My Why Answers

Don't get too excited thinking I have figured out the Why questions of life, because long ago I decided that although Jesus will one day answer all of our Why questions, by that time the answer won't matter anymore. (you know, like why on earth does a baby scream her head off if she is so tired?!?!?)

Alas, this week in Bible Study we were asked by Angela to answer some Why questions about this trip and I wanted to share my answers.

1. Why am I on this trip?
The short answer is, because God told me to go! I would never in a million years have thought I might actually go on a missions trip, especially to the other side of the world, but when God tells you to go, He not only fills you with the desire, but also with the peace that all the plans will work out. Besides one short breakdown, I have not worried about how this would all work out. I knew God would provide, because He has been in charge of this all along.
At the same time, I could not be doing with this without “the hand of the Lord upon me, [from which] I took courage…” (Ezra 7:28). To sign up for this trip not knowing hardly anyone going was a huge step for me.

2. Who am I targeting?
I know our goal is to love on and encourage these women at the REST retreat and that is what I enjoy doing, so I am hoping for the opportunity to do that. I want to be open to do what the Lord will have me do there. However, the other week when Mendy and I were putting together all these scrapbooking kits and I was thinking about the low attendance issue, I thought, “what are we going to do if so few people show up to the retreat and no one chooses to come to our workshop?!? “ I wasn’t really disappointed like we had worked so hard for nothing, for I knew it was the Lord’s will for us to be doing this. But then I thought, “maybe there is someone else who needs all this stuff, or maybe if there are only 5 people who show up at our workshops, we can bless them by giving them all this extra stuff. Maybe they have wanted to get into preserving their families history and events and just have not been able to get the supplies to do it. I just want to be open to whomever and whatever I need to do, I want to “boldly and without hindrance….. [teach] about the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:31)

3. What is my purpose on this trip?
Not only to be faithful and obey the Lord when He says to go, but also to be open to what He wants me to do. As Matthew Henry says, “when God's time is come for fulfilling his gracious purposes concerning his church, he will raise up instruments to do it…” That would be us; that would be me.
I also want to expand my understanding of missions, to see it “live in action”; I want to finally after 40 years do the great commission; I want to have a deeper love for missions begin to build within me. I want to take a step of faith and let God show me what He can do for me when I totally trust Him, to enlarge my simplistic understanding of Him.

4. What is God telling me about my role on this trip?
Be open to what I want you to do for Me. See where it may go. Hang on!

5. How I came to know Jesus….
At the tender age of 7 ½ I asked Jesus into my heart and was baptized, but all I thought that meant was that I got to drink the juice and eat the cracker. I have been in church since I was 4 weeks old, so I had heard and learned the wonderful Bible stories and memorized scripture, but it wasn’t until I was in high school that I really began to understand and grasp it all. Then, while in college, I actually got rebaptized. Not because I thought I needed it, but because I felt like I understood it more and wanted to experience it again.
I have no wild conversion story since I have pretty much been goody two-shoes all my life, but that does not mean life has always been easy. I may appear to have it all together on the outside, but inside there are many troubles that nag at me and beg to drag me down. However, through the years of being married and having children I have continued to grow and grow in my understand and love of Jesus and that has helped me in my battles that I fight.


I'm anxious to see what everyone else has to say tonight!

O:)
Melissa