What if stepping outside your comfort zone is exactly what your faith needs to feel real again?

May 16

That question lingered in Lauren Ebert’s heart the moment she said yes to a short-term mission trip to Nicaragua. She didn’t know anyone on the team. She hadn’t planned to go. It was a last-minute decision made at a meeting for next year’s trips—but something in her nudged her to say yes now. And that simple act of obedience became the start of a spiritual shift she didn’t expect.

Lauren arrived in the small town of Masatepe ready to help however she could. She thought she was coming to serve—work on some projects, replace a roof, or run some programs. But what she found was something deeper. “It wasn’t really about the projects,” she said. “It was about connecting with people—listening to their stories, learning from their faith, and being present.”

The trip wasn’t neat or predictable. But in that messy, beautiful in-between, Lauren felt something she hadn’t felt in a while—God’s presence, close and steady. “I’ve felt God heavy on my heart throughout this whole experience,” she shared.

““I feel closer to Him than I have in a long time—especially after a hard year.””

She came to serve—but something in her shifted.

“My heart is telling me, go do more,” she said. “This is where the Lord wants me—giving back.” Though she didn’t know exactly what her future in missions would look like, the impact was undeniable. “I’m not sure what's next. Maybe I’ll come back in a long-term way. Maybe I’ll talk to more people at my church about missions. But I know this is just the beginning.”

What stirred her most wasn’t just the act of serving—it was what she received in return. “They have so little, but they give so much,” Lauren shared. “Seeing people live with such deep gratitude and faith—it made me realize I want to live differently. I want to give more, take less, and live with deeper faith.”