March 31, 2026 by

Over spring break this year, I got the incredible opportunity to participate in a GO trip to Boston, Massachusetts. This trip was a formative and fruitful experience for me and many others on the team. I’m so excited to get to tell you about it! 

Our Week of Boston Outreach 

The trip was coordinated in partnership with GenSend, an offshoot of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) that focuses on equipping college-age students to plant and strengthen churches across the United States and Canada.  

Our focus for the trip was to support and encourage churches in the Boston area, engage in Gospel conversations all around the city, and gain prayerful insight into what it could look like for us as individuals to further God’s Kingdom wherever He plants us.  

Our week was spent meeting with church leaders and hearing their stories, serving their churches’ needs, participating in community outreach projects, and praying for the city.  

One day, we reorganized the basement and ripped an entire pipe organ out of a church building that needed more space. Other afternoons were spent passing out invites to a church plant’s Easter service or offering personal care packages to unhoused people.  

We went on lots of prayer walks and asked lots of questions. It was such an impactful week as we experienced the Lord’s work and each considered how He might be calling us to be part of it, whether now or in the future. 

Understanding the Need 

On our second day of the trip, we walked the historic Freedom Trail while learning about the history of the Church in Boston. We ended the tour next to the Boston Harbor — a powerful image of Habakkuk 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” This became my specific prayer for Boston throughout the trip — that knowledge of God’s glory would cover it like the waters of the harbor. 

Only about two to three percent of Bostonians identify as evangelical Christians. This means that for every 100 people you pass on the sidewalk, two of them may have a personal, saving relationship with Christ. This percentage is similar to those of many European and Middle Eastern countries, yet Massachusetts is only a handful of states away from Ohio or the Bible Belt.  

Boston is also an incredibly diverse city, as career or university opportunities draw people from all over the world. Transplants to the area can struggle to find community and meaning outside of material success. Simultaneously, many Boston natives, or “townies,” are Catholic or have come from Catholic backgrounds but have been deeply hurt by their churches.  

The people of this city are surrounded by darkness and hungry for true meaning in life. They are searching for the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. 

But friends, what a work the Lord is doing here! 

Fruitful Opportunities to Share God’s Hope 

Throughout the trip, we were bombarded with abundant opportunities to plant seeds of hope in the hearts of people we encountered. Striking up conversations with random people at bus stops or on park benches was intimidating, but time and again, I was blown away by their willingness to open up and tell us their stories.  

It became so evident that many of these people are desperate for connection — for hope.  

Often, these quick chats turned into much deeper conversations about where real hope is found.  

One afternoon, another team member and I ended up talking to a man near the Boston Public Library for almost half an hour as he waited for a bus. He shared with us that he was looking for a higher power to help him escape his alcohol addiction but that he couldn’t find answers anywhere. We got to point him to the truth of the Gospel and even show him how to access the Bible on his phone, which he was very excited about!  

Some other friends on the team got to grab lunch with a man who was homeless, and another even gave her personal Bible to someone eager to learn more about this God who loved him so much.  

Growth in the Boston Church 

These were exciting and hopefully fruitful interactions. But all of this outreach is essentially pointless without the Church — in order for droplets to cover the sea, they must join together.  

The Church in Boston has exploded in recent years, with many new Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching churches being planted or planned as the Lord moves in the city.  

Community is essential for effectively reaching the lost and for growth in spiritual maturity. Whenever we had Gospel conversations with unbelievers throughout the week, we got to point them to whichever church partner we were currently closest to, knowing that that community would love to continue planting seeds of truth in this person’s heart.  

While this church growth is exciting, it also comes with challenges. These churches are in dire need of mature, committed believers who will invest in their communities, devote themselves to their churches, and disciple new believers.   

I was reminded of Jesus’ words to His disciples in Matthew 9:37–38: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” 

Our Prayer for Boston 

Friends, would you join me in praying for the people of Boston?  

Pray that the Lord would send out laborers to do Kingdom work in this city. Pray that mature believers would invest their time, talents, and treasures into strengthening the Church.  

Finally, join me in echoing the prayer of Habakkuk 2:14: that the city of Boston would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the harbor.  

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