Mission 2012 - Reflections To Date

The entries that I have been posting were all written at the end of the day. We would have finished dinner, possibly gone for a massage and I would finally be wrapped up in bed. At this point I would take time out to reflect on the day, the activities that we had performed, what had been successful, what we could have done better...and ultimately what was God speaking to me about.

The trip is much more that "helping the children" in Sanmenxia. Its about drawing closer to God, listening to His word and ultimately carrying out his will. There is not one person in the universe that God has not mapped out a purpose for their life. You may or not believe it...but thats the reality...the thing is its up to us to either fulfill that purpose or play things the way we want.

This doesnt mean in any way that God simply treats us as workers that are striving towards a goal that he is instructing us to work towards. That is so far from the truth...the reality is God loves us. Simple as that...and as a result this means God only wants the best for us. This is clearly evident in the plan for each of our lives...our Father in heaven wants each of us to lead extraordinary lives...all we need to do is listen to His calling and use the gifts he has blessed us with.

This brings me back to the children in Sanmenxia. A lot of people will say things to me like "I admire what you did" or "thats a really nice things you are doing for those kids" or "you are a really great person to do that kind of thing". Im not trying to talk myself...actually quite the contrary. For the truth is...I cannot do any of it without God. God gives me the job that pays for my trip. God gives me the courage to travel to a foreign country, God gives me the passion to work with these children and ultimately God gives me the wisdom in terms of handling each situation that comes my way. It is all God...not me!

But the problem when doing something like this which can ultimately lead to a high profile is...you can get caught up in the moment. Both times I have travelled to China for mission we have appeared in the newspaper, we have been photographed incessantly and had video cameras follow our most mundane moves. People want to meet us, people want to treat us for dinner...and probably most common...people stare at us like we are movies stars...or circus animals...depending on how you like to perceive it.

It is throughout all this that I need to be giving it all to God...and thank him constantly for what He is doing through my life. This is the calling that God has given me and I am grateful that He chose someone as broken and simple as me to do such amazing things. There are moments where I reflect and honestly find it incredible that I was able to make it through and achieve what I did. But the truth is...I didnt "make it through"...I had God empowering me, guiding me and ultimately using me for His amazing plan.