18 Days Away!

We are 18 days away from flying to the Dominican Republic and somehow it still doesn't seem real. It probably won't seem real until we are on the plane, sitting next to someone with the same color shirt as us and the other 20 some people on the plane from our group. Or maybe it'll seem real as we step onto the pavement in the Dominican and smell the smell native the the Dominican and feel that heat! It might not seem real to us until we are sitting beside someone who doesn't speak our language, doesn't understand what we are trying to communicate  and a simple smile breaks the barrier.

I remember being in this village (the one in the picture) and being amazed at the intensity with which this man colored. He was enjoying himself. It was the simple pleasure of coloring that he enjoyed. I remember wishing somehow that I could feel that way, maybe not about coloring, but about life. I remember wanting to slow down all the busy things in my life and take time for the important things, the things that bring me joy and the things that matter for Christ.

This year, the same as last, we wear a bracelet that says "it's not about us." While we are in the Dominican, we need a constant reminder that literally "IT IS NOT ABOUT US!" When it gets hot..."it's not about us"...when we are hungry..."it's not about us"...when we feel like we can't get up and share our story because it's too personal or too embarrassing..."it's not about us."

The challenge is to live that way on the missions trip, but it shouldn't end there...the real challenge is to live that way in our daily life, at work, at home and in our communities.

 Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

Psalm 115:1