"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
I couldn't wait for 2014 to start...I couldn't wait because I knew that I could start counting down the days...counting down the days until I left for Honduras. Many of you know that for the past few years I have had this yearning in my heart to go on a mission trip. I honestly can't say when exactly it started, but I can say Who started it....God! I heard stories, first from Jenny, and then from Michelle, of the mission trips they went on and I was engrossed to say the least. I began to believe more and more in my heart that God was calling me to do this...why, exactly, I don't know...perhaps to strengthen my faith, or to bring my relationship to Him closer, or to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth, or to glorify His name, or....the list is endless and probably is a bit of all of that! So, I kept that goal, that dream, in the back of my mind...work, family, friends, life in general all started encroaching and that dream got pushed further and further back...still there but more distant...that is until one afternoon in July of last year.
I had decided I needed a little escape....a few days to relax, regroup, and refocus...I had just wrapped up our 6th diabetes camp which was followed immediately by my sister Stacy's wedding so my brain was fried and I was exhausted. Michelle and her family were going on vacation and this presented the perfect escape for me. I have always seen her home as a haven...so peaceful and so relaxing...the views are gorgeous and the pool, fire pit, and beautiful home are like icing on the cake. There was no other place I could think of to have that time with God, then at her house. So I packed a bag and headed an hour south for three days. And it was here, in this place, that I heard God speak very clearly to me.
Now this isn't a frequent occurrence...a lot of the time we need to interpret what God is saying based on some very covert signs...but every once in awhile, He chooses to throw down the neon sign and there is no interpretation needed! I was floating in the pool spending some time in prayer and general conversation with God...and really asking Him the age old question "why?" Why am I still single, why haven't you sent me the person I am supposed to marry, why don't I have the husband and children I so desperately want, why do I need to keep waiting...and, well, you get the picture. Basically I was saying to God "I don't like your timetable...I don't want to be patient...I don't trust You and your plan for me." Wow...its hard to admit that, but I know we all hit those times! Well, He answered me...He didn't necessarily answer my questions, but He answered me. The only thing I heard Him say to me was "go on a mission trip...go!" And immediately I knew what he was saying..."this is what I want you to do for me...and I will take care of the rest."
Ok God...ok...I will do it...I mean when God is that clear with you, I kind of feel like you should listen! It was like he reached down in me...beyond all the "stuff"...work, family, friends, life in general...and He pulled out that dream...brought it front and center, where it should have been all along! Ok, so I am supposed to go on a mission trip...but where, and with who, and when, and how, and and and....well I should know by now that if you are following God's will, He will make all that clear...but still it absolutely shocked me when He did!
I hadn't told anyone about my conversation with God that day in the pool. I was planning to tell Michelle first (since it happened at her house) but I didn't get the chance to before God popped in. I was in Michelle's office the day she returned from her vacation and we were catching up when all of a sudden she said "oh, mark your calendar for next summer, Rob and I are taking the boys on a mission trip and we want you to come too!" Umm...ok...you could have knocked me over with a feather. SERIOUSLY?!? I looked up and just started laughing...really God?!? I then proceeded to tell her what had happened while at her house. We both started laughing, because what else can you do? "That's just how God rolls!" God always has an answer, always has a solution, always has a plan...and if we are just patient enough, He will reveal it to us!
So anyways, that brings me to today where I am anxiously and excitedly counting down the days until we leave for Honduras! Now, I know that there are many people who wish they could go on a mission trip, but for any number of reasons can't, and may want to participate in some other way. There are lots of other ways to help...the primary one being prayer! I am asking any one who is reading this if they would be willing to pray for me, for Michelle, Rob, Aiden, and Jake, for the team we are traveling with, and most importantly for the people we will come in contact with in Honduras...pray that we are able to speak truth, hope, and love to them, to encourage and support them in whatever way they need, and to glorify God in the process. If you feel so led, and are able, to donate in anyway, Medical Missions Outreach has a very easy way to do that on their website. It ensures the security of the transaction and your ability to receive documentation for tax purposes. But please do not see this as me asking for you to fund my trip. I am fully prepared to fund it because this is what God has called me to do. Your decision to donate is something between you and God but if you feel so inclined, I would gladly accept your gift, or you can donate in general to the organization to help them continue doing great work all over the world. If you have any questions, please let me know! My hope is that I will be able to send updates while in Honduras so you can see how much your prayers are impacting my time there!! Thank you for taking the time to read this! Your love and support mean so much to me!!
