Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Reluctant Missionary, Part 2

     Here is an excerpt from my testimony following my first mission trip with Calvary Baptist Church, written summer of 2009:


     "After Anna Claire's mission experience in Mexico last year, I had decided that I wanted to go with her this year.  I was so excited about working with the children in Piedras Negras and getting to finally use my Spanish minor I had earned at Berry many years ago.  I went and bought tapes to refresh my memory and eagerly started practicing my Spanish.  I had planned to teach dance there and share whatever gifts I had as a teacher.  There is an old Jewish saying that goes something like this:  "When Man plans, God laughs."  Little did I know what the Lord had in store for me right here in America.
     Honestly, Anna Claire and I were both rather ambivalent about going to New Orleans.  She was disappointed that none of her very close friends were going and I felt like I didn't know any one very well.  We talked about it and prayed about it, and somehow we both felt led to go despite the Mexico trip not working out.  The outcome of this, my first mission trip, exceeded every expectation I ever held.  It turned out to be one of the most wonderful experiences in my life.
     Although I didn't get to share my gifts as a teacher, I found out that I could do quite a number of other things that I never thought of as something to share.  For example, I found I could direct a rag-tag cleaning crew of 5 and somehow through the sheetrock dust and the garbage and piles of lumber manage to laugh my head off at their antics.  I've never been hotter or filthier in my life, but I have also probably laughed more in one week than in the last 10 years.  I learned that the young people of Calvary Baptist Church have a heart for God and I am so proud to have served alongside of them.
     Serving as a volunteer in the food pantry was another unexpected blessing for me.  During the first two days, we primarily focused on the building of the church there in Chalmette, but volunteering in the food pantry allowed me to put real faces to the stories we've been hearing the last  four years since Katrina--people who would love to have jobs and homes and the security of knowing where their next meal was coming from.  On Thursday morning, Jim and I met a man outside our bunkhouse.  It was 7:20 a.m. and he was waiting by our kitchen door when we walked outside.  His name was Guy.  He was toothless, blind in one eye, and disabled from a heart condition.  He had gotten up very early and walked a mile and a half with his cart to wait for the food pantry to open at 10.  Once upon a time, he had a good job and a brand new trailer purchased just before Katrina hit.  His wife was a diabetic and crippled  and they were living off his disability check.  The food pantry was a life line for them. He gratefully accepted our offer of hot coffee and fruit and told us his story.  There was just such an attitude of resignation to his demeanor as he waited the two and a half hours to be first in line to receive his food and walk the mile and a half back to his little rented house.  It was humbling to say the least.  It made us all realize that there are plenty of opportunities for missions right here in our own country.
     God has blessed me with a renewed spirit for caring and giving to others which I learned from my team members.  The NOLA mission team is an awesome team.  I miss my bunkmates and the sharing of meals with everyone and even driving in circles all over the city, despite Tom-Tom's best intentions.  The leadership was amazing.  Thank you all so much for the opportunity to have shared this adventure with you.  I can't wait to see where we go next!"

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