Another New Home Owner

We had another Habitat family become a home owner today. We closed this afternoon on TriState Habitat for Humanity's 200th home. It was really exciting for me to witness this one. It's been a long process for this family who have been living in some pretty awful conditions. It was so cool to get to see the new home owner sign her closing documents and get the keys to her new safe, decent, affordable home.
While I get a paycheck for my work with TriState Habitat for Humanity, days like today are my real pay days. It fills me with such joy to know all of the time, energy, volunteer hours, and donations have been building up to this one moment. It was truly a time to celebrate and thank God for what God has accomplished in this family's life through the ministry of Habitat.
I continue to be honored and humbled by this work and ministry to which God has called me.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

TGIF

Thank you God for Friday. Thank you for the end of a work week. Thank you for the privilege of having a job when so many people in America are unemployed. Thank you for having a job that brings me joy and that brings honor to your name. Thank you for work that makes a difference in people's lives.
I know that there are some days, even some days this past week, when I felt like I was just spinning my wheels. I wondered if I was really making a difference. It feels like there is so much more need out there than I or Habitat are able to address. There are so many people in TriState Habitat for Humanity's service area who will sleep tonight in some deplorable conditions. It honestly overwhelms me at times God.
Remind me that I am not Superman and my job is not to rescue everyone. You already sent a Savior to the world. My job is to trust in Him and in your unending grace. My job is to use the gifts that you have given me to serve families living in poverty in the best way that I can.
Thank you also God for a week that marked a milestone in my parents' marriage. It's hard to believe that they have been married for 47 years. When half of all marriages end in divorce, their love and relationship has endured. I'm grateful for the example of the love that my parents have displayed and lived out in their lives.
God, help me to find rest and renewal this weekend. I feel like I need to recharge my batteries. I want enjoy Sabbath time and also some play time. I hope to enjoy this wonderful region to which you have led me in some way. I don't know exactly what that means yet, but I trust that you will guide me.
God, most of all, thank you for your love that remains steadfast. You have led me to this place at this time and it has blessed me beyond anything I could have imagined. I am enjoying my work. I'm a part of one of the most gifted teams with which I've ever worked. I attend a church that inspires me and serves the city in some truly amazing ways. I have a family and friends who love me. I am filled with humble gratitude for your faithfulness in the midst of my life.
Thank you God for Friday and every day that are all gifts from you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

A New Home

I was really tired last night and could hardly keep my eyes open when I wrote my brief blog post. It was a long day at the end of a long week. This has been an amazingly busy time for me in my work with Habitat. We have been preparing for three closings. Yesterday was the first of the three. These are always cause for much celebration but also there is a lot of last minute stuff to do and this can be a real source of stress.
Right before I fell asleep last night, I thought about the couple that just closed on their house yesterday. They have six boys and they have been living in a two bedroom home with one bathroom. I cannot begin to imagine what that has been like for them. I tried to imagine what last night in their new home must have been like for this family. I'm sure there they were tired from moving all of their stuff. I'm sure the boys had a hard time settling down for the night as they adjusted to their new bedrooms. I'm sure there was laughter and excitment. However, I'm guessing that there was also a huge sense of peace that settled over this family as they slept in their new safe, decent, affordable home built with love.
Just before I lost consciousness for the night, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for this work to which God has called me. I can't begin to tell you how much it feeds my soul and helps give purpose and meaning to my life. It is really not a job. It is ministry in the best sense of the word. This doesn't mean that there are not difficult days. This does not mean that I don't struggle and feel stressed. However, what I do know with every fiber of my being is that this is where I am supposed to be at this point in my journey.
I don't know what God has in store for me in the future. I'm doing my best to live in this moment as I take big gulps of the grace that God provides for me every day. I feel joy like never before. I feel contentment and peace. I feel grateful for the honor of being able to serve the poor through the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity.
With this latest home now completed, I can't wait to move forward with the next application, the next construction project, and the next closing. The process begins again and again as new families seek to live out their dream and move from substandard housing and become home owners.
I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Two New Families

