and so the journey begins...

June 30, 2003

it's 11 pm, monday night. i'm supposed to be at the airport at 5 am tomorrow morning, which means i'll be getting up in a few hours to depart to mexico for 10 days. so what am i feeling? a lot of things. excitement, joy, anticpiation, fear, confusion, to list a few. what am i expecting? i have no idea. i know that when all is said and done, i'll be able to testify to everyone the amazing things that God has done through us. i know that i'll have experienced God in new way, and that the truths in my mind, will have made their way to my heart (some say it's the greatest distance). i also know that we'll be encountering hardships, perhaps even sufferings during our time there.

all for what? for the sake of my God. for the sake of my loving Saviour. i believe with all my heart that whatever happens in mexico will test to my core, who i am and what i believe. why? because you don't suffer for fun. you don't put yourself in situations like this just for kicks. it's in the midst of challenge and hardship when what you believe really shines through. if you believe yourself to be a patient person, see if you're still a patient person when a million people are yelling at you. think about it! it tests the CORE of who you are whenever your faced with a 'not-so-ideal' situation.

but to be completely honest, i don't know what i'm doing. i don't feel 'spirtually' ready to be going to a different nation to spread the Gospel. i mean, me of all people, spreading the Gospel to people from a different people group that speak an entirely different language than me? i have like THE lowest score on evangelism you could ever get on a spiritual gifts test. but hey, maybe that's the beauty of it all. i can't boast in my own strength for anything that happens, because i already know i suck at it. me doing this stuff would fail miserably. but powered with the Holy Spirit, the possibilities are endless.

"i can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (philippians 4:13)

so with that thought, i'll say goodbye for 10 days. i'll see you when i get back!

by the way, some personal prayer items:

- my back - we're going to be sleeping in hammocks when we go to the village (5/6 days), and they are terribly bad for your back - if you didn't know, i have a really bad back and i am worried that it'll be in a lot of pain when i wake up
- my physical health - i'm not really in shape as you all know - and like hot weather impales me, like i get really tired and have shortness of breath - so just that God would sustain me despite the hot weather
- my hang-ups over bugs - spiders scare the crap out of me! and there's like flying cocroches there and i'm sure a whole list of other crazy bugs - i don't want this hang-up to interefere with anything!
- to set an example to all those around me, especially team members - i'm the oldest 'youth' going - eveyone else is like in high school or entering first year university, so there's an age gap - so just that i'd reflect Christ to everyone in EVERYTHING that i do (colossians 3:23)

a little bit more thankful?

June 28, 2003

you know what's the saddest thing about my going to mexico for a trip? i'm worrying about what to pack, what items i need to buy because we're going to a place that isn't "up-to-par", you might even want to call it ghetto. there's no air conditioning, there's lotsa bugs, and it's really hot! so fortunate me, i get to decide which items i go out and purchase for this trip to make my stay there more 'livable, comfortable', whatever you want to call it. while the people that LIVE there have no such luxury whatsoever. there's lotsa bugs there? deal with it. it's hot? get used to it. there's no going out to buy a fan, or bug repellant or what not to combat these things. that's the way of life for those people.

i am fortunate enough to even have the opportunity to CONSIDER what i need to bring along with me. i think i need to be a little more appreciative of what i have! and so, the days count down to our departure to what will be a very interesting and eye opening experience for us. i really don't feel prepared. if you're reading this, PRAY for us :) we need it!

some prayer items:

- team unity
- that the love of God would be shown through our actions, despite language barriers
- that God would be glorified through all that we do
- adjustments to the culture (sensitivity to the practices and customs of the Mexican people)
- adjustments to the environment (bugs, climate, food, etc.) would in no way hinder us from our purpose
- health and safety precautions (we have a few younger members accompanying us on this trip)
- the people of Mexico - pray for a receptive and open heart to the Gospel
- our two translators - that they'll have the endurance and strength to translate for us during our trip
- faith and reliance on God, regardless of what circumstances arise
- protection from spiritual attacks

the enemy lurks in the shadows

June 11, 2003

as i was waiting for my mom and brother to get into the car yesterday, i had the privilege of watching a small squirrel go about doing it's business. it climbed a tree, looked around, hopped around a bit. and then it skipped off into the garden area of my house (which made it disappear from my view).

the next thing i knew, it had hopped up the front wall of my house, in the skip of a heart beat, as if it was running away from something. and lo and behold, there it was. a cat, waiting for it to come down. i didn't even know there was a cat walking around in my garden. it basically came out of nowhere. and i think it was the same for the squirrel. it was happily going about doing it's business, and then the cat just appeared and it ran for dear life.

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 peter 5:8)

much of us are like the squirrel, happily going about our daily business without realizing that the enemy (like the cat) lurks in the shadows, just waiting to pounce on us at any time. and when the prime moment arrives, the enemy strikes, making it's move against us. one of the greatest things that satan has ever pulled off is making us forget that he's around and that he's only here to destroy us.

so what happens when that moment comes? we basically have three options. we run or we stand and get devoured. that's not to say we can't stand firm either, we definitely could. but if we're not armed with the armor of God (ephesians 6) at ALL times, we are suspect to the enemy's temptations and traps. we're giving him a foothold in our lives that has no right being there. we need to remember that Jesus has the victory. He defeated satan on the Cross. satan has no power over us in Christ if we're connected to Him at all times: in word, thought and action. :)

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." (ephesians 6:13-15)

He KNOWS what's best!

i meant to write about this a while back, just never got around to it.

i was watching who's the boss on television one day and the episode was about samantha and bonnie picking a place to go for 'career week'. they were left with two options, one with angela and one with tony. sam picked tony, because she thought it'd be a better job. she had a bad experience working at angela's office before, so she figured that working with her dad would make life much easier. she figured she could kick back at home and do nothing. little did she know that she was completely wrong. it ended up that bonnie had an amazing time working at angela's office, with a bunch of great opportunities and sam had to work a ton at home, doing house chores and other 'not-so-interesting' tasks.

the lesson for the day? what SEEMS to be good for you, might end up being the total opposite, like in sam's case. you might be drawn into a certain decision, because of outward rewards or what you THINK you know about it. but you could be completely off the mark.

watching this episode reminded me of how fortunate we are that we have a loving Father who knows what's the absolute best for us. a Father who cares about us so deeply that He only wants what's best for us. when it comes to deciding what's good or better, we might be settled with good. but how would we ever know that there was something better for us? make no mistake. you could make all your life decisions by yourself, without ever consulting God. but why would you? why not ask the God who created the ENTIRE universe for direction and guidance? we don't have to second guess our decisions, we don't have to worry about making the right or wrong choices. we just need to place everything in the hands of our Father. He'll take care of it!

"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." (jeremiah 29:11)