The Gospel Made Sense for the First Time

Most of the people who go on Filter of Hope mission trips are growing Christians, but there are some participants that are still trying to figure it all out. 

Occasionally some aren’t Christians at all. They want to help give clean water to needy families for the next 10 years, but they’re unsure about their own relationship with Jesus, much less trying to tell others about Him.

But some mission team members have been led to faith in Jesus on Filter of Hope mission trips—by their own words.

Jackson Mudd was a junior supply chain major at the University of Auburn when he first heard about Filter of Hope. He was attending a campus Christian group for the first time and he learned about a mission trip they were taking to the Dominican Republic. 

A local boy enjoys Jackson’s friendship.

Jackson had been on a mission trip before, but Jackson’s spiritual life to this point had been up and down and confusing. “I grew up going to church and had a foundational view of God. I had even led retreats and worked at a Christian camp. But I never read the Bible during those times. I believed in God, but I never considered how Christ really figured into my life.”

When he came to Auburn, Jackson developed some friendships that led him in a different direction. “It was really about drinking and getting high. I became completely agnostic. I didn’t see any of these things as a problem. I thought I could buckle down later, but right now I could just have fun.

Then he took a mission trip to Nicaragua to help children. “I started thinking about the way things were going. I realized I wasn’t going anywhere. It woke me up to know that I was missing something.”

Jackson decided to try to get on track and go back to church, but within a few weeks he was back in the same place. “For a whole year, I straddled that line between my old life and living for God.”

Still wavering back between God and another life, Jackson’s interest was piqued by the Filter of Hope trip. He thought about his previous mission trip and wanted to capture excitement again. So he signed up.

This would prove to be no ordinary trip for Jackson. “On the very first day, I felt something different. The fire that I felt on my first mission trip was there again. I also started thinking about these deeper questions that I hadn’t looked at before.”

Auburn students spent the week sharing filters and the gospel in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Reid Patterson, a Filter of Hope staff member, remembers how Jackson was different. “He stuck out because he was so open. He had many questions he was asking me and other leaders at meals and other times we were hanging out at night. He talked about some of his doubts and wanted to be stronger in his faith.”

That week, the mission team went house to house installing filters and talking about how Jesus is like a filter who can make our sinful lives clean. Jackson was hooked. “I loved the connection of the story of Christ with the filter. I started believing it more and more.”

Finally, this story took over Jackson’s own life in the middle of the week. “When it was my turn to share the gospel with a family, I felt that there was something going on in that home. It woke something up in my heart and the gospel made sense to me for the first time as I shared it with someone. That’s the point where I truly believed and received Christ.”

“I had heard it all my life, but for some reason I had never considered whether I believed in Christ. I think what hit me was his death, that he died for all our sins, and that we can never repay Him. We can never make ourselves good enough for God.”

That evening, while the Filter of Hope mission team from Auburn was praying and worshiping on the beach, Jackson’s faith was becoming very real. “I was weeping on my knees and I turned to a friend and said, ‘I think I’m a Christian.’” 

Jackson Mudd and Reid Patterson

He continued his discussions with Reid. “He would want to talk to me after every day and talk about his experiences. He started seeing why it was necessary to share the gospel and he became very excited as he started seeing how it all fit together.”

Since returning from the mission trip, Jackson has continued to grow in his faith and others have noticed. “My family thought I was on a mission trip high, but the passion I have for Christ has brought them to have more trust in the Lord. They’ve continued to see me stay with God and not just have the fire die out.”

Reid and Jackson have continued their friendship. “Reid helped me navigate some of the questions I had. When we got back we would talk multiple times a week and we would talk about some of the revelations I had.”

Jackson was later baptized back home.

But it’s not a one way street. Jackson’s faith and growth encourages Reid. “Over the last year, his desire hasn’t faded any. I haven’t seen his excitement change at all and he’s always on track. He’s one of the most encouraging people to talk to.”

Jackson continues to make Christ the center of everything he does. “God gave me a purpose to love others and spread the gospel. The dots are connected.”