Today I had the great honor of telling two families that they have been approved as Habitat Partner Families. I love making these calls. The emotions are always so varied. Some people get really excited and whoop and yell. Other people start crying. Others are just quietly grateful.
I have the honor to be the person who first gets to tell them the good news. I congratulate them and then tell them that now the hard work of partnership begins. They will have to complete 500 sweat equity hours. They will have to attend required classes. They will fill out tons of forms. They will have to recruit others to help them build their homes.
This is really the fun part of my job. It's so wonderful to hear the varied reactions and to be able to offer hope to people who have been rejected and denied so many times before. It's the beginning of a whole new part of their lives. Habitat will walk with them and support them, but they still have to do all of the hard work themselves.
I ask for your prayers for these two new Habitat Partner Families. They have a challenging road ahead of them. It will test their patience. Hopefully, the process will also cause them to change old patterns of behavior and thinking. Most of all, I hope that God will work in their hearts as they work along side volunteers and staff who want to see them succeed. This is a day of new beginnings. It's a day that will launch their path towards becoming home owners of safe, decent, affordable homes.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

News Blackout

Yesterday was another quiet day for me. It was probably too quiet. I ended up taking a long nap and then had trouble getting to sleep last night. I finally fell asleep around 1:30 AM. This was a huge problem for me when my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning so that I could meet my friend Karen to walk. I was a real zombie this morning.
I decided yesterday that I was not going to sit in front of the television yesterday watching all all of the ten year anniversary September 11 coverage. I watched little bit when I first got up in the morning and then listened to coverage on NPR on my drive to and from church. But besides that, I didn't watch much of it at all. I decided to put myself under a news blackout. It's not because I didn't think it was important to remember that horrible day in American history. It was more a way for me to say, as I did in my post yesterday, that life goes on.
I remember I was glued to the television back in 2001. I saw the image of the planes flying into the World Trade Center towers so many times, I felt numb. I heard all of the stories of survivors and all of the stories of family members of victims. I read everything I could in the news and online. Along with this, I was given the extra responsibility of trying to preach sermons in response to the terrorist attacks.
When I look back on those days and weeks following September 11, 2001, I realize that it was only by the grace of God that I was able to move through days. And this is also how I wanted to focus my heart on the tenth anniversary. I wanted to pause and give thanks for God's amazing grace in my life and along my journey since that time.
My pastor said it this way in his sermon on Sunday:

I like the way Julian of Norwich put it. Julian of Norwich lived in the fourteenth century during the Black Plague. Every day was 9/11 for her. But she had great hope that grew out of her faith as she faced the depths of the trials of her day. She wrote these lines: But all shall be well, And all shall be well, And all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

Wow. What power. God did not say, “You shall have no storms.” God did not say, “You shall have no terrorists, you shall have no fires, you shall have no death.” God said, “You shall not be overcome.” All shall be well.
On this day, are the promises and protection of God enough for us? Are we able to say “All shall be well?” We may have to say it with a tear in our eyes. We may have to say it with a lump in our throats. We may have say to it with clenched fists. But in that whisper is eternity itself.
God’s faithful promises are our armor. Hope is in the enduring memory of God’s protection.
When the final 9/11 television special signs off for the evening, the last analysis has been offered, the last commentary spoken, and the last editorial written, I can think of no more beautiful eulogy than to say: But all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…He did not say, “You shall know no storms, no travails, no disease,” He said, “You shall not be overcome.”

So, yesterday I napped and rested trusting that all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Walking Advertisement

