Carter and I LOVE mission trips…and many of you have been waiting to hear more about our Guatemala mission trip. Here is the first of many more blog entries to come about this opportunity we had full of blessings. It wouldn’t be much of a mission if we kept it all to ourselves, would it? Many of you have heard little bits here and there, have seen some pictures, or will read more with days to come in our blog.
We get super excited about going and sharing the Lord with others through our words and actions. Is this easy for us? Yes and No! It depends on what we are referring to honestly. Weeks and months leading up to trips, I pray, pray, pray for the faith and trust to lean on where the Lord has called us and to prepare us…and to take away all anxiety that fills me. If I am not careful, anxiety of the unknown and cultural differences (and we can fill in the blank with other things) would prevent me from sharing as well as experiencing what God wanted me to. I think many of you have caught on by now that Carter and I make no decisions without prayer being involved.
On our first day of work in Guatemala, I couldn't help but smile as Carter asked our mission team, "Why are you here?" and "Where do you see God?" We used to ask this every day when we were constantly traveling with youth on mission trips. Here's how it always worked with the youth...he'd ask those questions, and it would get super quiet. Total silence. However, as the days continued, our youth began eager to share where they saw God that day. Guess what…this was the same with our Guatemala teammates.
Carter and I are constantly asking ourselves these questions, not just on mission trips, but also in our daily lives, as individuals and as a couple. We want nothing more than to make sure we are aligned with God's will and His plan for us as well as Glades.
So…why did we go to Guatemala? We noticed pretty quickly through our prayers and God's answers that Glades was doing wonderfully in supporting local missions but not internationally. So we continued to pray about where our support should go outside of FL. Next thing we know, our friendship with the Coopers kept strengthening and the door was wide open for us to join Chad and the rest of the G13 team from Michigan (where Chad, Janet, and Wyatt just moved from) on this journey.
We continued to pray about that opportunity and as you know, God led us to go and we obeyed. Boy were we blessed beyond measures from this obedience. (Aren't we always blessed when we follow through with what God is calling us to do?) More about this in upcoming blog posts.
And where did we see God at work while we were there? Ya’ll, we would be here all day. The quickest response is “Where did we not see God?” I have page upon page of notes for possible upcoming blog entries on what all God was teaching us and others on this trip.
This is only a kick off of some of our Guatemala stories of where we saw God throughout this adventure, but as I wrap up this entry, I have 2 questions for you: Why are you here? ("Here" could mean a variety of things...your job, at Glades, in FL, in SC, in GA, etc.) And “Where do you or have you seen God at work today?” I pray that these answers are not because of temporary selfish happiness, but because we want to obey God, be filled with His Spirit and joy, and strive to glorify Him in all we do.
