Tonight, Brian and I took the girls and walked to the other end of our neighborhood ... really, we do this every night (we actually walk all the way around it) but tonight we stopped in at the home of Colleen and Michael.  Coincidentally, or very divinely inspired, Colleen and Michael are the couple who happen to be leading the mission team that we're on that's headed to Honduras in the fall.  They've lived in our neighborhood for over a year and we've just now met because of this mission trip. 

So, the reason we went to their home tonight ... well, it was to pack pills!  Does that sound hilarious or what?  Let me explain and then maybe it won't sound so strange.  Because the mission to Honduras involves providing for the Honduran people medically, the team literally brings hundreds, if not thousands, of pills (calcium supplements, mulit-vitamins, anti-parasite medication, prenatal vitamins, etc) for the various needs of the people.  Each type of pill is sorted and bagged into a thirty day supply. 

Molly and Brynn came with us and we just expected them to sit and watch us as we worked but they dove right into helping us!  It was pretty amazing!  There were four other adults besides Brian and I and then Molly and Brynn.  We each had a small plate to pour out our pills and we also had a stack of little clear zip-lock bags.  Brynn really tried her hardest to count thirty pills and put them in the bag but every now and then she counted like this ... 24, 25, 28, 29, 30 ... ahh, she really meant well!  So to remedy the situation, Molly and Michael each counted out pills for Brynn and her job was to put them in the little bags.  She had a little cup for each set of pills so all she had to do was pour them into the bag.  This worked really well. 

I apologize for not taking pictures; this might have been nice to share photographically but I did not really have an idea of what to expect.  Next time, I'll try to be more prepared.  For now, I found some photos on the internet to give you an idea of what we did ...

We had our second informational meeting this past Sunday at Calvary Community Church to review the purpose and content of the mission trip to Honduras.  We all went around the room stating our names, what church we are from, what our daily job is and what trip number this is.  Would you believe that there were some people who have served the people of Honduras eleven times or more ... I found that to be truly amazing!  But many of the veteran team members couldn't say enough how life-changing it was for them and how they couldn't wait to be there again! 

Will we feel that way too?

I sure hope so!

I'm a little late in posting this but I still wanted to share it on this blog as this is where it really belongs!  On March 9, I woke up that morning with fear in my heart ... I became fearful of many things like "What if something bad happens when we go to Honduras?  What if my daughters get hurt?  What if the plane crashes?  What if there's a tragic event (that I had no trouble conjuring in my mind) while on this mission trip?" ... oh and it went on and on that I became quite distressed! 

I said to the LORD, "I'm afraid. Please help me."

I carry around a stack of index cards on which I've written various Bible verses and Scripture prayers; some are sorted by topic, some are color-coded but some are just in random order.  It was from ths particular stack that I pulled out the first card.

I said to the LORD, "I'm afraid. Please help me."
 

And this was the first Bible verse I read that day:

I lift up my eyes to the hills -
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
~Psalm 121:1-2

 

And then ... this was my daily devotional (read below) ... All I have to say is, "WOW, God!!! You are SO AMAZING!!" 

March 9, 2012
The Trust Fall
Gwen Smith

But when I am afraid,I will put my trust in you (Psalm 56:3, ESV).

Our arms were braided across each other's and our hands were locked tightly. As the young girl stood on the tall tree stump above us she looked over her shoulder and saw with her eyes that our formation was tight...that we were ready for her. She heard with her ears that we would catch her...that we would not let her get hurt. Yet the fear that screamed in her head told her not to do it. Not to fall backwards. Her legs shook and lips quivered. Other campers had gone before her and her cabin mates had successfully caught each one. But this camper hesitated – allowing the looming possibilities of failure and pain to paralyze her from action. The risks just seemed too great.
She trembled.
We encouraged.
She cried.
We encouraged.
Then, finally, with determination in her heart, she took the plunge. She fell straight backwards onto the safety net of our arms. We bent low to the ground giving way to her fall and caught her with cheers of excitement. She did it! As her trembling legs regained their confidence, she stood tall and beamed from ear to ear – realizing that she had faced her fear. Joy was felt from heart to heart as each of us rejoiced with her.  Mission accomplished.

