My Mission Trip to Jellico, TN 2010

So, this time last week I was finishing up my last day on my mission trip to Jellico, TN. I linked up with an organization called World Servants to go on this trip. It was an awesome experience! It is sometimes difficult to explain how it feels to be on a mission trip. The best way I can describe it is that it's like, when you are on a trip like this, you just know you are in the center of God's Will for your life.

On this trip with me were Christians from various other states. We had people there from West Virginia, Indiana, Virgina, Illinois, and Tennessee. It is always great to see Christians from all over who can come together to serve God side-by-side regardless of their different denominational beliefs. There were a total of about 34 of us there last week serving together. And, the greatest part of it is, out of the 34 of us there; probably about 22 of them were youth. And each of them were so excited about serving God and showing His love to others. This was so inspiring considering the series we have been doing at the Edge has been the "Love Intervention" series.

Let me share a little bit about what we did while we were there. We split off into smaller teams during the week to do several different projects. One of those teams led a Mega Sports Camp for the kids in the community. This Sports Camp helped the kids work on their skills in Soccer, Softball, and Cheerleading while also teaching them more about Jesus. I believe there were over 30 kids at the camp each day all week and they had a blast!

In addition to the Mega Sports Camp, we had several construction projects going on. One team totaly remodeled one family's bathroom that was in bad need of repair. Another team replaced the floor in one family's house because it was falling in.

Now, you might be wondering, so what did u do? Well, I was blessed to be teamed up with a great group of people from the Salvage Yard Church in Indianapolis. Our team completed two different projects: 1. We replaced the insulation in the basement of an elderly couples home. and, 2. We replaced the roof on a home for a single mother and her 10 year old daughter.

Honestly, there were times where I felt like I wasnt doing a lot. I was picking up insulation, holding ladders, carrying shingles, and occasionally swinging a hammer; but it just didnt feel like I was doing enough. It just seemed like everyone else on the team was hammering and stapleing more than I was.

But, the highlight of my week came Friday night. During the worship and sharing time on Friday, the World Servants leader asked this question, "How have you seen God this week?" People started sharing left and right about how they had seen God in the kids they were ministering to and in the families they were serving. I shared how I had seen God in the way those youth were serving God during the week. It was so inspiring. Then, near the end of sharing time; two members of the Salvage Yard group said they had seen God through me during the week. That was God telling me then that He was proud of me. I knew in that moment that God was using me during the week. Even when I doubt myself, God still can use me. That is an AWESOME feeling!

Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:11, "The greatest among you must be a servant." This has been my favorite verse for some time now; but, after being a part of this trip, I love this verse even more. I challenge myself and each and everyone else who reads this to be that servant for God that He wants you to be everyday. You don't have to be on a mission trip to be God's servant. Just let your love open the door to someone's heart so that God can speak to them. It's that easy!

"...but they don't truly honor me." Hosea 11:7b

OK, so.....being a new mom, I have learned to look at life from a different perspective that i didn't understand before. I work with Ava everyday to teach her the skills she will need for life. I hold her hands and try and "walk" with her. (as much as you can with a 6 month old) I enunciate my words over and over to try and teach her how to talk. (by the way, she is amazing at Dada and mama) We get in the floor and roll around and reach for toys and explore the world together. There is nothing better in life than this! When I look into the future, I think about what kind of person I want her to be. I think to myself, "she will never hate me, we will always be best friends, and she won't have a rebellious bone in her body." But I know that all that is not true. Our relationship will falter and she will think I am the most non-understanding person on the face of this planet. To be honest, that scares me to death. When I think about that fear, it makes me want to cry. What if she hates me forever? What if I can't convince her that I understand? What if she turns from me and never finds the love of Jesus? I was reading in my bible today in Hosea 11. If you get a chance, check it out.

God describes his relationship with Israel the same way my relationship is with Ava. Verse 3 says "I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn't know or even care that it was I who took care of him." God helps us through this life and He knows best. I constantly depend on "my own understanding" to get me through. How come? when I know that God knows best? Verse 7 really hit me...."For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don't truly honor me." Determined.....wow. Looking back, my actions show that I am determined to not trust God. Determined to get through these problems on my own. I call God the Most High, but do I truly honor God? Do my actions honor God? something to think about.......