for the past few years i've been going to latin america for mission trips. each year is the same in some respects... fall semester i start thinking about getting the word out and getting folks signed up; once we have a team together we get going with the process of raising funds to go on the trip; once spring semester comes around, we start gathering the money, sending it in; then we get more details, relay that to the team; get some last minute details, have a meeting about that; then we meet up in nova (northern va) the night before we fly out, give out more details; drive to the airport, fly to another airport, go through customs, arrive in another country, get through customs; and we're there.
it's tiring just typing it out. with all of this prep work, i often forget the whole purpose of the trip. each year at this time i have to sit and remember the past year's trip. i remember the faces of our friends down there... cesar, marlon, angel, jessica, hombre negro de la montana.
the solis family
i remember the faces of the children... the ones we washed their feet and gave them new shoes...
just got new shoes
the ones we plastered with stickers because they couldn't get enough...
stickers and hot hands
the ones we fixed and painted their cribs...
my beautiful wife and a baby she almost brought home (not really, but she thought about it)
it's images like these that stick in my head and help me remember why i go on these trips; why it's worth all of the hard work to get down there; why Jesus calls us to not stand still but to go and do. i get that there are people here in our own back yard who need our help and i do what i can to help them, but i also get that Jesus calls us to go out to all nations.
even sitting here going back through these memories and these images gets me excited about being there.
please pray for our team of 10 as we go down to honduras next week. if you want to see more images of our trips, you can go here, here and here.
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