The Countdown Begins: 9 Days to Colombia

I want to begin this post with a gigantic THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this trip financially, with donations, with prayer, or in some cases, with all three. I have an amazing sense of calm about this trip.

People have asked me how I'm preparing for this trip. There are really two ways.

1. Reading the Bible
2. Prayerful meditation

One of the women I am traveling with, Nicole, turned me on to a bible study called Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby. It's a self-guided (or group study) of your personal relationship with the Lord. The heart of the study is about developing an intimate relationship with God. Through my reading and meditation, I've gained insight into what it means to listen to God, to be a servant, and to live a God-centered life.

Our pastor recently asked us to submit a mini-bio about ourselves. One of the questions in the bio was "What do you hope God will do through you?"  I don't "hope" God will do something through me. I know He will and that's because I know, without a doubt, God called me to go to Colombia.

The Blackaby study has helped me see where God has been working in my life and it's encouraged me to see this whole trip as experiencing God. 

People ask me "Well, what are you going to be doing down there." I never know how to answer that question. John 15:5 says "Apart from me, you can do nothing." I would be foolish to think that anything that happens down there is because of me. In fact, I'm being cautious of having any expectation about what we are going to "do." Rather, I am preparing to see God at work and to listen for Him to speak to me.

What, exactly, God will do through me, is up to Him. "Understanding what God is about to do where I am is more important that telling God what I want to do for Him." (Blackaby, 38).