As Jesus followers, we are a part of one body, under Christ the head and each of us has an important role to play.
This past week on our mission trip to Mexico, it was such a joy to see the body functioning as God intended. He was so faithful to put together a team that reflected so many different aspects of His character. It was a privilege to see the members of our team using their God given skills and gifts to bless those around them.
As I was driving back from Vicente Guerrero to San Diego, I was praising the Lord for His wisdom, creativity and sovereign knowledge. He knew the high school students on the team would greatly benefit from Mike Mendon’s leadership and ability to delegate. God knew that Mike would release and trust students and that Dalton Burks would rise to the occasion and help lead his peers, Michael Burchett and Caleb Wurlitzer, in building the home. God knew that putting Linda Burchett and Ian Moore on that team would provide a safe place for students to be their squirrely selves and enjoy the fullness of life Jesus came to give us. God knew then that the team would need Kate Moore to help provide structure and that it would be easier to finish the home if Kat Burchett, Kaia Harry and Tucker Burks loved and played with kids as others were swinging hammers and raising walls. God, in His knowledge, knew that Matt Sylvia’s life would be touched as He recognized the privilege we have in this first world nation, that Kaia would need her dad Wayne as she experienced a bit of sickness, that Brandon Mann would catch God’s heart for missions and that this trip would be an answer to a prayer Jenna Redman has prayed for six years.
God is good. He faithfully brought Annalise Farmer on the trip and allowed us to receive from her training as a nurse and what a blessing it was to hear Amy Ross share stories of spending the day cutting hair at the orphanage. We had a great time building our house for a widow named Gregoria and it would’ve been so much more difficult for us without our very own pied piper, Scott Blackman doing magic tricks and keeping the little kids busy for hours.
Each time I take a ministry trip I am reminded of the Lord saying, “go, and lo I am with you always.” He always manages to show up in creative ways. He provides just what is needed at just the right time and leads us in using the gifts and skills we have as we make ourselves available. As we took time to share together on our last evening, I heard over and over from our team that they want to be a blessing here and see the needs of people around us at home just like in Mexico. Join us in praying for our team as we reenter life here in Chico and join us in praying that for our church family. That’d we’d be quick to give ourselves away and live lives focused on preferring one another.