I stopped a local restaurant this evening on my way home from work to get some dinner. As I sat down at my table, a woman sitting at a table nearby said, "There's someone from Habitat." I wondered how she knew I was with Habitat for Humanity and then I realized I was wearing a shirt with the TriState Habitat for Humanity logo on it. Duh!
Anyway, I went over to the table and the woman introduced herself and her husband who was sitting with her to me. I introduced myself. We then talked for several minutes and I discovered that this couple volunteers with the Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity affiliate. They are very active construction volunteers and have been volunteering with Habitat for a number of years. In fact, they met for the first time as a single people on a Habitat job site and are now married.
After our conversation, I went back to my table and said a prayer of thanksgiving for running into these two dedicated Habitat volunteers. I was so glad that I was wearing my shirt. I am proud to be a walking advertisement for Habitat. I am passionate about our mission and the work that we do. I want the world to know the difference that Habitat is making in the TriState region, the United States, and around the world. I am so proud to be able to represent Habitat and to be able to connect with others who share my passion for bringing an end to poverty housing in the world.
I also got to thinking about how I am not always the best walking advertisement for my faith. I don't always represent Christ to the world in the most positive manner. I only need to look to my morning commute to recognize this. I am too often filled with road rage and certainly don't offer much grace to the drivers around me who I am convinced are all on the road driving stupidly just to make me mad.
I also am not the best ambassador for Christ when I remain silent in the face of the injustice I see in life. I often times would rather just not make any waves rather than stand up for what I know to be right in God's eyes. I take the easy way out by often people are led to believe that I accept the injustice that is taking place because I am silent.
So, tonight I'm giving God thanks for the opportunity I had to be a witness for the mission of Habitat. I am also praying that God will give me the courage and peace to be a more faithful witness for Jesus in the world.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Home Visit Tomorrow

I ask for your prayers for a home visit I'm doing tomorrow in the city of Oxford, Ohio. Home visits are the way in which Habitat for Humanity verifies that a family is currently living in substandard conditions. This is always an extremely humbling experience for me. I will be doing a walk through and explaining the Habitat program to the family.
Please pray that I will be objective and observant. Please pray that I will be a good listener. Please also pray for this family as they live from day to day in some pretty awful living conditions.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Just Another Manic Monday

Today was a busy, wild day at work. First thing this morning, I was in Batavia, Ohio for a meeting with a Habitat Partner Family for their materials selection meeting. They got to choose their carpet and siding colors and a few other choices for their house. This is always an exciting meeting but it can also be a bit overwhelming for folks who have never been able to make these kinds of choices about their home.
After we got back to the office, I had a staff meeting to talk about current and future construction projects. This is always a good meeting when we have it. It's the way that people in the office find out what's going on at each construction site. I find it helpful so that I can keep families informed about the progress on their homes.
By the time these two meetings were over, it was the middle of the afternoon and I had a pile of work to do. I was excited to see that we had received two more applications for home ownership in the mail over the weekend. While it's a good problem to have, right now, I have a stack of applications that still need to be reviewed. I hope that I will be able to catch up tomorrow.
I'm grateful to be busy with all of this. It feels like we are making progress in the area of family recruitment. There is real energy and excitement within the affiliate as we reach out to more families who want to partner with us and move from substandard to safe, decent, affordable housing. It's a blessing and privilege to be serving in this way.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Wall Raising Tomorrow

I am really excited that we have another wall raising service tomorrow for a new Habitat house that we are starting. This house is being built for a family in my current hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. The Mayor of Hamilton will be present for the wall raising service along with some other community leaders. I think it will be a great day of celebration. It's been a while since we finished the last house in Hamilton so I'm glad we are getting started with this house.
This family has waited for a long time to finally see this day come. I know it will be a blessing as the first walls are raised by volunteers to help another family in need move from substandard housing to a safe, decent, affordable home. It will be a true celebration.
I ask for your prayers for this new build and for this Partner Family. I've been with Habitat long enough to realize that nothing ever goes smoothly in construction. There will be delays and set backs and disappointments as we move forward. The family will want it to go faster than it is going. There will be challenges along the way that will test every one's patience. Please pray that the family will experience God's peace during this time of waiting. Please also pray for the safety of our volunteers and staff. Please also pray that God will help this build to be a positive witness to the mission and ministry of Habitat for Humanity in Hamilton and beyond.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

