Mission Trip

In one word: AMAZING! I have been thinking about all the things I wish I could put into words to describe the trip, and I'm not sure there are any that would do it justice. I know it was the perfect way to end the year for me. Not only was it nice to be away from all phones and email, but it was just so wonderful to be able to serve God for a week. The people that we met were humble and loving. The kids were sweet and so much fun to be around.

I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was the New Year's Eve service. It was a time of praise of worship (in English and Spanish), a time of bringing two cultures together, and a time of reflection and thanks for the year we've had with a commitment for the new year. We literally prayed in the new year. It just reminded me that He is in control of our lives. His love is so very apparent and real. Last year represented so much change in my life... and it makes me excited to see what He'll do this year.

The trip offered so much more than I imagined... I can't wait to go back! Since I really can't put it into words, I'll put up a few pictures. :)

This is after our first day of "work". Amy, Emily, me and Chris
Our one morning of beach visiting and sand dollar collecting: Emily, Amy, Gay, me
A picture of the church before... (actually, we had put down the concrete pads that you see, but you can still see the front of the church)
An "after" picture. The windows and roofing will be completed by a member of our church that lives down there in the winter time. Initially we were asked to build 1 Sunday school room for the kids. This church has one service, and it's held Sunday evenings. The kids were going outside in the dark, cold and DIRT to hold Sunday School. So, because we had the funds, materials, and a whole lot of drive, they got 2 rooms instead of one. :)

If you want to see more pictures, there are some posted on the mainpage of my church's website at: http://fbcmountshasta.com/default.aspx

and more pictures under the mission's section at:
http://fbcmountshasta.com/missions.aspx

I'll be honest and tell you I started this post well over a week ago... and I've now been home over 3 weeks. I've struggled putting into words all that this trip entailed for me... the changes, the growth, the relationships - everything that occurred blessed me beyond my wildest dreams, and by far more than I deserve.

Overall this was just an incredible trip that I'll never forget. I wasn't quite ready to come home... I just wanted "more". It created a hunger in me to serve Him in new and different ways. And I'm praying hard that He'll use me however and wherever He can.