It's Thursday - another opportunity to say "thank you".
I just returned from a mission trip to Galveston. I want to say thank you for mission trips - I want to say thank you for the people who organize them, and the people who go on them. It takes a special type of person to participate in mission trips. They're not always easy - you're away from the comforts of your own home, often in a strange culture, where your health and safety may be at risk. You're often sleeping in an uncomfortable bed, listening to strange and scary noises at night. You're often eating bizarre food - and your body reacts strongly against these strange foods. You're often tired, and confused, and hungry - longing for your own bed, your own language, your own family.
But mission trips are life-changing. You go with the intention of helping others, and you come back home with the feeling of being helped. You find out who you really are - you learn all about the people of the world - and you learn about your own spirituality. I often feel closer to God when I'm on a mission trip. I guess it's because I am learning about different cultures and different people - all created by Him. I come home with a new appreciation of the many blessings that I have here in my own home.
I have learned many things on mission trips. I have learned how to be patient. I have learned to be flexible. I have learned to focus on others, and not myself. I have learned to focus on Him and the wonders of this Earth that we live in.
I love mission trips. So, thanks, God - for "nudging" me back in 2004 to go on my first one. May they never end.
Peace.
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