Wonderfully Made (Notes from the Heart): June 2012

"...so you want to change the world, what are you waiting for?

Say, you're gonna start right now what are you waiting for...

I've been thinking a lot lately about my past mission trips. Even though it's been a few years since I've last traveled to Honduras, it always seem like just yesterday I was there. I most certainly left with a piece of Honduras and Faith Home in my heart, I most certainly left a piece of my heart there. Through all the pictures that I took, that are scattered on the walls each place I have lived, I have that visual of what I brought back with me. Although, it will never compare to the memories I have within me that have changed my world forever.

While each time I was there I kept a journal for every trip. Each night writing about the amazing things that we experienced, and yes, sometimes some of the trials and tribulations that occurred as well. Although with every trial we may have experience God always brought us through it, seeing an amazing turn out. As I go back through my journals, I read about the amazing friendships I made on these trips! I got to develop deeper friendships through our common focus. Whether we were out on the field or back at the house gathered around talking about our day and experiences, or just relaxing playing cards and games. It's amazing the smallest things that you can remember, sometimes are the funniest.

When I first started these trips, I didn't know anyone! And, by the time the week was up I felt like I had a another new family I never wanted to leave. My first couple of trips being on a Medical/Dental team and a trip where we put together a VBS/Construction team.
Looking back over my journals, my first day I can still remember getting off the plane in San Pedro Sula and thinking it's really hot here! This coming from a born and raised California (Central Valley) girl, before I moved back to the Mid-West. So the humidity experience took some getting used to. :-) That and riding the bus from the airport to Faith Home. Seeing the culture and the way of living just by driving down the road. It's enough to know that we have so much where we live. Granted that there are the 'bad' areas of our country, but seeing the shacks by the side of the road that people are living in, are real eye openers. Sometimes we don't tend to think of certain things as luxuries. How we can get in our car, start the engine and drive down to Starbucks for a coffee, knowing that we get back home we have an air conditioned/heated house to come back to.

But not only are we here to bring them some medical attention but were here to share the Good News of Christ to those who may have never even heard anything about Salvation. We can be the hands and feet, the light that shines the love of Christ to so many people!

Likewise, the same goes for the people we see daily here in our country. We don't know where they come from, what they have been taught or haven't been taught or what they're going through. This is why I love Christian Drama! I can share the message of Christ through performing a skit or a dance. When I'm rehearsing a drama that I feel led to, I have no idea who is going to see it or hear it. I may never meet the person affected by my outreach from performing in large crowds. But if my words could reach that one person and that one person could take that to heart and share with another and so on, then God's Word can spread through our Nation.

God has blessed us in so many ways, using each an everyone of us in the way that He feels best. Even though we may not always tend to see it or it may not seem as it's happening when WE want it to happen. God has are ROAD MAP planned out an HE has HIS own timing planned out for each and everyone of us. Don't we sometimes tend to ask God 'Why?' or 'When?' 'Why does this happen?' 'When is this going to happen for me?' I still love that verse from Jerimiah 29:11, 'for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord....' Because God does have a plan for each and everyone of us. He uses each of us differently in what He see's best for us. If your just willing.....willing to be used by God, willing to let God use you. Willing to let God make you a blessing to someone else.
Thank you God for using me, help me continue to show your love to others!

Sometime patience is always an issue isn't it? Although we tend to not want to wait for the 'right' timing, we know that there's a plan for us and when we let ourselves in on God's plan for us, things tend to fall into place a whole lot better.

Father God, you know I don't like to wait, you know I'm not good at waiting. Please cultivate in my heart the patience to WAIT and to trust YOU. God give me the strength to lean on you and give it to you. It's your time, you know the plans that you have for me.

And now just a few of my favorite pictures I found from my past trips!