Sharing Life Changing Lives

Sometimes opportunities to serve come with plenty of time to prepare. Other times, God puts an opportunity in front of us and asks us to step up.Just two months before a mission trip to Costa Rica, Jason and Ashley Deffenbaugh accepted the responsibility of leading a team from the Henderson church of Christ—comprised mostly of high school students—to work alongside the church there.During their time in Costa Rica, the team conducted personal Bible studies, held a Vacation Bible School for children, and helped with a gospel meeting for adults. They went hoping to encourage and strengthen the Christians there, but quickly discovered that the blessings flowed both ways.On this episode of Sharing Life Changing Lives, Robert and Bill sit down with Jason and Ashley to talk about saying “yes” to leadership on short notice, preparing young people to serve in another culture, sharing the gospel across language and cultural barriers, and the lessons they brought home from the Christians they met in Costa Rica.Their experience reminds us that mission work is more than traveling somewhere different. It is about people, relationships, service, and a willingness to go wherever we can help others know Jesus.

You don’t have to leave the country to enter the mission field.Matt and Lauren Barker recently led a group from the Henderson church of Christ—including many of our young people—on a domestic mission trip to Bennington, Vermont. In less than a week, the team packed in an incredible amount of work: reaching out to people in the community, conducting a Vacation Bible School, and completing construction and maintenance projects on the church building.In this episode, Robert and Bill sit down with Matt and Lauren to hear about their experience. They discuss what it takes to lead a mission trip, what they learned from the Christians in Bennington, the impact the trip had on the young people who participated, and how serving others can strengthen our own faith.Along the way, we’re reminded that mission work isn’t just something Christians do somewhere far away. Wherever there are people who need Jesus, there is a mission field.

In this episode of Sharing Life Changing Lives, Robert and Bill visit with Matt and Aleshia Sokoloski about their experience helping with a church camp in Alaska. Over the course of three weeks, Matt and Aleshia helped lead several groups of college-aged Christians as they served, encouraged others, and experienced the beauty and challenges of ministry in a very different setting.They share memorable moments from the trip, lessons they learned from the people they met, and the ways God used the experience to strengthen their own faith. Their story reminds us that when Jesus is our reason, we can use our time, energy, and abilities to make a difference wherever opportunities arise.

What does it look like to invest intentionally in the spiritual future of your children?In this episode of Sharing Life Changing Lives, Robert and Bill visit with Randall and Bonnie Hendrix about the importance of helping children develop a faith that will remain strong throughout their lives. They discuss the influence of a Christ-centered home, the power of a godly example, and the everyday choices parents can make to place Jesus at the center of family life.

Marriage is one of God’s greatest blessings—but every strong marriage is built through commitment, sacrifice, grace, and faith in Jesus. In this episode of Sharing Life Changing Lives, Bill Wade and Robert Hatfield sit down with Milton and Laurel Sewell, who have been married for more than 60 years, to talk about the joys, challenges, and lessons they’ve learned through a lifetime together.The Sewells reflect on how their relationship began, what they understood about marriage as a young couple, and how their perspective has deepened through the decades. They openly discuss seasons that required intentional effort and perseverance, emphasizing how faith in Jesus became the foundation that carried them through life’s challenges.