Service, Sacrifice, Sentiment
My observations on Service, sacrifice, and sentiment. While on our mission trip to PR; where we are the hands and spirit of God, doing his good work. Doing his good work to help the most needy and those deserving of His graces.
As we are helping our brothers and sisters individually, the whole community must be helped by our actions in thy God’s name. Our service is not only to God and our patrons, but to our fellow missionaries and to our selves. While serving God we can help our fellow missionaries grow in their spirit and father and sense of worthiness in serving. This same growth is experienced by us as individuals. We can see the service rendered and received.
In our service to God we might experience sacrifices. These sacrifices might be time away from…, or sacrifices of comfort. During our time of service we have to sacrifice our time with our dear family and friends, both our 2 legged and 4 legged!!! Modern communications can only go so far. Traveling outside our state and country into the unknown and into different cultures can be daunting. Additionally, the forging of fellowship and the sense of accomplishment we experience at our work/jobs can be stressful.
There are things that we miss while on our mission trips, but there are also things that we sacrifice on our mission trips; things that we sacrifice but we can over come through God’s graces. We have to, at times, give up our quiet enjoyment and personal space. A lack of sleep can also be a challenge. The warm / hot temperature can help to overcome the typical cool / cold shower, LOL 😂
This mission trip has had the whole spectrum of emotions, sentimentalities and feelings. The first emotion that I felt to express about is wonderment. Wonderment in prayers to and spirit of God. It is amazing to see the faith of our fellow missionaries in action, in spirit and in deeds. Nightly devotions allow for growing our faith in God’s powerful message of love. The powerful stimuli that is presented on an hourly / daily basis makes for an unsettling yet positive opportunity for personal growth in God’s love. There is a level of excitement in experiencing the unknowns of mission trips which require patience, love and faith, all culminating in a level of exhaustion that we have done God’s work to its fullest. God bless all who read this, and all that made our mission trip happen.
-John Green (aka Juan Verde)
Today was an exhausting day. We started off unloading tons of windows for the church. We had to organize them by size and then set them on pallets, in an elevator, and send them upstairs. We finished that and went to visit the homeless community and pass out care packages with a local organization. When we got back to the church, the second load of windows was here and we unloaded those, too. I got to go for a walk around the streets of Puerto Rico and was blessed by its beauty.
-Kelsey D
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, "We must use time creatively in the knowledge that the time is always right to do right." This is what Jesus desires for all people - to love the Lord God first and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36 -40).
When we love God, we can love others (neighbors) irregardless of race, creed, or economic status. SEE the person, not the condition! Case in point: see the PERSON and their need, not that they are living under a bridge in poor conditions. Everyone has value!
As a Servant/Leader, God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, called and gifted me as an Evangelist, Pastor/Teacher (Ephesians 4: 11, 12). Through ministry opportunities, I have eulogized at Home-going Services, officiated at weddings, lead missions teams domestic and foreign, evangelized the lost, and authored 11 Christian books to promote spiritual growth and development.
God moved in a mighty and miraculous way when I was assigned to lead Devotion/Bible Study on Tuesday night, July 18th. The Holy Spirit's presence was felt in that place and we all felt the anointing fall down afresh as we discussed God's plans for our lives (Jeremiah 29: 11) and to trust God (Proverbs 3: 5, 6) no matter what!
We serve an awesome God! There was healing and breakthroughs as I gave my testimony of being wounded and broken at the young age of 16.
God calls us to be obedient to His will and His plans for our lives and to trust Him. He is our Wounded Healer. "The time is always right to do right." Let God lead us and He will reveal what others need for we don't know what they are going through. Let the Lord Jesus use you to be a blessing to others!
-Dr. Ruby J. Bowens
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