Go Home and Tell: Paraguay Mission Report

God is named from the start as a very, very good God who brought the Paraguay team back safely and who was clearly “in action” while they were away. The Paraguay mission trip is held up as more than some kind of report, because the real point is meaningful transformation and careful listening to what God is saying now. The opening prayer asks that the stories not stay as travel memories, but become a space where God keeps speaking to Eastside and to the people watching online.

Eastside’s wider life of mission appears as one connected stream, from Uganda hospital support, to youth Bible study, to baptism Sabbath, to field day, campout, book club, golf tournament, marriage seminar, and the “Spread the Word” cards. The project in Uganda, the charity golf tournament, and the prayer cards all show a church trying to keep mission practical, relational, and open to people who need support. The cards especially carry a simple idea, that someone can receive a little piece of Scripture, scan a code, and suddenly have access to a community willing to pray.

The Paraguay stories then put faces on what God has been doing. The baptism of a Jewish rabbi becomes one of the most powerful moments, especially through the line about “putting down the star of David to pick up the cross of Jesus.” The youth stories, the long walks, the early mornings, the singing, the stretching, and the moments where people saw God show up all make the trip feel less like a program and more like God moving through ordinary people.

Mark 5:19-20 gives the whole day its main thought. Jesus has just stilled the storm, crossed the Sea of Galilee, and met a man filled with demons. A tormented man runs down the mountain, and Jesus calls the demons out of him and heals him. The healed man is so overwhelmed with joy that he wants to get in the boat and follow Jesus forever.

Jesus answers with loving firmness, “Go home.” That little command becomes the heart of the call. The ten days in Paraguay matter, and the service there is real, but the return home is not a step backward. God has placed people exactly where they need to be, whether that is Paraguay for ten days or King County, Kirkland, a workplace, a family, or a grocery store. The same Spirit that moved in Paraguay does not come to an end when the plane lands. The call is to go home in the name of Jesus and be a blessing to the people right there.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God places missionaries at home Jesus does not let the healed man turn gratitude into escape. Jesus sends him back to his own people because the first field of witness is often the place that already knows the old story. Home is not lesser than Paraguay, and ordinary proximity is not a downgrade from foreign mission. [81:29]
• 2. Mercy becomes a local witness The healed man is told to tell “how much the Lord has done” and what mercy has been shown. Mercy is not meant to stay private, but it also does not need to become dramatic or polished. The most faithful witness may simply be a changed life speaking clearly in familiar places. [79:23]
• 3. Mission trips expose deeper calling Paraguay removes people from the privileges and patterns of Western life, and that kind of disruption can make service feel clearer. Yet the plane ride home does not end the calling. The deeper test is whether the same servant posture survives in the spaces that feel normal, crowded, and easy to overlook. [81:05]
• 4. The Spirit keeps moving afterward The closing prayer refuses to treat Paraguay as a finished chapter with nothing left to say. The Holy Spirit does not come to an end in a person’s life when a trip ends. The same power that served there can keep serving through grocery stores, workplaces, get togethers, families, and friends. [88:45]
• 5. Testimony must become transformation The prayer at the beginning asks that the day not become “just some kind of report.” Stories of mission can either remain interesting information or become a summons to listen to God more deeply. True testimony does not simply admire what happened somewhere else, it opens the heart to what God is asking right now.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [07:22] - Opening Welcome and Prayer
• [16:12] - Missionaries Welcomed Back
• [16:45] - Uganda Mission Project
• [17:33] - Sabbath Schools and Baptism Sabbath
• [18:44] - Field Day and Campout Announcements
• [20:07] - Golf Tournament Supporting Missions
• [21:40] - Spread the Word Card Project
• [23:35] - Marriage Seminar Announcement
• [29:24] - Paraguay Recap Video
• [51:31] - Rabbi Baptism Testimony
• [52:04] - Sally Shares Her Experience
• [57:13] - Youth Mission Stories
• [72:25] - Esteban Shares From Paraguay
• [79:23] - Go Home and Tell
• [88:16] - Closing Prayer and Lunch

1. In Mark 5:19-20, what two things does Jesus tell the healed man to do when he goes home?
2. What details are given about the healed man’s condition and response to Jesus before he is sent home? [01:20:08]
3. What are some concrete examples of mission and service that were happening both abroad and at home, such as Uganda support, Bible study, prayer cards, and the golf tournament? [00:16:45]
4. What simple purpose was given for the “Spread the Word” cards, and how were they meant to connect people to prayer and support? [00:22:48]

1. Jesus does not allow the healed man to stay in the boat with him, even though that seems like a beautiful response. Why might “go home” be just as important a calling as “come with me”? [01:20:47]
2. Mark 5:19-20 ties testimony to mercy. What does that suggest about the kind of witness Jesus wants from his people in familiar places?
3. A mission trip can make service feel clear because daily routines and comforts are disrupted. Why is returning home often the deeper test of whether a servant heart is really taking root? [01:21:05]
4. The same Holy Spirit who was at work in Paraguay is still at work after returning home. How does that truth reshape the way ordinary places like work, family life, and errands are viewed? [01:28:45]

1. Jesus says, “Go home to your own people.” Who are the “own people” in this season of life—family, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, or friends—and which of those relationships may be the clearest place to begin sharing God’s mercy? [01:22:07]
2. A testimony can become more than a report when it leads to transformation. What is one way God may be asking for deeper listening and obedience right now instead of simply admiring what he has done elsewhere? [00:08:37]
3. Mercy becomes a local witness. What has the Lord done personally in recent months that could be shared naturally with someone who already knows the older version of that life?
4. God places people exactly where they need to be. What part of home life currently feels too ordinary, too frustrating, or too unnoticed to be a place of mission, and what might it look like to see that place differently this week? [01:21:29]
5. Mission is not limited to big events or international travel. What is one practical act of care—prayer, invitation, encouragement, generosity, or showing up for someone—that could be offered in the next few days? [01:29:11]
6. The call to serve can continue in grocery stores, workplaces, and gatherings. In which regular setting is it easiest to forget that the Holy Spirit is still active, and how could greater attentiveness be practiced there? [01:29:01]
7. Simple tools can open meaningful doors. Is there someone who might respond to a small gesture of faith, encouragement, or prayer support, and what would make that step feel natural rather than forced? [00:23:02]