When we think of missions, our minds often travel overseas—Africa, South America, Asia—places where the gospel is needed and poverty is obvious. But what if I told you there are mission fields right here in our own backyard? That was exactly what the women of Central Baptist Church in Center, TX discovered on a recent trip to the Navajo Reservation. And for my daughter Bonnie, it was a life-changing experience that opened her eyes to a world she didn’t know existed—a third-world culture within the borders of the United States of America.
A Hidden Need: Missions in America
The term “Missions in America” might sound unusual, but it’s real. There are communities across this nation that face generational poverty, spiritual dryness, and cultural isolation. One of these communities is the Navajo Nation, where our church had the opportunity to serve alongside two dedicated missionaries—Russell Aaron and Jason Herndon.
You can learn more about these missionaries and get in touch through this link to their sending church:
👉 Russell Aaron & Jason Herndon – CCBCHS Missionaries
Bonnie’s Eye-Opening Experience
Bonnie, my daughter, joined the ladies from Central Baptist Church on this mission trip, not fully knowing what to expect. She had been on missions trips before—she’s even helped with our international efforts—but something about this one hit home in a deeper way.
She saw communities without running water. She saw children growing up in broken homes. But she also saw hope, and faith, and God moving in the most unexpected places.
You can hear all the testimonies from the women who went on the trip in this powerful Facebook Live video:
📽️ Watch the Mission Trip Testimonies
The Heart of the Trip
The team from Central Baptist Church didn’t go to sightsee. They went to serve, to pray, and to encourage. The group worked on church projects and went on evangelization in villages and towns around the reservation.
Missionaries Russell Aaron and Jason Herndon have been laboring on the Navajo reservation faithfully, reaching out to a culture with deep-rooted traditions and challenges. What they need most—beyond money and resources—is prayer, encouragement, and boots on the ground.
If you’re wondering whether there’s still a place for missions in America, the answer is a resounding yes. From urban centers to rural reservations, the harvest is still plentiful, and the laborers are still few.
How This Affects All of Us
The church has often outsourced missions, thinking it’s for “someone else” or “somewhere else.” But as Bonnie said after returning home:
“I never thought I’d see third-world poverty in the United States. It changed how I see my own country—and my own comfort.”
That’s the kind of perspective shift that sticks with you. And it’s exactly why consfords.com is committed to highlighting and supporting real mission efforts happening in the U.S., especially through our home church and missionaries we know personally.
If your church is looking for a domestic mission field that desperately needs the gospel, consider reaching out to the ministries on the Navajo reservation. Here’s that link again to connect with Missionaries Aaron and Herndon:
🔗 https://www.ccbchs.com/missionaries
What You Can Do
You don’t have to pack a bag and head to Arizona tomorrow (though that would be great!). There are practical ways you can support missions in America from wherever you are:
- Pray for the missionaries and the communities they serve.
- Give to trusted mission efforts, including the ones linked above.
- Go if God is leading you—short term or long term.
- Share their stories with your church, your youth group, and your friends.
Consider hosting a Mission Emphasis Sunday at your church and showing the Facebook video from Central Baptist’s trip. Let others see the reality of missions in America and the hope that still exists.
Missions in America Matter
The gospel is not bound by borders. Whether it’s a hut in Africa or a Hogan in Arizona, Jesus still saves, and His love still reaches the broken. Missions in America matter. Our own people—our neighbors, our Native brothers and sisters—need the gospel just as much as the rest of the world.
As we continue to support foreign missions, let’s also lift up and support the work being done right here on U.S. soil. The mission field is wide, and it includes the reservations, the inner cities, and the small towns that often go unnoticed.
A Final Word from Bonnie
We will be posting some blog posts from Bonnie about her trip and I know you will want to read them!
“I saw brokenness, but I also saw beauty. I saw need, but I also saw God meeting those needs. Missions in America isn’t a secondary calling—it’s urgent.”