He recently returned from visiting Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban into Pakistan. But they aren’t safe yet. “The Taliban still comes in and causes terror in the evening time. In the areas we were in, we had to make sure we were out by the evening. Because the Taliban still have influence.”

Kelley says most people in the camps have lost at least one family member to extremist violence. “A lot of the people that we spoke to particularly didn’t want their daughters to live underneath the Taliban regime. Because the daughters are being taken as sex slaves. They’re abused, and families have no say in it. The Taliban just come into communities and they essentially confiscate or kidnap the daughters.”

Sharing the story of Jesus

You can support local Christians who deliver aid to these refugees in Jesus’ name. Ask God to bring comfort and healing to them. Kelley says, “The only answer to that is the Gospel. There’s no amount of money or a nicer house that can fix that. That trauma is so buried inside of their hearts that the Gospel is the only answer. And we found incredible receptivity.”

Kelley even encountered men who once had operated in the Taliban. “They approached us. As we were interviewing them, they talked about different people they had killed. And they were just filled with guilt. But the only thing that’s going to heal their heart is the Gospel. I literally watched them receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The guilt that they had of doing the terrible things was lifted.”

These men then went to tell current Taliban members about Jesus. “That is the only solution for Afghanistan,” Kelley says.

Ask the Holy Spirit to change many hearts among extremist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Header photo courtesy of World Mission on Facebook.

"We are taking mothers and daughters to Guatemala (and spending a majority of their time in Guatemala City) to do various types of ministries that Buckner has ongoing," explains Buckner's Ashley Marble.

Buckner's annual Mother/Daughter trip provides an opportunity for the female duos to spend time bonding in the most powerful of ways: by serving the Lord Jesus Christ together.

Participants will spend much of their time with other daughters and orphans who are without mothers. "They'll be visiting an orphanage there, also a transition home for girls, and they'll be visiting two of our community centers," explains Marble.

The time will be more than just visiting, though. Marble says "it's a good picture of hope" for motherless girls in Guatemala to see a healthy, working relationship between a mother and daughter on the trip. Buckner community centers encourage these familial relationships regularly, but there's nothing quite like seeing it in action.

Essentially, mothers and daughters on the trip will take a part in living out the Gospel both in word and in deed. Their actions of going to these orphans and others in Guatemala will show Christ's love, but they may also have the opportunity to share Christ's love verbally, telling others the redemption story.

"This is a really great trip for mothers and daughters to take to invest not only in their relationships with each other, but in their relationships with girls that may not have a mother figure in their life," Marble emphasizes.

If you're interested in spending this life changing week with your mom or daughter, learning more about each other while serving others in Christ's name, you will need to know some logistics.

The trip dates are June 7-12. All girls participating need to be at least 10 years old, but no one is too old to go. The cost is $1,220, which includes meals, lodging, in-country transportation, insurance, interpreters, bottled water etc. Air fare is not included. Half the cost is due by April 30, and the rest due by June 7.

To find all this information plus a trip itinerary, click here.

To register, click here and scroll down to "Mother/Daughter." Learn more about other Buckner trips here.

If you still have more questions, feel free to contact Ashley Marble at 1-800-442-4800.

This could be a relationship-changing trip for mothers and daughters, and life changing for those who hear the Gospel as a result. Read the testimony of one mom who took the plunge with her daughter last summer.