Today, I felt like touching on “The When” of this mission trip. I want to be able to tell you that I always wanted to go on a mission. I’d like to be able to say that everyone has always told me I was meant to spread the Gospel. Truth is I didn’t see myself doing anything like that. As I came into my own, I wanted the parties, a girl and the apartment full of things that said “I am not my parents!” I wanted to prove I could be successful on my own. But like most stories, mine was on a slippery slop that came to a rough landing on the bottom. While trying to get myself together, I picked things up along the way. After years of being away from church and not praying, I found myself alone. I felt like I pushed everyone and everything so far away that I didn’t know how to get back to feeling emotions.
So around Christmas, I had my first prayer in a long time. I repented for my lifestyle and asked God to bring me to him. Little did I know He was just waiting, I suppose, for me to ask. Around January I started planning a pilgrimage that would start in England to France, Spain, all over Italy, Greece, Egypt, and final Jerusalem. I told myself if I couldn’t “find” God in the holy city I was lost beyond rescue. As I prepared, I started to see brokenness in others that I went through. I told them what I knew and thought they needed to hear. I told them about God love. I told them about God’s Grace. I told them that even in the darkest times God’s plan will prevail. In one of those talks I realized that everything I was saying to them I needed to hear myself.
I told a friend I would accompany him to church. The evening of March 18, 2015 during worship I was started crying. I saw how when I tried to wreck my life, God never really left me. I choose to leave him. As soon as I asked for forgiveness I felt like I woke up. I saw how everything in my life had been building up to where I was at that very moment. After a discussion about the origins of my last name (salt & giver) I found a documentary about a famous photography named Sabastian Salgado. I was blown away his photographs and being an amateur photographer I admired his work. One day I started thinking about how it would be nice to help someone like I felt I’d been helped by God when I felt helpless and hopeless. I thought of a friend who went on a mission trip. It was as if a curtain was opened before my eyes. I saw how every event, every memory, everything about me was perfectly designed to send me anywhere to serve and love where He sends me.
My answer to the question, “when did I decide to go on this mission trip?” I never really had a choice. My whole life has been a preparation to sacrifice everything for the one who died for our salvation. It’s not a choice to accept Grace, it’s done. It’s not a choice to follow Christ; he’s never left your side. The only choice you have is to accept that you could be Loved by a great and awesome God without merit. Accept that you can be Loved and Love will be a peace that nothing in life could very bring. I never claim to know everything, nor am I perfect. I just claim to be loved and promised something more than the ordinary.
Thank you for reading a little more about my story. If you missed any blogs before this one feel free to catch up. If you have any question or comments text or call me please. Thanks again and God bless
Eric
678-859-2667
