By now, those of you who have been reading my blogs for a while know that I have a heart for missions and missionary work. I want to do missionary work when I graduate high school, I've always had an interest in faraway countries and the culture they have, and to me there is nothing more wonderful than hearing the stories of people who have been impacted by missions. It's so neat to see God's work being done in the real world on a day to day basis. The lives God's work changes turn into beautiful things, and there is no limit to how much glory God can get from those who go about his work faithfully.
While all of the above is very dear to my heart, missions work is also in my blood. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been going on missions trips. I can still remember some of the stories he brought home of the exotic places he had seen and the people he'd met and I always knew, even before my heart fully turned to missions, that one day I would go on a missions trip with my dad and work alongside him.
That day has finally come! I'm about to embark on an amazing adventure! For the first time in my life, I will be leaving the country and visiting a new place to do missions work. In a little less than three weeks, nine others (pictured above) and I will be heading down south to the tiny island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Trinidad is a small island just off the coast of Venezuela; it's shaped like a boot and is actually a very established country. Once we get there, we will be working alongside locals from the City of God Church, to reach out to the community around the church. We hope to minister to the homeless in the area and we might even take a trip to a local hospital to visit some sick children. But, more than that, we hope to work within the church we will be visiting.
City of God Church is a well-established church; it was founded many years ago by Pastor Ramdath Rampaul and started its life as lean in the middle of an open field. Over the years, through the devotion of its staff, faithful prayer, and aid from missionaries like my dad, the church has grown and is now a multi-story, multi-room building. The church has many programs, including an elementary school, but it doesn't have a youth group. While the teens at the church would love to start one, they don't know where to begin. So it is my team's hope and purpose when we get to Trinidad to help kickstart a youth group for the kids there. Over three nights we will be interacting with the Trinidad youth, worshiping with them, and teaching them. We will show them what an American-style youth group looks like so they can have something in mind when coming up with their own.
I can not express how excited I am about this trip! I can't wait to experience a new culture, meet new people, and worship alongside other believers that I've never met before. It is my hope that the trip will be rewarding for everyone involved. I pray that the rest of the Trinidad team and I will be profoundly impacted as we do God's work, and that we would come home changed and ready to evangelize in our daily lives. May we see the work God can do through us and put our whole hearts into it.
I pray for the youth of Trinidad that we will be interacting with. Let them hear a truth in our words, see the love of God through our actions, and may they not remember us after we leave; rather, let them remember what God did through us. I hope that everyone gets something out of this trip. No matter what they may feel going in - fear, excitement, confusion, or curiosity - let any feeling pale in comparison to what God will do over the week. May hearts be open, ears be ready to hear, and souls be ready to be changed. To God be the glory!
Please keep the entire team and the Trinidad youth in your prayers.
I will let all of you know how the trip went when I get back. :)
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