MISSION REFLECTIONS

Let me start off with asking you a question today.  Do you have a bucket list and if so, do you have several items on it?

 

For me, I really only have one item on my bucket list.

 

I think it would be so rewarding and fulfilling to do a short missions trip somewhere not too far away.

 

A few people I know have done a form of this within the last few years which has inspired me to think about how much I would love to do it someday. 

 

Perhaps a few of you faithful readers might recall my mountain top experience at Wind River Ranch in Estes Park, CO this past summer. I had been thinking how wonderful it would be to return there some day but with the expense of it all, I had been thinking maybe it would be better to put the money toward serving and helping others through a mission trip rather than me be “spoiled” through experiencing the goodness of the ranch again sometime.

A God thing was that a few days after I was thinking about this back in September I received an email from Premier Foundation saying on an upcoming January 2019 K Love Christian Music cruise, a friend and I were signed up for, was actually offering a day Mission opportunity in either port of call, Belize or Cozumel, we were stopping at!  What are the chances that a “missions” trip was offered on a cruise?

 

I knew without hesitation that it was something I wanted to do if it was not a too physically demanding mission.  Thankfully, I learned early on that there would be activities I could participate in so it was with eager anticipation that I signed up quickly so that it would not be filled up before I got my name on the list.

 

We were suppose to sign up for one of the two days so I opted for the first day, which ended up being in Belize. A survey was sent about a month before the trip so each person could rank the seven available activities in order of importance to them personally. The foundation would try to accommodate one of your top three categories.

 

 

 

I was hoping one of the options would be to help with children or babies (since I love to hold little ones) at an orphanage but that was not an option. Trying to stretch and challenge myself I decided to put assisting the elderly as my first choice followed by making up food bags for distribution and making lunch for people in need.  Other choices were helping lead worship for a church community or giving testimonies, a little too far out of my comfort zone for this non musical introvert!

 

 

About a week before the trip, I found I was slated to help at the Bermudian Landing Baptist Church in Belize. The mission opportunities available would be to help worship with the locals, possibly giving testimonies, make up food bags for distribution at the church and to some nearby villages as time permitted and help with making lunch for the missionaries and church attendees.  Another group of people were doing more physicially demanding repairs at St. Cecilia’s Elderly Home.

 

 

There were 22 of us missionaries ready to serve at the church.  It was an hour long ride on a school bus throughout the streets of Belize, mostly remote,  to arrive at our destination. 

 

 

 

We were so warmly welcomed with hugs, arms outstretched in love, by the church greeters. 

 

The pastor invited us all to participate in the praise and worship singing before the preaching began. Those helping with the food bags and lunch preparation would then be dismissed.

 

 

 

The pastor’s one daughter led the singing.

What touched me the most and brought tears to my eyes is when she said something to the effect of “those in the front go to the back and greet your neighbor in love; those on the left go to the right.”

Seeing the whole church reaching out to hug and love one another was one amazing act of love that I treasure.  Isn’t that just what we should be doing to all our brothers and sisters in the Lord?

 

 

Sitting two rows in front of me were these three precious little boys that I kept smiling at and winking at. They had the most precious dark eyes and beautiful smiles.  When I went to hug them, the youngest boy wouldn’t let go of me; yes, he warmed my heart and stole it!

 

 

It was then time to move on to helping with the making of the food bags which I wanted to participate in. I knew that distributing some of the bags to the nearby villages and possibly praying with these families would be something that was out of my comfort zone but that I wanted to join in to help me grow more in my faith.

 

 

 

 

 

Learning that 90% of the people in the surrounding villages are unemployed and come to the church looking for help in obtaining food made our “small” time committment more meaningful.  It brought tears to the pastor’s wife eyes as she shared that statistic with us.

 

Through money donated to the foundation, the church was able to buy the food which was provided in the food bags.  We measured out 10 lbs of sugar, flour, rice and 3 lbs of beans admist other food staples to help these people. There were several volunteers helping with the bags so it did not really take a lot of time to prepare them.

 

Food bags ready for distribution

 

Once we were done and cleaned up from the making the bags, I went over to the lunch preparation area.  They were pretty much done as well but it was nice to see the place there. Women had lovingly made chicken, rice and beans, coleslaw and cut up watermelon for all the volunteers from St. Cecilia’s and the church as well as the church attendees that day.  We helped carry the containers over to the church and get the drinks ready for all.

 

The chef

 

At the end of the church service that lasted about 3 hrs, they told us volunteers to eat quickly and then a few of us would be able to distribute some of the bags to the nearby villages.  I saw a need of helping someone fill the drinks from the cooler so hopped in there to do that.

 

At one point my friend came over to help and told me to go eat. While I was doing that, I went to see if I could see if the bus was ready to head out for the distribution to the villagers. The bus driver didn’t know anything so it was then I learned that another vehicle that brought the people from St. Cecilia’s to the church for lunch had already left to go to a few village people’s houses.

 

I was disappointed but rewarded at the same time!

 

You see, I ended up talking with Gene,  who is the President of the Foundation, not only once but twice, that sponsored these mission trips.

 

I first found him to ask him if the people had already left since I couldn’t find the other guy that was in charge.  He said yes, they had just left a few minutes ago and geniunely felt bad for me and apologized for me not being able to go.  We then went about our way and our path’s crossed again a little later where we engaged in more conversation.

 

Again, he apologized and asked if I was okay with it.  He reminded me of the truth that life is so much about perspective…..

He said….

***Maybe someone that is distributing those food bags needed that blessing more than I did….

***That his life was being blessed through our conversation; (as well as mine!)  If I had been distributing our conversing would not have occurred….

 

His words reminded me of the verse…

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.  –Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

which was a recurring theme that kind of hit me throughout the cruise in different situations.

Sometimes what we think we need or want is not what the Lord has planned for us. And, you know what, that is really okay!

 

As we discussed the thought that in actuality it seemed like I did so “little” on this Missions trip; that it was such a short amount of time…

Gene also pointed out….

***What the church and village people will remember most is our PRESENCE; that we took time out to be physically present to them; not the length of time or amount of work we did…

***Through our support of the mission trip it also helped provide the food for these people that otherwise they would not have had…

 

 

 

Do you, too, need a reminder of the truth of some of the lessons I learned on that short missions trip that you can apply to a situation in your life?

~~No act of kindness, done unto the Lord, is too small or unimportant

~~Every little thing we do has an impact on others

~~Surrender each situation to the Lord knowing He is working things out in His way

~~Your presence in other’s lives is of paramount importance

~~Keep in mind we are not in control of life; rather God is

~~Being a part of a FB book group for this Missions group reminded me too of the importance of praying for the hearts and people we were going to interact with.

 

 

I am grateful for the opportunity to have served on a short Missions trip to that little church and hope that someday I will be able to do more of a Missions trip.

  How blessed we are when we extend ourselves in service and love to one another especially to those who can not repay us.

 

 

A beautiful painting on the side of the food bag building

 

It is also important to realize that every day of our lives can be considered a Mission trip!

May I encourage you to view your daily life as such.  God provides endless opportunities for us to serve, help and bless others if we seek Him.

 

A man’s steps are established by the LORD, and the LORD delights in his way.  — Psalm 37:23 (ISV)

I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes.  –Matthew 25:35 (GNT)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  –James 1:27 (NLT)