali was expected by his father to become an Imam. But Ali wrestled with Christ’s message, finding that what he read in the Qur’an conflicted with what God was doing inside him.

He left Islam. He found a house church in Kurdistan, Iraq. He learned to speak about Jesus.

Then he started bringing people to house churches, teaching them to share Jesus, and sending them out to disciple others. Every month, they reconvene for ongoing training. Over eight years, this ministry has been growing and multiplying — reaching 19 people groups so far.

This is what Deploy looks like on the other side of the world.

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Getting the Word In.

Getting Bibles into Iran is no small accomplishment. TEP has found a way: 3D-printed devices that conceal audio Bibles, allowing thousands — including those who cannot read — to hear the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says it plainly: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

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The Cost Is Real.

God’s work in Iran has come at a price. Workers have given up physical comfort, family, and in some cases, their lives.

Iranian Christian leaders, speaking in their own words, expressed gratitude for the international pressure being applied to a regime that has suppressed the Iranian people in the name of Islam for nearly 50 years. They are praying for regime change, long-term religious freedom, and the freedom to worship King Jesus without threat.

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A Hotel Room. Palm Sunday. The Resurrection.

Amid all of this, something holy happened.

In a small hotel room in Iraq, 15 Iranians, 10 Syrians, a couple from Baghdad, and a few Americans gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday and the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. They were sad and weary — grieving for those who don’t know Jesus and for those who have lost their lives. And at the same time, rejoicing. Rejoicing for all those who have come to know Jesus as their King, Lord, and Savior, and for all that He is doing in Iran and Iraq.

This is a historical movement of the Gospel among the Iranian people. And we are alive to see it.

Thank You, Jesus.

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Pray for the liberation of the Iranian people and for the mobilization of resources, both physical and otherwise. Pray for the workers. Pray for the underground church to keep advancing.

FBC Boerne partners with To Every People as part of our commitment to taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Learn more at ToEveryPeople.org.

— FBC Boerne Missions Story Team

When Teresa Moen shared the church mission trip opportunity to the Yucatán, Brittany Whitworth felt two things at once: excitement and hesitation.

She and her husband had been on mission trips before. But this was different. This time, it meant going as a family.

“We’ve long desired to help our children grow in their Christlike identity and understand who they are in His Kingdom,” Brittany shares. “Still, saying yes felt like a sacrifice.”

Her husband was in the middle of building his business. The timing wasn’t convenient. But their oldest, Libby, is two years from graduating high school — and they didn’t want to miss the window. With kids ages 15, 10, and 8, they recognized the moment for what it was.

So they said yes.

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What they found there.

The team served alongside a new church plant in the Yucatán — running VBS, making home visits, and doing practical work around the school campus. Brittany’s husband hung ceiling fans. She connected with the moms of school children. Their kids showed up in ways that surprised everyone, including their parents.

Their youngest, Niyah (8), joyfully welcomed kids to VBS. Their oldest, Libby (15), made deep connections during home visits — at one point holding a sweet baby in a family’s home. And their son Zeke (10) stepped forward and led the devotional their family had prepared — more boldly than anyone expected.

“Watching our kids step out of their comfort zones was unforgettable,” Brittany says.

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What God did in them.

They served families who had far less than they did. And those same families were full of peace and joy — a kind of contentment that was impossible to miss and hard to explain.

The Whitworths came home closer to each other. Closer to the families they traveled with. And with a clearer picture of what it means to live in the Kingdom — not just know about it.

Oh, and the business? It kept going just fine while they were away.

“God was so faithful,” Brittany says simply. “He gave us some wonderful memories.”

That’s the thing about saying yes when it’s inconvenient. You find out that God was already there, already working — and He was just waiting for you to show up.

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Maybe you’ve felt that pull. An opportunity that excited you and scared you at the same time. A moment you didn’t want to miss but weren’t sure you could afford — in time, in money, in risk.

The Whitworth family knows that feeling. They went anyway.

If you’ve been considering a church mission trip for your family, ask about upcoming mission opportunities at FBC Boerne — we’d love to help you take the next step.

— Brittany Whitworth, FBC Boerne Church Family

For many, Cancun is a destination of turquoise waters and luxury resorts. But for a group of 21 adults and 21 children from First Baptist Church Boerne, a recent family mission trip to the region revealed a different side of Mexico—one defined by resilient faith, community spirit, and the life changing power of service. From the vibrant worship at Vida Life Church to the dusty streets of Milagros 2 and the jungle of Kingdom Academy in Cuna Maya, this family-oriented mission was a testament to the idea that language is no barrier to the heart.

Taking the Gospel to the Streets of Milagros 2

The week’s first major challenge took the team to a church in Milagros 2, a neighborhood the group had never visited on previous mission trips. The mission was clear: go into the neighborhood and invite local children to a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program featuring music, games, crafts, Bible story and food.

