So I leave for Guatemala this Thursday. I am excited. I am anxious. I am also a little fearful. God usually does something BIG on trips like this.
Last time I was on mission with God internationally was in the Amazon jungles of Peru. It was the most perspective shattering trip of my life. There God taught me to trust in Him and His sovereignty more than my purposes and dreams, He solidified the love in my heart for my wife (then only a friend) DeShay, he called me to leave my dying father and wonderful mom to serve Him in Houston, TX, and ultimately in hindsight He gave me a picture of my future ministry of teaching His love to the nations through music.
That is a lot of teaching for a 10 day trip.
In front of me is a similar trip to Guatemala with a team of people from my church and my wife. I am excited because I know that we are going to join the work God is already doing with the people in Guatemala. I am anxious because this will be my first mission trip as a married man, and DeShay has never been out of the country. I am so proud and can't wait to see what God wants to show both of us.
Finally, I am fearful because I know that God demands a huge shift of focus for me each and every time I step outside of the country in this capacity. I don't know where He is going to begin remolding my world, but I trust Him to do it.
I think we should all be a bit fearful when hearing from God. He isn't just a best friend and buddy that I can text and ask for an "update." He is the sovereign creator of the universe. His very being IS love, holiness, and majesty.
...with that said...
...my blogs are far too heavy. Maybe next time I will just discuss vacation destinations or the changing climate...
My mom was a missionary kid on the Amazon river. I visited there in '99. Brazil, not Peru, but equally beautiful I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI envy your international traveling. Have a good trip!
Thank you! I have been overly blessed with the traveling. I think seeing the world changes your perspective of everything. For chest beating Americans it makes them realize that there is greatness and happiness is other lands. For artsy people it shows them that the world is more beautiful than even their words could describe. For shallow, self absorbed people it allows them a chance to see that there is a world that exist beyond themselves.
ReplyDeleteWasn't the Amazon wild and beautiful?
How come chest-beating Americans come back and say stuff like "American really IS the greatest country in the world" then? Haha. That statement always annoys me.
ReplyDeleteYes, I loved the Amazon. Wild, but an organized wildness. Tangled trees never encroaching the flat of the water.