Early in the day, we had trekked across the campgrounds to the "Trust Fall station" as a group of counselors and campers who didn't have a shared experience among us, an unconnected strand of strangers. Now our wooded team-building time had come to an end and we left the trust fall station having bonded deeply as a group of new girlfriends prepared for a fresh journey of fun and adventure.
Each of us took turns at the Trust Fall that day. We all faced a set of scary circumstances and were forced to work through our doubts, tremblings and fears. As a result, we learned valuable lessons and strengthened our relationships.
Since my days of being a camp counselor, I've faced many scary life Trust Falls: financial trials, relationship strains, relocations, sick loved ones, and difficult family matters. I've trembled and I've cried. I've been paralyzed by "what ifs" and "whys." We all go through difficult seasons and trials; times when we want to see the invisible arms of the One who says He will catch us; times when we are afraid to fall into them.
Wherever we go and whatever we face, God is with us – yesterday, today and forever. He bids us to live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 ). He wants us to trust Him. He catches us when we Trust Fall, when we live by faith. And to encourage us along the way He spurs us on by sending a cloud of witnesses who testify of His faithfulness. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1, NIV).
Today, whether you identify with the shaky young camper on the Trust Fall stump or with the cabin mates who were filled with encouragement for another, God wants you to trust Him...right where you are. It might be scary. Tears might be shed. But God is faithful and can be trusted.
Like the Psalmist, let's choose to say, "But when I am afraid,I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?" (Psalm 56:3-4, ESV)
When we Trust Fall from our struggles into the faithful arms of God, we are freed from the fears that paralyze us. Trust Him today, friend. A cloud of Girlfriend in God witnesses are cheering for you!

Let's Pray
Dear Lord,
You are good, loving and faithful – and You know exactly what I'm facing. Please take this burden from me. Help me today to fall into a deeper place of trusting you.
In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen.

When Pastor Matt's parents got up in front of our smallish, Southeastern Wisconsin church one Sunday to talk about a potential mission trip to Honduras, I wasn't jumping out of my seat with my hand waiving in the air, shouting "I'll go, I'll go!" like I did eight years ago when I had the life-changing opportunity to go to England to partner with a church in Frodsham to encourage and to minister to their community.  I was so "head-over-heels" excited for that mission experience - I mean, I WAS REALLY into it!!!  Thinking about this mission trip to Honduras didn't make me feel that way when I first heard about it.  That made me think that I wasn't really meant to go, but I do know that I am eight years older than I was when I went on that first mission trip, I have two more children than I did then and I have experienced things since then, that I realize, have changed me. 

So, ... deep breath ... let's think about this. 

On February 18, 2012, my husband and I attended the first informational meeting to find out more about the type of mission trip this really is.   The country of Honduras is in Central America, is smaller in size than Wisconsin, and yet has a higher population.The second largest country in Central America, Honduras is bordered by Guatemala and El Salvador to the west, Nicaragua to the south, and is characterized by humid, tropical weather, moderate temperatures, and long periods of drought caused partly by deforestation. Hondurasfaces severe poverty and food insecurity in rural areas, where 53 percent of the population lives. On average, only one-third of Honduran children attend school past the primary level, resulting in decreased availability of qualified labor, productivity, and income generation. Child labor is also an issue, as an estimated 384,000 children and adolescents between the ages of five and 18 are employed.  Honduras is among the poorest nations of the world. It is a nation of neglected and abandoned children and adults in dire need of help. Many families are locked into a devastating cycle of disease, unemployment and illiteracy. Every year, more than 50,000 Hondurans have their medical and dental needs met by medical and non-medical volunteers who make up the Medical-Evangelism brigades of World Gospel Outreach. It's called a "Medical-Evangelism" mission; the team, or brigade, consists of 10-12 medical professionals (doctors, nurses, medical assistants, technicians, etc ...) and the rest are "not medically-professional", like me, who will work together to provide for the medical, dental, vision and pharmaceutical needs of thousands of Hondurans who would not otherwise have the means to receive such care.  Lives are changed and communities are transformed as WGO Brigades partner with more than 80 local Honduran churches to serve those in need, bringing medical care to some who have never had it. World Gospel Outreach is helping defeat poverty in Honduras while bringing the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 (information on Honduras provided by World Gospel Outreach and World Vision International)

Truthfully, I can think of several reasons NOT to go to Honduras … It’s not going to be anything like the mission trip to England on which Brian and I served nearly eight years ago.  There’s going to be a language barrier.  Can I really be away from my two young daughters for eight nights?  What if I can’t deal with the intense need of the Honduran people?  Am I too crippled by fear that I won’t be an effective witness? … Just recently, as I was looking in the Bible for passages of Scripture to form into prayers, with the thought of Honduras looming in the back of my mind, I barely whispered to God, “LORD, would you just make it clear to me whether or not You want me to go on this mission?” and it was at that very moment that I turned to the following verse that I was going to write down for the prayer for my husband:

…stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

How about that?  Well, I instantly claimed that verse for myself and memorized it!  Despite all my fears, I know that my efforts will not be in vain and I am excited to see how the LORD will use me on this mission trip! 

So, join us ... follow along as we (my husband, my son and I and a whold brigade-full of other people) prepare to go to Honduras to serve the people and to share our heart for Jesus.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated!