Missions Spotlight

This month, we wanted to share a glimpse of what the Lord does, not just through missions, but in us when we say yes.

For Kelsey, her faith didn’t start strong or steady. She describes coming into college as “really lukewarm… I said God was everything, but I wasn’t living that.” But after rededicating her life to Christ, she knew she wanted something different, something real. That desire led her to step into community and eventually say yes to her first mission trip.

At first, it wasn’t a clear calling that convinced her to go, it was simply a desire to be part of what God was doing. Looking back, she can see how the Lord used that step of obedience in a deeper way than she expected.

On that first trip, she found herself in a season where her faith felt dry. Instead of the emotional highs she expected, she wrestled with what it really meant to follow Jesus. Through that, the Lord began to teach her something foundational: “My faith is not dependent on how I feel… most times love with Jesus is an action more than a feeling.”  What she thought might just be a trip to serve others became a moment where God began shaping her personally.

As she continued going on missions, each place revealed something new about the Lord.

In Africa, her perspective of God—and of faith—expanded in a profound way. What stood out most to her wasn’t just what people had, but how they lived. “They don’t take the Lord for granted… they have nothing, and they worship Him in their fullest capacity.” Everywhere she went, faith wasn’t confined to a service or a moment—it was woven into daily life. She described hearing people talk about the Lord constantly—on the streets, in conversation, even in their humor. It challenged her view of what it looks like to walk with God.

She also began to recognize the difference between simply doing things for God and truly being with Him. “Sometimes we think we need this structure to worship… but they just worshiped Him whether they knew the outcome or not.” In a culture where it’s easy to stay busy and focus on doing, she saw the beauty of a faith that rests, trusts, and delights in the Lord. It shifted her heart posture and helped her understand that intimacy with God isn’t built on convenience—it’s in every moment.

In Georgia, the Lord stretched her in a different way. Many of her close friends had graduated or weren’t on the trip or in her group, leaving her without the familiar people she was used to leaning on. But in that space, the Lord met her. “I didn’t have my people… and the Lord just gave me this confidence to just go.” Instead of shrinking back, she stepped forward, and through that, she experienced His faithfulness in new relationships and a deeper confidence that came from Him—not from her circumstances.

Nashville, her most recent trip, came in a completely different season. It was a time of transition, of “lasts,” and of letting go of things she loved. Walking into it, she carried disappointment and even the expectation that it wouldn’t compare to the trip before. But in the middle of unmet expectations and things not going the way she had hoped, the Lord met her in a way she didn’t expect. Through moments of worship, serving, and simply being present, her perspective shifted. “This is the whole point… if I did this for all my days, I would be just fine.” What she thought might not be meaningful ended up being exactly what she needed.

Through every experience, one thing became clear—missions weren’t just changing the places she went, they were changing her.

“Every time I go on a trip… I’m just a new version of myself.”

There’s something about stepping out of your normal routine, being stretched, and relying on the Lord that reveals and strengthens your faith in a deeper way.

And while it can be easy to hesitate—whether because of time, comfort, or uncertainty—her encouragement is simple: “The Lord is faithful with our time.”

Missions open our eyes to what God is doing beyond our everyday lives. As we go, we don’t just serve—we encounter Him in new ways. We see His heart for people, His presence in different places, and His faithfulness in every circumstance. He uses our obedience to impact others, but at the same time, He is shaping us—teaching us to trust Him, depend on Him, and know Him more deeply.

“If our God is the God of the nations… how will we ever encounter that if we don’t go?”

Missions aren’t just about what God can do through you. They’re about what He wants to do in you.

Mike and Emilee’s stories start in very different places — but both are marked by God’s pursuit.

Emilee grew up in church, but her faith was shaped by fear. She shared, “I basically didn’t want to burn in hell… so for years I lived a fake walk with Christ.” Each day felt like a cycle of trying to measure up. She believed God loved others — she just wasn’t sure His love was really meant for her.

Mike didn’t grow up in church at all. He spent years identifying as an atheist. He enjoyed debating Christians and felt confident in his disbelief. “I don’t need an invisible person telling me how to be good,” he once believed.

But God pursued both of them.

For Emilee, that pursuit meant confronting pride, past wounds, and the exhausting habit of categorizing sin to make it feel smaller. “For the first time, I began seeing God as loving… and realizing that His love was meant for me.”

For Mike, it came in a moment of surrender he didn’t expect. Sitting in the front row of a retreat, he prayed, “God, if You’re real, take away my disbelief.” Within moments, everything changed. “That was the first argument I ever lost with God,” he says. “And I haven’t won one since.”

Their individual transformation was only the beginning.

They both walked through painful seasons — including deep struggles in their marriage. Instead of hiding, they chose to bring trusted believers into the process. “The day we stepped into the light,” Emilee shared, “it felt like the enemy lost his foothold.” Over the months that followed, God restored what felt broken.

Their marriage today is not built on pretending. It’s built on humility, repentance, and grace.

One of the strongest lessons they’ve learned is the difference between religion and relationship.

“Religion makes you focus on rules and comparison,” Mike says. “Relationship reminds you that Jesus is the one who changes hearts — not us.”

Emilee adds, “Religion makes you harsh and judgmental. Relationship allows vulnerability. It lets you walk in the light.”

That understanding has shaped how they serve.

Mike serves in prison ministry through Kairos and helps lead and oversee Emmaus weekends. Emilee serves in women’s ministry, leads Emmaus weekends, and supports Kairos Outside, ministering to women impacted by incarceration. Together, they disciple, encourage, and walk with others — not because they feel qualified, but because they’ve learned to say yes.

When asked what they would tell someone who feels unqualified to serve, Mike said: “We’re only called to say yes. God does the work. I can’t change someone’s heart — that’s not on me.” He compares it to a father letting his child “help” with a project. “It might take longer. It might get messy. But God invites us in anyway.”

Maybe the Lord is inviting you into your next yes.

Maybe it’s stepping into a ministry.
Maybe it’s opening up instead of hiding.
Maybe it’s serving even when you don’t feel ready.

You don’t have to know everything.
You don’t have to be flawless.
You just have to be willing.

God is still redeeming.
He is still restoring.
And He is still using ordinary people who say yes.

Some people go across the world to serve the Lord. Others walk into an elementary school front office, a drive-thru prayer tent, or have a simple conversation with a stranger and do the same thing.

That’s what it looks like for J.C. and Raegina.

Raegina grew up faithfully attending a Roman Catholic church. She knew the right answers and what she was “supposed” to do, but it wasn’t until her second date with J.C. that her understanding of faith began to change.

On that date, J.C. asked her, “How confident are you that if you died today, you would go to heaven?”

That question sparked a deeper conversation and caused Raegina to think seriously about her relationship with Christ. She realized that although she knew about God, she didn’t truly know Him. As she came to understand what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus, she chose to follow Him fully. The decision to leave the catholic faith created tension in her family, but she clung to Galatians 1:10, reminding herself to seek to please God, not man.

Today, Raegina works in the front office at Hardwick Elementary and has discovered that her workplace is one of her greatest mission fields. She keeps handwritten Scripture cards in her desk to give to coworkers who need encouragement and makes it known that she is always available to pray with anyone who asks.

J.C. grew up in Lubbock and was saved at an early age. In high school, after leaving the baseball team, he found himself in the wrong crowd. But in his early twenties, God got ahold of his heart, and J.C. went all in for Christ. Along the way, he discovered a love for skydiving — which is how he later met Raegina.

Together, they share a deep heart for prayer and encouraging others.

When asked what advice they would give someone wanting a stronger prayer life, they said, “Just talk to God like He’s sitting next to you, like God is your best friend. God longs to hear from us!”

J.C. now serves faithfully in our Drive-Thru Prayer Ministry, where they meet people exactly where they are — praying for healing, job loss, or simply reminding someone that God loves them.

J.C. shared, “Many people think that I’m just naturally gifted in evangelism, and I don’t think that’s true. I think I’ve gotten more comfortable with it by forcing myself to do it. It’s as simple as just asking someone, ‘Do you have any prayer needs?’ and that opens the door for opportunity. There are also times where I ask strangers ‘If you were to die and you are standing before the Lord and God asked you why He should let you into heaven,’ and the way they answer that question tells you a lot about what they believe. That gives you a great opportunity to share the Truth and the hope of Jesus.”

Raegina added, “Just asking people we cross paths with if they go to church somewhere, if the answer is no, it’s really easy to invite them to ours. We always say, ‘If you’re interested in visiting our church this week, we will sit by you in service.’”

Their lives are a reminder that you don’t have to go overseas or hold a title to be used by God. Through simple obedience, everyday conversations, prayer, and encouragement, people are coming to know Christ.

J.C. and Raegina are a powerful encouragement to our church family: what you do matters. Let the Lord use you. Whether that’s through joining our Drive-Thru Prayer Ministry, serving in VKids, becoming a greeter, or simply being bold where God has placed you, you have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus  and lives can be changed through that.

Larry and Kay Rogers met while attending Lubbock Christian University and have been married for fifty-one years. Both came to faith as young children while attending Church of Christ congregations. They have spent decades serving their community, often quietly, showing that ministry doesn’t always require stepping into the spotlight. Much of their work happens behind the scenes, especially in prayer and support for others.

Prayer is at the heart of their ministry. Kay explains, “There was a time in my life when I was hearing people say, ‘You bring it to God, leave it at His feet, and you walk off and leave it.’ You know, when you're praying. Don't keep going back and forth. And then, the more I got to studying, the more I was going, 'No, the persistent widow kept going and kept bringing it to God. And God says, bring it to me.'” Kay adds, “Even your one-word prayers all through the day just keep them going—even a one-word prayer or a sentence prayer, all through the day is prayer. We're bad about thinking we can handle things on our own when we ought to first take it to God in prayer to begin with.” Larry describes this practice: “I’m usually up here on campus, prayer walking the buildings and over all who enter the Connection Center.” For Larry and Kay, prayer is not passive—it is an active ministry, a quiet but powerful way to serve their community and sustain those in need.

Their heart for missions also reflects this behind-the-scenes approach. Larry recalls a time when a missionary visited his church and encouraged him to grow up and be a missionary. Later, a missionary came to LCU and invited them on a week-long mission trip to Switzerland. He wanted to go but couldn’t raise the funds. Larry serves as a great example of someone with a heart for missions but a different calling—finding other ways to be part of the mission field. “I told River, 'We're gonna go with you. We're gonna stay here, we're going to pray a lot, and we're gonna support you each month, and you get on the plane and you go.'” Both Kay and Larry believe, “If you can’t go, you need to support.” Some of the ways they support missionaries include encouragement, financial support, and prayer.

By creating all the pre-K Sunday school curriculum and supporting other teachers, Kay serves in ways that often go unseen but make a meaningful difference for both children and families. “My forte is not being an administrator or leader, but you tell me what to do and I’ll do it. But when you do this, you don’t just reach the kids—you reach the families too.” Kay has found a way to help reach children and parents while still leaning into her strengths.

Larry and Kay’s decades of behind-the-scenes teaching, prayer, and support reveal a ministry of faithfulness, presence, and heart. They have touched generations, guided families, and supported missions near and far—all quietly, without fanfare. Through prayer and service, they demonstrate that ministry is measured not by recognition but by dedication, heart, and faithfulness. Larry and Kay’s example reminds us that there are so many ways to serve here at VLC—sometimes in the spotlight, but often behind the scenes.

For Aaron and Bailey, the story of this new season begins with a simple yes. Aaron remembers when the Lord first stirred his heart for ministry. “I went to Co:Mission in 2015. That night D.L. Lowery preached on Matthew 6 — about how you can’t serve two masters. I knew the Lord was calling me into ministry, so I surrendered to ministry the next morning.”
Since then, God has continued to lead step by step. “I started working at Victory Life Church as a college intern. I then became the college pastor here, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Bailey’s story took root at Challenge when she moved to Lubbock for college. “I grew up in a Christian home and always knew the things I was supposed to do, but I just didn’t know how to do them. I started coming to Challenge, and it was there I learned what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus.”

“The college pastor’s wife, Amy Wood, started to disciple me. We sat down once a week and she walked me through Scripture, how to study it, different ways to pray, and how to sit down and have a quiet time. In this season I learned the importance of being a disciple and making disciples. Later I joined an all-girls Challenge group, and it was there I found my passion for building relationships with girls and helping them in their walk with Christ.”
Now, together, Aaron and Bailey are saying yes to something new: planting a church in San Angelo, Texas.

“Our heart is that this is a church plant that would go on to plant other churches,” Aaron says. “We want to give students an opportunity, when they’re done with college here, to move to another city and take what they’ve learned with them. We don’t want their college experience to just be coming here for four years, going to Bible study, learning how to serve, and being in Sunday school, then leave it all behind at graduation. We want them to truly have a life change.”

Bailey agrees, especially when it comes to the role of students. “We have been able to see the value that college students add to a church. They don’t give you money, but they give so much of their time, energy, selflessness, and their willingness to go get things done. We want them to be a part of our church and push them to think, ‘Where can I go in this world to serve the Lord better?’ not, ‘Where can I go get a job that serves me?’”

Through prayer, conversations, and visits, God led them clearly to San Angelo. They explained, “We started with thirteen cities. We narrowed it down to five, then two — San Angelo and San Antonio. We went and visited both places and were able to meet people and talk to other churches in the area. In the end, we felt like San Angelo was a better fit for what we feel God is calling us to do, what we are passionate about, and what we want the church to look like.”

