Who are we really???

Ever since Wednesday night youth group, I've been thinking about this word-integrity. I think it's a very appropriate topic for the youth group as a whole...but especially for the 18 of us who are heading to Gabon this summer. There's a tendancy to look at a trip like this as a big EVENT in our lives...like going there will be this grand gesture we deposit into our "life account". The months leading up to the EVENT are spent raising funds, getting immunizations and applying for Passports and Visas. But, do we recognize our desperate need to set ourselves apart today...right now, months before the EVENT?

As defined on Wednesday, integrity is who we are when no one is watching. It's what we do with our time when no one is watching. It's what we type in a text when only a certain friend is watching. It's how we spend our money. How we respond to a crisis. It's so many, many things.

How are we doing today? If we wait until June to put on our "Christian-duty" jackets to head out and serve, we will have missed many, many opportunities to BE Christ today.

Preparing for a missions trip is so much more than raising funds and checking off a To-Do list. It's intentionally living TODAY for Jesus. It's seeing that the creepiest kid in school needs a friend, or a kind word. It's noticing that your little brother needs help studying for his Science test. It's sacrificing your favorite tv show because you haven't had QUIET or STILLNESS in your life for a month. It's respecting your parents rules even when they seem unfair. It's doing what is right BECAUSE it is right...all the time.

It's not possible to do what is right ALL the time...but we can certainly make it a conscious decision to TRY. No matter how old we get, we'll struggle with fitting in too snuggly in this world. We'll struggle with tearing ourselves away from the seemingly harmless things that distract us from lives of Holiness and Integrity.

It is the plight of every Christian...to see Him in every corner of our life and respond to Him with our full attention and obedience.

Let us be people who don't accidently do what is right...but people who intentionally strive to BE who God commands us to be. People of Integrity with HEARTS that beat like His...today, where we find ourselves--not just on a foreign field where it's expected.

We're at it again!

In 5 months and 7 days we'll be packed and on our way to the airport...headed on another adventure....this time to Libreville, Gabon in West Africa.

At the writing of this, June seems so far away, and there is still SO much to do in order to actually make the trip a reality. There are funds to raise (many, MANY funds to raise!), immunizations and Malaria pills to be taken, VISA's to receive, and alot of questions to be answered!

On this end of all of these tasks, they are absolutely HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE! Each aspect on it's own is totally overwhelming and has so many details attached to it. But...we LOVE and SERVE a God who loves to reveal Himself to His children through the impossible. He loves to show His Strength, His Compassion, and His Faithfullness to those who will but choose to look His way and depend completely on Him alone.

We are a group of students and youth leaders who come to Him in just such a way. We look with anticipation at the impossibly huge amount of money we each need to raise, and know that not one of us has the ability on our own to do raise this amount from now until June. We'd be lying to say there is absolutely NO fear in this at all. Truthfully, we've all gone through a host of emotions before signing on to this trip.

Our faith is being stretched...the faith of our families is being stretched. Do we REALLY believe what we SAY we believe? Do we REALLY believe that the God who has called us to "GO" this summer can and will provide each need? We say the words easily...because that's what's expected...but when it comes down to it, we're scared and skeptical and full of "what ifs". The stretching of our faith is part of this journey...we look with anticipation to see how the Creator of the Universe will stoop down to provide for this small group of Americans who have a heart to follow Him wherever He leads....

His leading has brought us to Africa...we're on a journey of FAITH and we wait with anticipation to see the great things He has in store for us along the way!

Join us...we'll share what we're learning and be blessed by any comments

you have along theway!

(*this is an incomplete picture of the team...we're missing 4 students, so we'll update it soon!)