New Applications and Preparations for New Beginnings

God continues to bless us at TriState Habitat for Humanity. In the past, I've asked for your prayers for our family recruitment efforts and those prayers are definitely working. I was excited to discover this morning that we had received three more applications for our home ownership program over the weekend. Additionally, we received another application for home ownership today. Three of these four applications are from areas where we really need families. I am really excited about all of this.
To add to the excitement, I have been busy preparing to help three Partner Families close on their homes. In a few weeks, these three families will be moving from substandard conditions to safe, decent, affordable homes. I know the families are having a hard time being patient so I ask for your prayers for them during this time of transition and waiting.
Along with this, we will be starting three new homes in the coming weeks. On Saturday, we will have a wall raising service for a new house in Hamilton, Ohio. We also have plans to start new houses in Amelia, Ohio and Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
As you can see, it's both a busy and exciting time at TriState Habitat for Humanity. I continue to be grateful to God for the opportunities that I have to serve families in need. I am thankful that God has led me to this ministry at this time.
I continue to ask for your prayers as we move forward in ministry to give families a hand up out of poverty housing. Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

House Dedication

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
- Psalm 121, NKJV

I participated in a house dedication today in Rising Sun, Indiana. The Habitat Partner Family's parents donated a parcel of land from their farm on which to build the family's house. It is located on the top of a hill with views of the Ohio River and the hills of Kentucky across the river.
I had the privilege of giving the devotional for the service and I decided to use Psalm 121 as the basis for my devotional. It was extremely fitting given the setting for this house. I talked about how the house placed on top of that hill is truly a blessing from God. I reminded the family that most Habitat families don't get the privilege of a view like they have from the top of that hill. Whenever the family lifts up their eyes to the hills, they will be thinking of home and the many ways in which God has blessed them.
The Psalmist also reminds us that our true help comes from the Lord. I reminded the family and everyone gathered there that this is true for us today as well. This family could not have done this without God's help. God was with them and watching over them as they waited and hoped for this day to arrive. It is only by God's help that they will have a safe, decent, affordable home.
I also pointed out the verse: "God shall preserve your going out and your coming in." I invited the family to remember that every time they go in and out of the doors of their new home that God will be with them. That while there are most certainly new challenges ahead of them, God will never ever leave them alone. They are loved by God and nothing will ever change that reality.
The other wonderful part of the service was the dedication of a tree planted in the yard of this home. It was donated by volunteers in memory of one of our volunteer construction site leaders who died of cancer several weeks ago. He had volunteered on several homes before this one and started out helping to lead this build as well. There is a stone engraved with the volunteer's name, the years of his birth and death, and the Habitat logo.
It was a great day of celebration and another reminder of why I love this work and ministry. I am truly blessed.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Answered Prayers

I have previously asked for your prayers for our family recruitment efforts at TriState Habitat for Humanity. We have done several mailings and had an insert in the utility bills in Hamilton, Ohio. Since we did these things, we have received a steady stream of requests for applications for home ownership. We also have been receiving more applications - especially from the city of Hamilton. In looking back at our application statistics for the past month, I was pleasantly surprised. In the past month we have received 120 requests for applications and 18 applications came back to the office.
I feel like this is a real answer to prayer. I feel like we are reaching out to our target group more effectively. I have known that there are families out there who qualify our program. I finally feel like we are making progress.
I also realize that in order to increase our capacity to serve more families, we need to keep up these kinds of focused recruitment efforts. There is a lot of work yet to do. We have really only begun to reach families who need a safe, decent, affordable place in which to live. I am excited by this challenge and I look forward to offering a hand up to families living in poverty.
I ask for your continued prayers for our family recruitment efforts. I also ask for your prayers for families who are struggling from day to day in poverty in the Cincinnati region. Hopefully, some of them will step out in faith and submit applications to become home owners.
Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

Strategic Planning

I spent the afternoon in a strategic planning session for TriState Habitat for Humanity. Participants were the staff and Board members. It turned out to be a really fun session. I enjoyed our time together and I feel like God is doing some great things through the process.
The session was held at a Proctor and Gamble training facility. It was a really cool place. It's decorated in really cool colors and filled with lots of Ikea furniture. There were a lot of snacks and other refreshments. The working space includes lots of flat screen televisions, dry erase boards, tables for small group discussions, and nice office chairs. There is also a main space that includes the food area and lots of fun things to spur creativity. There was an arcade type basketball game, a Pac Man video game, computers, and colorful kites hanging from the ceiling.
I'm sure a lot of big companies have facilities like this but I had never visited one before. I'm sure this is key to developing new products and marketing ideas. I kept thinking that the church really needs to do more things like this. I think it would grant us permission to think outside the box and develop new and creative ways in which to share the love of Jesus with the world.
We did a fun activity in this area. We divided into two teams and we did a relay race. We had to make three baskets with the basketballs. Then we had to hop on over sized tricycles and ride the length of the room and back. Finally, we had to hula hoop for at least five seconds. Our team lost but it was really close.
I'm grateful to one of our Board members who facilitated the session and who works for this facility and was able to get us in to use these facilities. What a wonderful resource to be able to use. I am also grateful for the wonderfully gifted people who took time out of their busy schedules and gave up a Sunday afternoon for the mission and ministry of TriState Habitat for Humanity.
I am truly blessed to be able to serve this wonderful organization. I am grateful to God for leading me to this place at this time in my life.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

