On Mission To Reach The World

River Valley 500

We are passionate about fulfilling our vision to raise up and send out 500 full-time missionaries from our church. These people are from all walks of life—young and old, married and single, college students and retired—and everything in between. They have committed to serve God overseas for at least one year and pray about giving Him a lifetime.

These 500 missionaries are known as the River Valley 500.

Watch the story of the 500 below.

Today, over 200 individuals have already been sent to the mission field all over the world.

Missionaries

Barrett Todd

Dominican Republic

Barrett Todd

Dominican Republic

While the Dominican Republic is not in a crisis situation like Haiti there has been an influx of hundreds of thousands of Haitian refugees including many children. The majority of these Haitians live in extreme poverty and are unable to utilize/access the DR medical facilities, schools or assistance programs due to their immigration status. We have partnered with 14 Haitian churches/Schools to implement the Sport Disciple programming into their curriculum.

Kristine Nelson (Kilman)

South Africa

Kristine Nelson (Kilman)

South Africa

Our mission field is in a university town called Potchefstroom South Africa. The general population is university students, Afrikaans families, township communities and very few internationals. South Africa is extremely culturally diverse and acts as almost a ‘melting pot’ of Africa! There are 11 official languages spoken in this nation. The various religious beliefs here are Christianity, African religions, Islam, and Hinduism.

Gerritt Kenyon

Panama

Gerritt Kenyon

Panama

The Kenyons are missionaries to the Youth Culture of Panama and present the gospel to students in the high schools of Panama City. They are launching a Youth Church that will establish a model to other churches in Panama of how to incorporate the emerging generation into their community without requiring them to meet an unstated list of rules and regulations in order to enter the premises or participate in the church community. This church will also provide a place where Panamanian students can retreat to feel safe, valued, and heard…a REFUGE. This REFUGE will house and rehabilitate abused girls within the context of the church.

Dennis Otto

United States

Dennis Otto

United States

Mentoring men that are coming out of addiction (some are still fighting it); men coming out of incarceration; All In Ministries is open to all men

Randy Freeman

South Africa

Randy Freeman

South Africa

Kyle Trewern

Italy

Kyle Trewern

Italy

Genoa is approximately 1/2 million people with less than 2% recognizing Jesus as Savior of their lives. Italy is home to an estimated 105 documented people groups, 23 of which are considered unreached people groups. Genoa is a port city and an International hub. AGWM has never had a missionary in this city and we are excited to be the first.

Jon & Jennifer Dahlager

Costa Rica

Jon & Jennifer Dahlager

Costa Rica

Jon and Jennifer Dahlager serve as missionaries in Costa Rica, Central America. They have served in the country since March 2000.

Joe Martin

Gambia

Joe Martin

Gambia

The territory of The Gambia was annexed from the French and became a British colony in the 1700’s. It served as the main hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It became an independent nation in 1965, becoming the smallest country on the continent of Africa. English is the official language. Poverty is at 48% nationwide. The Gambia is a 96% Islamic country. There are less that 0.01% evangelical believers living there now with no prevoius record of an Assemblies of God presence.

Paige Prestholdt

Honduras

Paige Prestholdt

Honduras

Paige serves at the Jungle Hospital in Rio Viejo Honduras as a nurse bringing health hope and healing to the surrounding mountain villagers.

Daniel Delaforest

United States

Daniel Delaforest

United States

We serve around 15,000 students, the vast majority do not affiliate with Christianity. Students on campus are facing a mental health crisis, data from our campus shows that students diagnosed with Anxiety/Depression has nearly doubled since 2018, affecting nearly 50%. Students are struggling with sexual identity and purpose and nearly 50% of them binge drink. 1 in 5 students will be sexually assaulted on campus. When they meet Jesus, students become vibrant, active influencers. We believe that as the future leaders in every area of our society, they are the most important mission field in the world

Jonathan Lowrance

Japan

Jonathan Lowrance

Japan

Japan has a population of 126 million people with roughly 37 million of those living in the Tokyo area. We have close to 600,000 foreigners living in Tokyo with that number expected to rise dramatically in the next few years based on Japan’s shrinking labor force. Less than 1% of Japan’s population consider themselves an evangelical Christian, with an estimated 95% of the population never having had an adequate presentation of the gospel. It is widely recognized as the 2nd largest unreachable people group in the world. Japan also has one of the highest populations of elderly people in the world and one of the lowest birthrates in the world. Japan’s culture is heavily influenced by Buddhism and Shintoism but with many living out an atheistic or agnostic existence. Our church is located directly across the street from Tokyo University, one of the largest universities in Japan. There are around 28,000 students currently enrolled there.

Jackson.Skyler.S-eurasia

Jackson.Skyler.S-eurasia

If God asks you to serve Him overseas for at least a year, your journey will be a series of small steps of obedience toward that goal. Each journey will be filled with different adventures and challenges, but the goal is the same: to bring glory to Jesus Christ. For some, the journey to the mission field will happen relatively quickly, but it will be more difficult and take longer than imagined for others.

The journey will take twists and turns you cannot anticipate, but regardless of how long it takes or where you end up, God is faithful and His timing is perfect. The Global Project team is ready to assist you along the road of obedience.

If you know God is asking you to serve him overseas some day, registering for the Missionary Action Plan (MAP) is a great first step for you! We have created the MAP as a starting point to explore missions at a deeper level.

This process is designed to help you discern the role God is calling you to play in the Great Commission. Whether that be going, sending or supporting, we all have different roles to play.

If you’re ready to register for The Missionary Action Plan, click here.

If you have questions about the River Valley 500, The MAP or general questions about the journey to the field, please feel free to email us at globalproject@rivervalley.org.

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Quoted from the journal of Jim Elliot, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador