Thursday, July 21, 2011

Rich and poor have this in common: the LORD is the MAKER of them ALL. Proverbs 22:2


On Sunday, I am boarding a plane that is headed to Dallas, Texas only to board another plane headed to the Stann Creek District of Belize.
(I am probably suppose to give credit for posting this map of Belize but I don't know how so here is how I found it. I went to google, typed Belize map in the search bar and it appeared. I hope that's enough credit....)

I will be helping with a VBS for some of the village children of Belize. I have so many thoughts and emotions running through me right now. I feel excitement yet at times I am paralyzed with fear. Excitement because I have wanted to go on another mission trip since I came home from one in Juarez, Mexico, 8-years-ago. Fear because 1) I HATE flying and 2) I don't want anything to ruin this trip (i.e. my attitude). If nothing else comes from this experience I pray that the love and patience Jesus shows us everyday is shown through me, and the other 60+ in our group, to the Belizean people. I don't want my own selfish motives or spoiled American views to get in the way. I want to show these people they are just as important (if not more) to our Heavenly Father than some girl that never wonders where her next meal will come from or which of the 100 outfits in my closet I am going to wear today. I want them to know the Almighty Lord loves them more than comprehensible.
To be 100% honest I have some very selfish reasons for going on this trip as well. I want to come home with a renewed appreciation for my life, my family and my relationship with the Lord. I want to realize the things I stress about on a daily basis are taking the precious joys of life away. I want to be encouraged that I can make a difference in the Lord's kingdom just by loving others. On a lighter note, I am looking forward to a week without my phone or computer!

How it all came to be:
My friend, Carrie Webb, first found out about International Servants from a friend of hers that traveled with them before. She asked if I would like to join her on her first mission trip and it didn't take long for me to make a decision. My biggest concern was the expenses that went along with a trip like this. Of course, no amount of money will keep Gods message of salvation a secret. I sent out many fundraising letters with only 3-4 return donations, leaving a wide gap between what I had and what I needed to go on such a trip. I quickly realized I was going to have to put a little more effort into this. Luckily, I have a wonderful group of supportive friends and family. We rallied together and decided a garage sale would be our next plan. I received many wonderful items for our sale, very little of it junk. I think I had set a goal of about $500 over the three day sale. When the first day of our sale came to an end we were just shy of that goal by $100! By the end of Saturday, the last day, we had raised almost $1400!!! I still cannot believe that I was dumb enough to put a limit on what God does and will do for His message to be heard.
I will say that the garage sale wasn't that much more of an effort on my part. I had a great group of woman (and my husband) right beside me the whole time. I am so grateful to my mom, Aunt Ann, Aunt Sara, Ruth Ann, Mary Ann, Rebekah and our Claire Bear for being so helpful and willing to to do anything to get me to Belize. Thank you so much for all of your time, money and love.

I don't want the week to go by too fast, but I look forward to sharing stories and photos from my trip to Belize. I also want to thank everyone that has donated to this trip and please continue to pray for our group and the hearts of the Belize people.

If you want more information on the mission I am traveling with, it is International Servants.

2 comments:

Brittany said...

Love the new header. Please design a blog for me and i will start blogging. The design should include lots of grey, some eggplant, a touch of yellow and quatrefoil, ; ).

Unknown said...

On it!
I am excited to read your thoughts!