House Dedication

This evening I traveled to Batavia, Ohio in Clermont County for the house dedication for one of our Habitat Partner Families. It was a huge blessing for me to be there as it always is. This is a family of eight people that includes a mom, a dad, and six boys. I am always impressed whenever I am with this family. The boys are extremely well-mannered and a joy to be around.
What impresses me most about this family is the love and support shown by their church family. There were several of their church members in attendance at the dedication along with their pastor who led the devotion. One of their fellow church members gave a testimony about the kindness that our Habitat Partner Family had shown him when he was in need. Throughout the entire Partnership process, even when it didn't seem like it was ever going to happen, this family faced adversity with joy and great faith. They knew that God had wonderful plans for them and their new house is a living testimony to their faith and perseverance.
Everyone who participated in the house dedication did a great job and God used them to share God's love and give witness to the work of God that had been accomplished in the building of this house. It was a time to thank God for the all of the time and energy of the volunteers and gifts of the donors. It was also a time to offer prayers and praise to the God who calls us to kingdom work. I found myself tearing up several times during the service. As always, I felt honored to be a part of the miracle that is Habitat for Humanity.
I ask for your prayers for this family. We are so close to being done with their house but there are several hoops that we still need to jump through before we will be able to close. There are some construction things that still need to be done. There are also some grant applications that need to be completed. We will have to make sure all the bills are paid and the final sale cost is established. We also need to work with the attorneys so that they can prepare the closing documents.
In the meantime, this family is still living in substandard conditions in a house that too small for them. Also, the boys will be starting school in the coming weeks and in the midst of all of that transition, the family will have to think about packing and moving. So, this is certainly going to be a stressful time and one that will test their patience. Soon, though, they will be able to realize their dream.
Another family is about to move from horrible living conditions to a safe, decent, affordable home. They will sign their closing documents, receive the keys to their new home, and God will be honored. Then we will move on to give the next Partner Family a hand up out of poverty housing and the mission and ministry will continue.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

An Answer to Prayers

I am really excited this evening. I just got off the phone with someone from my church who works with the small group program. I shared earlier on this blog that I have been wanting to get more involved and have felt called to be a part of a small group. The man from my church invited me to help launch and lead a new small group.
This sounds like just the kind of ministry that I love. I also am grateful for the opportunity to get to know more people in my church. Being the introvert that I am, I have really not branched out much beyond attending worship for the past year. So, connecting to a small group will really be good for me.
I ask for your prayers as I go through the training and orientation. I also ask for your prayers for those who I have yet to meet who will be a part of my small group. I look forward to growing faith with them.
I know God is up to something good in all of this. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Exciting News

I have been asking for your prayers for our family recruitment efforts at TriState Habitat for Humanity. We have recently sent out around 5,000 postcards to renters in several apartment complexes in Butler County, Ohio as well as renters in the neighborhood in Hamilton, Ohio around three lots that we plan to build on. We have grant money tied to the lots in Hamilton and we need to find qualified families who are willing to live in this area. We also just had fliers go out in the Hamilton utility bills. I got mine Wednesday and we have been getting calls in response to that recruitment ad this week.
Today was really exciting because we received back in our office the first application from a family who received one of our recruitment postcards in Hamilton. The applicant came by the office to drop off the application. I had to restrain myself because I wanted to give her a big hug. I'm sure that would have scared the applicant and that would not have been good.
My hope and prayer is that this will be the first of many applications that we receive in response to these family recruitment efforts. I know the families are out there who are in need of safe, decent, affordable housing. I need to continuously find creative ways to reach them.
I ask for your continued prayers for our family recruitment efforts and for the mission and ministry of TriState Habitat for Humanity. I know that God is up to good things and we are going to continue to grow in the number of families whom we serve.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