This was quite challenging since the team did not have translators and did not speak Spanish. However, parents and children alike relied on smiles and the universal language of kindness. The effort was a resounding success, with over 30 children from the community attending the VBS.

Empowering the Next Generation at Kingdom Academy

The team spent three impactful days at Kingdom Academy in Cuna Maya working with 47 students. The mission team engaged in a variety of ways to support the school’s mission of transformation through education:

• Educational Support – Leading English classes and assisting in daily classroom activities.
• Campus Revitalization – Fresh coats of paint were applied across the buildings, and the team installed ceiling fans to combat the intense heat.
• The Power of a Meal – The team shared lunch and recess with the students daily. These vital meals are funded by the FBC Boerne VBS, and the addition of consistent nutrition has allowed these children to flourish physically and academically.
• VBS for two days with the Kingdom Academy students and some community kids.
• Ministering to Mom’s – Bible study and craft time focused on their identity in Christ, reminding these women that they are seen, known, and deeply loved by God regardless of their circumstances.
• Home Visits – The team brought groceries to each family and spent time in prayer. This intimate outreach allowed the families ot see the reality of life in Cuna Maya firsthand. Despite having so few material things, the local families radiated a joy that deeply moved the visiting team.

As the families departed, a sacred moment remained. The team spent time with the Kingdom Academy staff – who serve as full-time missionaries- exchanging notes of gratitude and thanksgiving. The trip concluded with a powerful session of mutual prayer, lifting up the school’s future and the families of Cuna Maya. The 42 members of the mission team returned home with a profound realization: while they went to serve, they were the ones deeply changed by the resilience and faith of a community that possesses so little but gives so much.

Say Yes to God: Obedience, Risk, and the Work of God Among the Nations

What does it really look like to say yes to God—especially when it leads somewhere unexpected? In this episode of the SO THAT Missions Podcast, we hear how simple obedience can open the door to powerful kingdom impact. During a recent trip to the Middle East, Sandra shares how God works through ordinary people who are willing to take the next step, whether near or far.

Episode Summary
Sandra’s story is a reminder that God doesn’t waste a lifetime of experience—He redirects it for eternal impact. After decades in education, what began as a willingness to serve turned into a deep involvement in global missions.

In this conversation, Sandra reflects on her journey from local ministry to international mission work, including recent trips to the Middle East. She shares what it looks like to trust God in unfamiliar and sometimes risky environments, how relationships open doors for the Gospel, and why encouragement is one of the most powerful gifts we can offer believers around the world.

More than anything, this episode centers on a simple but challenging truth: God calls us to say yes—and trust Him with the outcome.

In This Episode You’ll Hear

• How God uses your past experiences for future kingdom impact
• What it looks like to walk in obedience without fear
• Why encouragement matters for believers in hard places
• How relationships open doors for the Gospel globally
• A powerful reminder to simply take the next step, God is calling you to

Optional Scripture
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…”
Revelation 7:9–10

Listen to the Full Episode:

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What God Did Through a Malawi Mission Trip: From Village Welcome to Lasting Discipleship

A recent Malawi mission trip through FBC Boerne became a powerful reminder that when the gospel is shared and disciples are equipped, the impact can reach far beyond a single visit.

In this episode of the SO THAT Missions Podcast, Brittany Whitworth sits down with church member Lori Rogers to talk about her experience traveling to Masinja Village in Malawi. What began as a short-term mission trip quickly became a front-row seat to how God is already moving among the nations.

Throughout the trip, the team helped lead Foundations training, a discipleship tool that walks new believers through the story of the Bible—from creation to redemption through Jesus Christ. The goal wasn’t simply to teach for a week, but to equip local believers with a biblical foundation so they can continue making disciples in their own community.

One of the most powerful moments of the Malawi mission trip came at the end of the team’s time in the village. As they prepared to leave, the entire community gathered again to sing, celebrate, and express their gratitude. Though many families have very little, the villagers gave gifts of deep significance—chickens, gourds, and whatever they had to offer.

For Lori, that moment captured something profound. The generosity of the village was a reflection of hearts that had been transformed by the gospel and eager to share what they had.

The impact of this Malawi mission trip continues even after the team returned home. With new believers equipped and local leaders continuing the work, the vision is for the gospel to spread from village to village as disciples make disciples.

In This Episode You’ll Hear

• What it was like to arrive in a village that had been preparing for their visit
• How Foundations training helps new believers understand the story of the Bible
• Why the generosity of the villagers deeply impacted the mission team
• How discipleship in Masinja Village is spreading beyond one community
• The role every believer can play in God’s mission—whether going, sending, or praying

Optional Scripture

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
Matthew 28:19–20

Listen to the Full Episode

Listen to the full episode here:

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