BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
Gabrielle Vanderhoff is attempting to make God real to others by taking the message of salvation around the world.
The 19-year-old Geistown resident, daughter of Karen and the Rev. Jeff Vanderhoff, pastor of Bethany United Methodist Church, 112 Leventry Road, Johnstown, recently returned from a mission trip to South America with Youth With a Mission and plans to continue serving with YWAM Pittsburgh as a staff member.
Youth With a Mission is an interdenominational, international, nonprofit, Christian missionary organization.
“After I graduated from high school last year, I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” said Vanderhoff, who has gone on shorter, stateside mission trips with YWAM.
“I’ll be with YWAM for at least two years, but not the rest of my life. But I will share the gospel my whole life.”
For this latest leg of her journey, Vanderhoff went to a disciple training school run by YWAM in Belle Vernon, Fayette County, for three months before traveling to South America for two months.
She made the trip, which lasted from September through January, with Celeste Landis of Lancaster, whom she met at the training school.
Their group of 11 students and three staff members flew into Colombia, where they spent two to three weeks, then went on to Lima, Peru.
“We did dances and drama to attract a crowd,” Vanderhoff said.
“Every day we would pack up our stuff and perform. Then we used the wordless book to share the gospel.”
Vanderhoff explained that the wordless book is a witnessing tool to describe biblical events.
She and her teammates had the moving experience of seeing a man who had wanted to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, at one of their dramas as he gave his life to Christ.
“We witnessed to him, and it gave new meaning to his life,” Vanderhoff said.
“We saw miracles. We saw over 3,400 saved. It’s incredible to see what God is doing.”
Even though Vanderhoff learned Spanish, there was a translator present when she was witnessing.
“The people were very open,” she said. “We all love Peru and the people.”
The group was supposed to go to Brazil, but couldn’t enter the country because of visa problems.
“We saw in the newspaper in Peru that there was massive flooding in Rio de Janiero when we would have been there,” Vanderhoff said. “God protected us and gave us different opportunities.”
After returning to the states, Vanderhoff spent two more weeks doing outreach in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, and Pittsburgh.
Vanderhoff found out about YWAM through her mother, who has gone on several mission trips to Cambodia.
Vanderhoff’s first mission trip was to Detroit in 2007 with YWAM’s Joshua Generation, a two-week encounter for high school students.
The following year, she made her first trip outside of the United States when she went to the Philippines.
Vanderhoff said she was against the idea of going on a mission trip when her mother first suggested it to her.
“I went to Detroit kicking and screaming, but my whole life changed,” Vanderhoff said. “God is more than church. He’s a real person who has a plan for your life. I thought evangelism was for other people, but not me. I didn’t know what God had for me. I want to do more mission trips.”
