Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “when God calls you, he calls you to die,” referring to the words of Jesus Christ about taking up our cross daily and following him. The Christian life is to be a life lived by faith and out of our comfort zone. I must confess that it is far to easy to slide into the comfort zone of “normal” life and lose the edge that living by faith. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why I allow myself to slip into complacency or safety when I have experienced so much good from God when I have stepped out in faith. Living by faith is more than developing a good routine and living a good and godly life. It is stepping out into the unknown and being willing to risk something in the name of Jesus for his glory.
It is possible in our everyday context to live by faith daily. There are opportunities all around us that we are often unaware of because we are not paying attention. Wednesday night I reminded the youth group that God is always working and doing amazing things, we don’t see it because our focus is on other things (self, technology, entertainment, grades, relationships or the lack thereof, work, etc.). This week I have been reminded why I value leading missions trips for the youth group: stepping out in faith.
When Kayla Morales and I began talking in January about this trip, we had no idea what we would be getting into or who would be going. We just knew that it was an opportunity for God to do something amazing! I always have appreciated Kayla’s joy, energy, and passion for Jesus. When I offered to push the trip until next year to give her more time to coordinate things in Mexico, she was quick to say, “nope I think we can do it this year! Yep, let’s do it!” And so the story began.
I guessed on the estimated cost of the trip (plane tickets, in country expense, etc). We began recruiting. God provided the team, generous donors, and the support of Lakeside Christian Church! The journey had begun, but I forgot the personal risks I was taking as a youth pastor trying to lead students to love and follow Jesus more. In calling others to step out in faith, requires you to step out in faith. Along the way, we need to teach things about God, but what if God doesn’t show up the way you think he should? Where is the money going to come from? So much to figure out and to trust God with.
Almost immediately, several team members applied for their passports, which are currently taking between 8-9 weeks for an expedited return. (Insert joke about our government’s efficiency) As the weeks went by, the worries and anxieties about the passports arriving in time began to become very real. Money and passports became a big concern. I felt that these worries and situations are very teachable moments. I began to worry about things too and felt like we need a good reminder about trusting God in faith, not being anxious and believing God will supply. After all Isaiah 26:3 says that God will, “keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him.” Trusting God leads to a peaceful mind. Deal!
Good news, a few passports came in! We expected the others to follow, but two didn’t arrive. David’s passport was returned to him with insufficient time for him to mail it in. He had to set up a in person meeting at the passport agency. The only open spot was in Detroit for the day before we flew out. That added some stress and anxiety for us. However, David had an appointment and now we just needed to trust that God would provide in time.
Aside from David’s passport, we were still waiting on one more, Lela’s. Lela mailed hers in earlier than others, but it still had not arrived. Earlier this week she called, and they said it had not been mailed and they had no appointments available. There were still a few days for things to change, but it was difficult to stay positive. I thought we needed to be reminded of the importance of prayer and partnering in prayer for specific things. In my mind I thought, “wow God this is a perfect opportunity for you to deliver in a miraculous way for a great object lesson.” However, I admit that I doubted, not God’s ability, but the reality of the situation.
This is where risk in teaching students came into play. Jesus said in Mark 11 to ask of the Father, believing, and you will receive. Jesus said it, who am I to say something different. I encouraged the kids to pray in faith, believing God could deliver, and trusting him with the outcome. I had to suppress the “what if God doesn’t do it” thoughts. The youth group, parents, the church, and so many others have been praying for this trip, and I desperately wanted our team to be complete and see God’s hand move.
Thursday came and I texted Lela, “any news?” She responded “nope, it’s not looking good.” My heart sank. I was hoping for a Thursday answer to prayer, and I tried not to be negative. Friday morning came around and I wanted to send an encouraging note but start trying to think of what I would say if she couldn’t join us on the trip. I simply said, “I’m praying for you, what time does your mail come?” I did not hear back to her for some time.
I began looking at Delta’s website to figure out cancelation policies. I all but considered it a done deal when Lela texted me a picture of her passport! I couldn’t believe it. They said it was not in the mail, how could it arrive! Lela was stoked and excitedly praised God. She shared the good news in the group chat and the joy was multiplied! A couple of hours later, David sent a picture with his passport!
I should not be surprised. I have seen God do these kinds of things several times, but it always gets me. He is so good to us and is ready to bless those who step out in faith. This is just the beginning, but it already has been a powerful lesson to trust the mighty hand of God!
Travel Day
We all made it to the airport by 3:30AM and waited for Delta to open their check in counter at 4:00AM. We encountered a little issue checking in that was resolved quickly but took up some time. We made it through security just fine and had a few minutes before boarding our 6:00AM flight. I am thankful to say that all our flights went well but landing in Atlanta we only had 45 minutes to land at the farthest gate in the B terminal and run to the E terminal to catch our flight to Mexico City. It was a hustle, and we barely made the tram, thankfully we made it in two different cars at the same time. As we walked up to the gate, we were the last to board, but we made it! Thankfully, Delta has a “Track your bag” feature and I was notified that our bags had made the transfer as well.
We landed in Mexico City for a 5 hour layover. We found some seats together and try to rest from our early morning. Most of us barely could sleep in the busy airport. Finally the time came for our last flight to Puerto Escondido. It was the smoothest flight and the smoothest landing of the day. The airport here is small but really cool. Everybody appreciated being able to get in and out quickly. Kayla and Jocsan met us with their family. We loaded our luggage up in a truck and the team hoped in a van and headed to our hotel. It was a nice evening meeting the family, having dinner, getting a swim, and talking about the coming week. We are so thankful to be safe and getting settled in for the night. Thanks for following along and praying for our travels.
No comments:
Post a Comment