On the Road Tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon I am hitting the road and heading to the village of Williamsburg, Ohio for a home visit with a family who has applied to be Habitat home owners. I both look forward to going on home visits and at the same time I go into them with some apprehension.
I am always exciting to meet families to hear their stories. I like to talk with them about Habitat and review the requirements of the program with them. However, I don't really enjoy seeing how families are forced to live. Most of our family applicants live in deplorable conditions. They live in homes and apartments owned by slumlords who are making money at the expense of the poor.
Whenever I go on a home visit, I walk away from them hoping and praying that we can help the family. I also feel a kind of righteous anger recognizing that I live in the richest country in the world and yet so many people live in such deplorable conditions. They struggle from day to day simply because their home is falling down around them.
I ask for your prayers for this home visit tomorrow. I will be there to gather data about the family's current living conditions. I will also be there to get to know this family. Along with this, I will once again be reminded of why Habitat for Humanity's ministry is vital and absolutely necessary. EVERYONE ought to have a safe, decent, affordable place in which to live.
Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!

A Wonderful Story

In a world that seems to bombard us with bad news, I want to share with you some really good news. If you go to this link: http://www.wlwt.com/news/28672935/detail.html you'll see a news story and video that aired on one of the local Cincinnati television affiliates tonight about one of our TriState Habitat for Humanity Partner Families whose home is being built in Lebanon, Ohio. The home is being built with the help of nine churches in the region.
I was so excited to hear that the news crew was coming out to the site today to see the progress so far and interview the Partner Family. This family has a special place in my heart because they were one of the first families that I worked with in the application process when I began my work at TriState Habitat for Humanity. It's so exciting to see construction starting on this family's home. I'm so grateful that it all worked out and we were able to get the word out to the entire TriState region.
Each day I am grateful, blessed, and excited about this ministry to which God has called me. I am humbled that God would help me to be a part of the miracle that is Habitat for Humanity.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Lots of Meetings

Last week and this week have been filled with lots of meetings for me in my work with Habitat for Humanity. Several of these meetings have been really good and exciting for me to attending. I especially enjoy the meetings I have with our Partner Families. I had one of those today and it was a delight to spend time with this Partner Family and to get to know them better. While I do wish that the church where we met for today's meeting would have had air conditioning, I was still grateful for the opportunity to be with this Partner Family.
At the same time, all of these meetings in and out of the office have meant that the stack of paperwork on my desk is a mile high. I have some new applications to process. I also have some other applications to review to see if they will move forward in the process. In addition, I need to work on some family recruitment things that really need to get done. So, I stayed late tonight at the office to try to get some paperwork done but didn't seem to get very far.
I know. I'm whining. I guess I'm just tired and need to go to bed. I am grateful for all of these meetings and all of the applications that are coming in. I am also grateful to have a job that I love that allows me to make a difference in the lives of families living in poverty. So, I guess I am tired and feel overwhelmed but deep down I am know that I am blessed to have this wonderful opportunity to serve God and people.
Thanks for listening to my whining and thanks for being a part of my journey!

Mystery Mission Trip

Today in worship at my church, we commissioned our youth mission team. They left today for a week-long mission trip. The pastor explained that they were leaving but they didn't know where they were going. The destination is being kept a secret from the youth. It sounds like they may be going to more than one place. We are going to be able to follow their travels and progress through the church website.
The pastor said a really neat thing. He told the congregation that in many ways this is what missions should be for all Christians. We should be willing to go wherever God leads us and needs us. We often try to control things and never leave our comfort zones. Yet, Jesus calls us to go into ALL the world - the dark places, the dangerous places, the hurting places, the starving places, and the broken places.
I am looking forward to following the youth mission team as they go into the world to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. I hope you will join me in praying for them. I know God is going to bless them in huge ways.
Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of my journey!