My First Mission with Marathon Missions International

by Amy Jo Clark

When I first heard Marathon Missions International was taking a team to Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2019, I didn't hesitate. I had always wanted to visit Alaska, and the opportunity to serve alongside a mission team while helping missionary Scott Belmore and his family repair their home after the devastating 2018 earthquake felt like the perfect reason to go.

While many of the team members spent their days repairing the Belmore family's home, I had the privilege of serving in a different way. I volunteered to lead the kitchen team, planning every meal before we ever left Tennessee. From organizing menus and pre-ordering groceries to shipping a box of kitchen supplies ahead of our arrival, my goal was simple—to make sure our team was well cared for so they could focus on the work God had called them to do.

One of my favorite memories from that trip was celebrating as Sunshine and Jonathan became engaged in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Watching two people who loved the Lord begin a new chapter together made an already unforgettable trip even more special.

Of course, every mission trip has at least one story that gets told over and over. Mine is affectionately titled, "The Time Belmore Tried to Kill Me." Scott assured me the hike wasn't difficult. The walk to the marshland was absolutely breathtaking, and he wasn't wrong about the scenery. The return trip, however, nearly finished me off! To this day, I still laugh about it... although I wasn't laughing much on the way back to the van.

Looking back, though, those aren't the memories that matter most.

This trip introduced me to Marathon Missions International, and it sparked something in my heart that has never gone away. Although health challenges have limited the number of mission trips I've been able to take since then, God showed me that serving His kingdom isn't limited to boarding an airplane. He has allowed me to become part of the support team at home—helping prepare, organize, and care for teams while they're serving around the world.

That single "yes" in 2019 has grown into opportunities I never imagined, including beginning this year to have the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for Marathon Missions International. What began as a desire to help on one mission trip became a calling to serve this ministry in ways I never expected.

I'm grateful that God doesn't ask us all to serve in the same way. Some build, some teach, some preach, some cook, some organize, and some encourage from behind the scenes. Every role matters when it's done for His glory.

Looking back, Alaska wasn't simply a destination on my bucket list. It was the place where God quietly began writing a new chapter in my own story of serving Him.

For a long time, I thought missions meant traveling to another country. God has gently shown me that missions is simply using the gifts He has given me wherever He has placed me. Sometimes that has meant serving in Alaska. Today, it often means serving behind the scenes so others can go. Both are acts of obedience, and both are part of His mission.