Aaron adds, “While San Angelo has churches, there isn’t a single one that has a college minister on staff full time. The campus is not currently being reached, and there are 10,000 students we want to reach, disciple, and send out.”

It’s a big step, but one they feel ready for. “It’s scary leaving a place we feel so comfortable and loved and have such great community,” Bailey shares. “But we’ve always wanted to church plant with VLC because we love it here so much. It has been our home. It’s where I truly learned how to have a relationship with the Lord, it’s where all my best friends are, and all the staff feels like family. That’s what we want our church to feel like.”

As Aaron and Bailey prepare to go, their prayer is simple: that God would raise up a team, provide the right location, and move powerfully in San Angelo — just as He’s done in their lives.

Danny and Sheena Klos have discovered a unique calling that shapes both their marriage and their work: serving the Lord through business. For them, business is not just a way to make a living—it’s a way to make disciples, build community, and grow God’s Kingdom.
Danny grew up in Lubbock and began his career working in his family’s business. Eventually, though, he felt God leading him to step away. He moved to Austin and sensed the Lord telling him to start something new. “It’s all about the people,”Danny explains. “I wanted to create a great place for great people to work.” For him, the heart of business was never just profit—it was people.

Sheena was saved early on in her childhood. Though she came to know the Lord as a child, over time her pursuit of the Lord slowed and was replaced with people-pleasing, anxiety, and depression. But in her twenties, she knew it was time to come back. When she and Danny got engaged, they began attending Victory Life. “This church felt like a safe place,” Sheena remembers.

It was in a Sunday school class and small group that Sheena’s faith grew roots. “My faith started to make sense,” she says. “My depression and anxiety have gone away. A community group was something I thought I never wanted, but now it’s something I’m so thankful for—and something I don’t ever want to go without again.”

Danny and Sheena got connected to B4T (Business for Transformation), a movement that uses business as a platform to reach people with the Gospel. At a conference, Danny was struck by how business could be a tool for discipleship. “How often does a typical person get to talk to a pastor?” he asks. “Maybe 30 minutes on a Sunday or an hour in a small group—that’s only 52 hours a year. But if you run a business with a B4T perspective, that’s 40 hours a week. That’s a total game changer.”

Danny often uses an eye-opening comparison to explain the potential of B4T: “We’ve been trying to share the Gospel for 2,000 years and have reached 64% of the world. Coca-Cola has only been around for 100 years and has reached 98%. B4T makes sense. You go, you teach, you live, and you commit to people groups.” He goes on to explain that most countries will no longer allow American missionaries in, yet they welcome American businesses with open arms.

For him, the most successful B4T stories aren’t about business models or strategies—they’re about love for people. “The difference between successful B4T companies and unsuccessful ones isn’t what they do. The most successful companies never set out saying, ‘I’m going to start a business.’ They went and fell in love with a people group. If you’re about the people, it doesn’t matter what you do.”

Sheena shares that passion in her own work. She runs a med spa, and she sees every appointment as ministry. “Through Avodah I learned that God has given me a skill and a desire. He opened doors and brought people to me, and that’s why it’s successful. Every hour I’m with a client, I get to pray for them—whether they know it or not.”

The two see themselves as connectors in the B4T network—linking people, encouraging missionaries, and reminding others that business itself can be Kingdom work. “We keep going to these conferences and getting to catch up with friends across the world,” Sheena says. “Hearing what God is doing everywhere is so inspiring. I feel like Danny and I’s job is connecting people within B4T.”

Danny describes his own walk of faith in terms of Jonah’s story: God often calls him to take steps in business that don’t make sense at the time. “Business strengthens my faith because I have to rely heavily on the Lord to show me the next step. He clearly tells me to take it, and I trust that there will be solid footing there. Most times I don’t see how the outcome will work, but I believe His plan will prevail. My responsibility is to lay faithful plans and keep moving forward in faith. The goal isn’t to make a lot of money—the goal is to love people and serve the Lord.”

Together, Danny and Sheena live out a calling that intertwines their gifts, their work, and their faith. Their testimony is one of obedience to the Lord’s calling in their life, and a deep conviction that the workplace is one of the most powerful mission fields in the world.
Though their story is a convicting reminder of the power of Advodah, it shouldn’t be the only one like it. Living on mission with your business or in your work place is the everyday calling of every believer - to see our work as worship and our workplace as a mission field.