We were asked to write a blog about how we felt before leaving on this mission trip. Here is what I’m expecting…
I think my expectations are two fold. I think there are the expectations that are very human, very real and very close to my heart and then there are the expectations that I think are just as real, just as close to my heart but also closer to God’s heart. My initial reaction to my expectations are those I think that any normal person might feel. I expect to be scared to death at times. I expect to be so far out of my comfort zone that it is but a dot in my field of vision. I expect to be homesick for my family and friends. I expect to be lonely at times despite the fact that I will be surrounded by amazing people. I expect at times to question why in the world I signed up for such a challenge. I expect to miss my job and the people and students that I worked with. I expect at times that I will wonder why God chose me for such an amazing opportunity. These are the feelings that flow from my heart.
Although I know the expectations I’ve already listed are going to be present there are other expectations that I’m more excited about. I feel there are some other expectations that I have that fit more closely to God’s heart. I expect to be challenged in ways I have never been before. I expect to return home a different person than when I left. I expect to experience God in more real and personal ways than I ever imagined. I expect for Scripture to become more real and life sustaining than ever before; and for Scripture to be more personal than ever before. I expect to feel peace in the midst of situations that I should feel scared. I expect my heart, mind and soul to take in images, sounds, smells and thoughts that I will stay with me for the rest of my life. I expect to make friends that I will know and cherish the rest of my life. I expect to be more vulnerable than ever before. I expect to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word as I am able to see past the boundaries of my home town. I expect to encounter things that I can not even begin to imagine or put into words at this moment. I expect to see aspects of God that I never knew existed but always have and always will. I expect to see how universal God is and how every human being is equally important.
As a teacher I learned a long time ago a prayer that only seemed to make sense for my profession. This prayer will now mean even more and be more real than ever before…. Lord prepare me for the unexpected…for those are the things that will truly chane our lives.
