Monday, April 29, 2013

Mission Trip-Part 1

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4
This verse became the theme of a wonderful, life changing event that the Lord allowed me to experience.  This month I went on my very first mission trip; notice I said “first”, because after what I experienced, I would absolutely love to go on another one.  
I call the verse above my “theme verse” because for a very long time now I have had a desire to go on a mission trip to another part of the world.  The verse in Acts 1:8 says that we are to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth; the Lord has allowed me to be a witness for Him state-side, so I was willing and very eager to be His witness in the “ends of the earth”!  
On April 11, I had the blessed opportunity to travel to Jamaica, and not just me, for I was a member of a wonderful team of 22, eager and excited about what the Lord was going to do while we were there. As many of you know who have been on mission trips before, sometimes the living quarters are much different than what you are accustomed to, but it’s amazing that you really don’t seem to mind that, if you have prepared yourself beforehand.   We were encouraged to “turn off our switches”.  What does that mean you may ask?   Basically, you have the mindset that you are not in the states anymore, not in the comfort of your own home anymore, so you mentally and physically adjust to the present situation and accept it as part of the journey.   There was not anything that I encountered that would hinder me from doing it all over again!
Ladies, I must say that I truly fell in love with the people; so gracious, so kind, so hospitable, and such servants!  The Lord gave me a heart for the people of Jamaica, and reminded me that when we all get to heaven, there will be saints there from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation”.   Revelation 5:9     In their worship services, the people really have a heart and mind to praise and exalt the Lord in song, and everyone is encouraged to participate.   I loved it, for in heaven we will all stand around the throne, glorifying and worshiping our God and our Savior!
I am so excited about sharing more details of my journey with you, so later this week I will share specifically about some of the ministry opportunities that we had.   Until then……………………….

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