I first became a Christian the summer between my sophomore and junior year in High School. Over the summer I went on a mission trip to Mexico with my youth group from Grace Community Church in Raleigh, NC. From the start of the trip I feel in love with sharing the love of Christ through Service. This love of missions and service spurred me to continue going on mission trips with the youth group and eventually for a return trip to Mexico before college. The last trip to Mexico was a time of spiritual growth and a time to rest to before entering college at UNC. Mainly, the trip was to share the love of Christ with the Mexican people. I spent a month there, the longest trip I had taken so far, and grew to know and love the people there. While my Spanish is broken, communication became easier as the month went on. I was able to tell but most importantly demonstrate Christ's love by building homes and fellowshipping with the Mexican people. From past trips I had become aware of the poverty people lived in but I had never experienced it first hand. This changed while in Mexico. We had the opportunity to stay with a family for three days and two nights. I was lucky and stayed with a women who had two homes on her property. The homes however are nothing like here in the US. The home is one room and is not quite twice the size of my dorm room. Many families have one bed and some essentials for six or even ten people. I shared the room with Martha's sons, one had TB. The women stayed in the other house and there were 4 of them. Martha is one of the lucky ones. I experienced what it was like to live in utter poverty, to not eat breakfast or dinner (lunch only because the organization fed them) and then work an 8 to 10 hour day doing construction work. This experience increased my desire to do mission work. I began praying about things to do this summer. I asked Chuck Halley about his trips to Africa and I quickly felt like God was opening up doors that would allow me to go. This past fall I began the preliminary planning and after Christmas began to finalize details and begin fund raising. I am excited to see the ways that God will use to show his love towards the African people. Please be praying for Ben and me as we prepare for this journey and while we are there.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? – James 2:14-16
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