682...splashes in the face
280...liters of fuel
160...miles of open water
52...hours spend visoneering
27...feet of canoe carrying us
16...islands visited
7...sites identified to serve
2...waves over the bow
The ONE reason we go JESUS
When I was in high school I was caught cheating on a paper and lovingly informed I could fail the class, get kicked off the soccer team and be expelled from school…or I could remember this moment and never make such a poor choice again. A few years later, a doctor who had no reason to go out of his way for me, set up a rotating medical internship to introduce me to medicine. Those three months I smelled, felt and then heard the Lord call me to medicine.
I could give countless more examples; some would be pictures of Grace when I wasn’t caught doing something stupid and others when I was protected in the midst of danger I could not see. My point is simple. Throughout my life, the Lord has used others in positions of power or authority to do things for me that I could never have done for myself. His love poured out in a million different seen and unseen ways has guided me and led our family to this very place.
The vision trip was amazing. Bouncing our way back in from the islands I realized that this ministry is going to be very hard. I think the adventure aspect of me loves doing crazy things and figuring how to serve well in hard places. However, seeing the brokenness and vulnerability of the women and children, and the gaping lack of leadership, not to mention the physical realities of living on distant islands in a 3rd world country, my eyes were opened to the pain we are embracing as we step into this ministry.
Praying and processing through all this, I was embarrassingly humbled as the Lord quickly reminded me this is exactly the choice He made. Embracing hard things to do for others what they could not do for themselves. That might sound a little condescending but I hope by now you know my heart. I (we) are no different than these lost and hurting people, I was just born in a different place, given privileges they will never know and received His Grace through others who showed and shared the same message we will bring. However, there is one HUGE difference. Our ministry doesn’t begin to deserve mention when compared to the pain He embraced to open our hearts and change our eternity.
On some islands things were painfully hard but still hopeful, on others you simply wanted to cry or scream as you witnessed the realities, especially for the women and children.
It was a great trip…my heart was torn in two.
We are all in.