Should you choose to accept it....

Check out a Mission Trip at Half Price!Too good to be true? Only if you don't get signed up before they are full. This Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary we will give you an opportunity to see and hear about any of the mission trips you might be interested in going on in 2008. This is a great opportunity to see if God might be calling you to be part of a short-term mission team this year.

And that was the email that started it all! I had not been thinking about mission trips this year. For probably the past five years, I have thought about mission trips -- every summer. A love of travel combined with a growing desire to live the words that Jesus spoke drew me to the "mission talks" every spring. I was thrilled to hear the career missionaries talk about their work in Africa or Romania or Estonia. Of course, I found them all to be completely beyond my own realm of possibility, but I thought maybe I could do a short-term trip. When I didn't have a full-time job, with limited vacation days. Maybe next year. When I didn't have a tiny baby that needed me. Maybe next year. When I had more disposable income to spend on a trip. Maybe next year. When it didn't fall during the school year, or over July 4th. Maybe next year. Next year became this year, and God prodded me with the above email from one of our pastors. You've got the whole summer off, the tiny babies are not so tiny anymore, the dates are right, you still don't have much disposable income, but look - half price! A bargain! And I do so love a bargain.

I sent an email to my good friend across town - just a question. Did you attend the missions dinner this year? She didn't answer, but when I saw her the next day she asked me a question. Why did you ask me that? Are you thinking about going on a mission trip? I gulped and timidly answered, ummmm...maybe? And she boldly said, ME TOO! And God prodded further....What do you think of THAT? He asked. So she and I agreed...let's go to the information session and just see what it's all about. No commitments. But that night quickly narrowed our focus to Costa Rica - not too far, not too expensive, the dates were perfect, we had both been to the country before, so we felt comfortable -- and we tentatively decided to go. Yes!! God was working mightily in this thing because really, I've had more trouble trying to plan a coffee date with a friend. And voila....a whole trip just fell into place. I wasn't sure what to think. It's difficult for me to fully believe that God works in my life. Other people's...sure! But mine? OK, definitely during that bringing-babies-into-the-world miracle. But this is something completely different. I am going to go out into the world as Jesus' hands and feet? Me? I can't wait to see what happens next.