# @hopewdm on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DdrsmACPd86
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70883614-hopewdm-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e908a50063.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-24T20:02:42.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** HOPE (@HopeWDM) — https://gondola.cc/HopeWDM

## Caption

I have attended Hope my entire life, but it wasn’t until fall 2023, my freshman year of college, that I started taking my faith seriously. I began going to the Kairos College Ministry at Hope Ames and REVIVE for young adults at Hope West Des Moines, and for the first time, I was intentionally seeking Christ-centered community and making my relationship with the Lord a priority.
 
I first heard about missions through Kairos. During announcements one night, they talked about a mission trip to Abaco, Bahamas. This trip intrigued me, but it was also completely out of my comfort zone. I never ended up applying for the trip, which I quickly regretted.
 
A couple of months later at REVIVE, Jamie Richards, the young adults minister at Hope WDM, announced that REVIVE was also going on a mission trip to Abaco. In that moment, I felt a nudge from God to apply for the trip. I was nervous because I wasn’t very involved with the young adult ministry at the time and didn’t know many people. I decided to take a leap of faith and apply anyway.
 
In October 2024, I went on my first mission trip to Abaco, and it became a huge turning point in my faith. It completely changed my perspective on the world, deepened my relationship with God, and gave me the Christ-centered community I had been looking for.
 
Since then, I’ve been on two more trips—Homes of Hope with REVIVE and, most recently, a Hope-wide trip to Bulgaria. Each trip has challenged me to step outside my comfort zone, deepened my faith, and taught me to serve with a more willing heart. Every time I come home, I have a deeper understanding of what it means to live out my faith through serving others.
 
Without a doubt, missions is where I feel most connected to God. These trips continue to remind me of how much he can do through our willingness to simply say yes.
 
Sofi E.
#HopeWDMStories

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## Credits

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## Tags

hopewdmstories

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