Short-term mission trips are core to our global outreach ministry at Calvary. A mission trip shakes you out of complacency and usually puts you in the uncomfortable position of serving “the least of these.” And living out the gospel like that shifts something inside people. The obvious goal is for you to serve God by serving others, but what the global outreach team prays will happen is that you come home wanting to continueserving others, if not overseas then right in your community. That’s what happened to 7 medical professionals who went to Haiti last year. They left a part of their hearts behind and brought home a driving compassion to keep doing good where it was needed. 

One of the things that shocked me was how many international families live in the Valparaiso area. I had been in a ‘bubble’ – my neighborhood, the kids’ schools, and church all consisted of the same demographic.

For Kevin Hicks, divorce was like a bomb going off in the middle of his life. And in some ways, he’s still dealing with the fallout. But he’s not alone. Kevin turned to Jesus and found someone who would always walk beside him.

“The more I live in this world,” Kevin says, “the more I’m drawn to Jesus because I need somebody stable. I need somebody that I can trust that isn’t going to let me down. I’ve gotten to the point where even if I don’t get what I want or what I’ve prayed for, or I get the opposite of what I’ve prayed for, I know there’s a reason for it. I don’t know what it is right now, but I trust that God has a plan and that it’s for my good, and we’ll figure it out.”

Kevin and his wife Cindy shared his story for the May 2019 bulletin.

In May 2019, Kevin and Cindy Hicks shared what led them to participate in Calvary’s Rebuilding After Divorce course as facilitators. Cindy has never been divorced, but her story includes an abusive relationship, the difficult decision to raise and parent her son alone, and the unwavering conviction that God pursued her through every twist and turn.