Jetlagged, weary-eyed, utterly exhausted, yet fulfilled. This past week I, along with several others returned from a two-week mission trip to Thailand. Two weeks filled with culture, new found friendships, sleepless nights, fatigue, joy, and much more. Although the exotic foods may have unsettled our stomachs or we had strained emotions due to lack of sleep, I cannot wait to return. I have found that when it comes to mission trips there are a few things to take into consideration. Things never go as planned – no matter how much you painstakingly plan the agenda. It will change and that is okay, more than okay usually. Intend to serve, be prepared to be humbled – no matter how you plan to serve others, God shows up and meets you in the faces of those you serve. Allow your heart to break – broken hearts are God’s pottery. He breaks you, only to mold you into His very own remade masterpiece. Open yourself up to be vulnerable – every trip had revealed part of my own story. When we allow ourselves to be prayerfully vulnerable, God will show us our story and true mission. Mission trips are not for everyone – even those that go ‘on a mission’ are not always ready. They focus more on themselves than those they are there to help. Some missionaries are better off taking a vacation. Allow God’s love to shine – You may be a bitter pill at home. Yet travel to a place where no one knows you. […]

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One of the most famous parables of Jesus’ teaching is that of the Good Samaritan. After the tragedies that have surrounded the world recently. I think it is timely that it be the reading at church this past Sunday. It is a stark reminder of how we should be treating one another. We have been quick to pass judgment as our newsfeed fills with one senseless event after another. Are we any better now than the priest of Levite in that story? Are we kind to our neighbors, our brothers, and sisters? On the streets between Jerusalem and Jericho, a man robbed, beaten left to die. To die alone as passerby’s ignored his pleas for help. How are we much different as we pass judgment and move to the other side of the street, to avoid each other rather than love one another? Are we led by our faith to where we help those in need? Click To Tweet Homeless, prostitutes, and more, we step to the other side of the road rather than encounter them. The color of someone’s skin makes us angry, or the badge they wear. Refugees from all over the world have become a political hot potato no one wants to touch. Are we not all God’s children? In the parable, it states that we should love our neighbor. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ~ Luke […]

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A little over a week ago I was asked about how I handle re-entry after a mission trip. I just returned from my latest mission, and I think I have an answer. Re-entry is hard; I am not going to lie. I think almost anyone that has gone to serve in another country and allowed their hearts to be broken would agree. It is not hard because of what you left behind in the country you helped, so much as what you are reintroduced to at home. For me, it is the self-absorbed, technology driven, ‘all-about-me’ mentality that hurts upon re-entry. We are called to serve to help others as well as ourselves. Click To Tweet When you spend time loving on people that simply want to be loved. People that accept you for who you are. Who welcome you with open arms like family. It is leaving them and coming back to the ‘real world’ that is hard. I think God chooses people to go on mission trips for varied reasons. Everyone is different on the way they are impacted. If you allow the scales to fall from your eyes to see what God has in store for you. It is when you allow Him to soften your heart that you too will be forever changed and find re-entry just as hard. Here are some ways I have found that help me cope with re-entry. Understanding that they don’t understand – As soon as you get home, you will get bombarded with questions from […]

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