I remember being on the beach when I was a child and staring at the sea.
I wondered what was beyond the horizon…you can’t see it but still I would wait on the seashore and stare…
At the start of this trip, the who I would meet and the end of the trip was distant. At present the end of the trip is near in month 11.
Now I find myself staring into the horizon wondering what’s next.
The hardest part of any mission trip for me has been going home. The once familiar culture is now foreign.
I wonder what it will be like not to have to speak Spanish every place you go. To not have to ride a bus that is over packed or having random vendors board the bus trying to sell you stuff. To be able to flush the toilet paper and be in a place where the power and water don’t turn off.
On the race you learn what you can live without and meet people that live on less yet still welcome you as if they have everything. In the Latin culture they generally have been welcoming even if they didn’t agree with you they take the time to listen.
How can you put into words 11 months of experiences, the simple questions of how was your trip or what’s next, are not always easy to answer.
Someone once said a picture is worth one thousand words, if that’s the case videos are worth an order of magnitude more…
So I have committed to being able to point to one recap video per country to reflect on and give you a glimpse into my journey.
As for the what’s next, I will come home to thanksgiving/ family get togethers and would like to volunteer helping a church or charities for December. I plan to keep my promise to serve God full time for a year. (January 6th will be one year)
Afterward Lord willing I’ll get a Job.
I look forward to the next season of life (because I will be in a place God can use me)
I believe God has humbled me on the trip I really can’t boast about anything…I didn’t have any title on the trip, I didn’t travel around the world, or see exotic animals.
Proverbs 3:34 says “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”
Interestingly enough we find “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
It’s not about titles or our talents but rather about our dependence on God for everything. He uses unlikely people to do great things and the only explanation they can give is that God did this great thing not me…and God receives the glory. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
