I have done a few practice rounds now, but I'm still not very familiar with this, so again, bear with me as I figure out what "blogging" is!
For those who haven't heard, or are reading this blog scratching your head, I will fill you in. A couple weeks ago I was accepted to go on a missions trip to Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, I will be working in an orphanage, possibly a medical clinic, to help meet the needs while I'm there. In order for you to understand what this trip means to me, I need to back up to a year ago and explain from there. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the read:
In March of 2010, I was meeting with a girl I was mentoring. I can't even remember what we were talking about, but I mentioned to this girl I would never in a million years go on a missions trip, not even a short term one. My mindset was, "why leave the country when the guy in the car next to me at a stop light doesn't know Jesus?". That is definately a good mindset to be in, BUT I was more using it as an excuse to be irresponsible and disobedient. Not long after I swore off of mission trips, I was bored and procrastinating homework, and randomly decided to look up short term mission trips online. The one to Costa Rica came up and I was very interested in it, oddly enough. I was so interested I filled out one of those "i'm interested" things they have on websites so the director could contact me. He did contact me, and sent me the application.
I won't go into too much detail, but long story short, I never ended up filling out that application. I could take the cop-out and say God wasn't calling me, but I'll just be honest and say He was calling, I just wasn't willing to respond and react. I was putting MY wants and MY needs ahead of His perfect plan for me, and trust me when I say our relationship paid the price.
In November of 2010, I was on a trip in Seattle/Vancouver with a lot of college students from my church SHEC (South Hills Evangelical Church). After talking to a good friend, Josh Sanders, God revealved through Josh that I was letting fear direct my paths. I was letting selfishness direct my paths. Josh, who had been to Africa and several other mission trips, said something that stuck with me. I asked him what he thought would happen if he died in Africa, or anywhere else he'd gone. His response, "If God wanted me to die in Africa, then I was going to die in Africa. There was no way around it.".
Josh made a very good point that sometimes gets missed. God is SOVEREIGN over EVERYTHING! We see this theme constantly through out scripture. We see it in 1 Samuel 2: 6-7 (The Lord kills and brings to life;he brings down to Sheol and raises up.7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;he brings low and he exalts.). We see it again in Psalm 139:16 (Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them). We see it a lot in the Bible. Pretty much, there is no reason for me to fear Costa Rica. 1 John 4:18 states "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."
Since I have been made perfect in God's unending love, He has cast out my fears and on June 26th, 2011 I embark on my first ever mission trip overseas to San Jose, Costa Rica! I am so excited for what God is doing with this, and can't wait to share with everyone, even if they get sick of hearing about it ;). Do I still have fears and unanswered questions? Of course! But do I know and trust my perfect Savior, and know that He knows the answers? Absolutely!
Support letters will hopefully be going out soon, and one or two more fundraisers are in the works currently! Thanks for taking the time to read this, pray for me, and support God's mission, and me :).
In His Service,
Jess :)
1 Samuel 2: 6-7 (The Lord kills and brings to life;he brings down to Sheol and raises up.7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;he brings low and he exalts.). We see it again in Psalm 139:16 (Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them). We see it a lot in the Bible. Pretty much, there is no reason for me to fear Costa Rica. 1 John 4:18 states "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."
ReplyDeleteAWEsomeNESS! It's good that God is a good sovereign.
TREASURE SEEKING PROMISES
ReplyDelete“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [5] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. [6]
ANXIETY-KILLING PROMISES
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [7] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.