not the only missionary

     As my first international mission trip approaches (Costa Rica, whoo whoo!!) I'm reflecting and revisiting the awesome experience that I had on my first mission trip last year to Red Bird in Kentucky.

     Red Bird is a small and poor community deep in the mountains of Kentucky and the missionaries who gather are given the awesome opportunity to work up close and personal with the locals in need of God's Grace. You get to work with one family for the ENTIRE week and you get to know all the little details of the family you serve, like how miss Hazel saved each and every one of her animals. You get to build a relationship with their family, maybe over karaoke to Coal Miner's Daughter with miss Hazel's very own daughter.

     Through the week, as you finish your project, you are given the blessing of seeing the direct impact you made on their lives. You see the pure and unabashed joy and thankfulness that pours out through their words and actions as you leave for the final time.

     But something you don't see (and often don't see for weeks after your mission) is the direct change in you. You have spent so long reliving every moment of the trip to everyone who will listen and when you finally think you've said all you can say and your ready to move on, there's Hazel and her daughter pulling your heart back towards Kentucky.

     The people you serve and meet on your mission have an everlasting effect on you. You find yourself praying for their family and community daily and your worship grows so much louder and prouder because you had an encounter with such a loving family. Although missions are taken to serve those in need, those in need are often given an unknown chance to serve you and  become a missionary themselves. ALL of God's people our capable of spreading his love and whether intentionally or not, the residents of Kentucky will forever hold my heart.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)