|
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'"
(Isaiah 6:8)
Here is my journal entry as we wrapped up serving in one country before heading to the next one:
Today, Friday, Nov. 4, the group went to B- to see some sights before we packed up and headed to the airport to fly to our next country. I sure do appreciate this team from GHBC. Everyone is all-in, patient, willing to do whatever needs to be done as we are on mission with Jesus. I'm blessed to serve as the pastor at GHBC and Connect Church (our new campus in Liberty Hill).
I stayed back, ate lunch with some pastors, and had a great conversation with them. At my table were pastors from three Asian countries. One pastor told me how they are persecuted by the Catholic Church accusing them of forcing young people to convert. They go to a private pool to baptize, and God continues to bless them. They are bold in evangelism and very intentional in discipleship. Another pastor at lunch said he would fly to his country the next day and then ride a bus for 24 hours up a mountain to his home in the western part of the country. They only stop for quick breaks.
I feel like Jim Cymbala when he met Billy Graham. Cymbala was introduced to Graham by Will, Billy's grandson. Cymbala was preaching at the Cove Retreat Center in the mountains of North Carolina and was taken by Will to meet his grandfather. Will told Billy Graham how much he appreciated the message and how it spoke to him. Billy asked what the message was about. Will said Cymbala preached on how vital it is to be with Jesus before we serve or preach for Jesus. Billy said, "This message was for me. I'm 96 years old, and I need to spend more time with Jesus." Cymbala was blown away by the humility of Billy Graham. (Cymbala recounts this story on pages 192-195 in his new book, Fan the Flame.) I feel so humbled when I am in the presence of these pastors. They live under constant threats; they travel long distances with little resources, and yet they have such joy and passion.
After lunch, I packed, and now our team is about to grab dinner and go to the airport for our 9:30 p.m. flight to the next destination.
Good flight. At customs in the airport. All went well, and I believe it went so well because the very moment we were going, many in the US were praying for all to go smoothly. We were asked several questions at customs, but all went well. The power of intercession!
We got to bed at 2:00 a.m. and up at 8:00 a.m. to begin our journey among our unreached people group. The ladies stayed back in the city with M's wife, R. Tom and I traveled with M. for six hours to where we would serve the next four days.
The devotion today was taken almost verbatim from my journal I took while on the mission trip. Keeping a journal is a discipline I have kept for years. I encourage you to keep one as well, especially when you are on a mission trip. I also keep a pictorial journal that I hope blesses my family and loved ones long after I leave earth and am in heaven with Jesus.
|
Apple
Spotify
Stitcher
YouTube
