Thank You

Recently I have been humbled by the outpouring of support I have received while preparing for the trip of a life time. In one week, I will be heading to Nicaragua with a group of high school students and adult leaders. We will be working with many different people, but the majority of our time will be spent in a place called La Chureca, a trash dump community in Managua, Nicaragua. It is home to countless children fighting to survive an unthinkable landscape of burning trash, physical and sexual abuse, and starvation.

As the day gets closer, I am experiencing an array of emotions. I am praying that all the emotions I am experiencing are God's way of preparing me. When I first agreed to go on this trip, it was out of complete (are you really sure God) obedience. I am now looking forward to seeing God at work in a terribly dark, dark place (a place not called Wexford), at work in the hearts of individuals who do not look like I do, who do not speak like I do or live like I do. I am so excited for people to see the Holy Spirit bleeding out of me. These people won’t look like me or live like me, but they are my neighbors. We are taught to love our neighbors- not just neighbors who live two doors down, who look like we do, or who go to the same church as we do. Our neighbors are all of God's children. Wow! I can not believe I just wrote that. It was not long ago that I was telling God how he equipped me to fund mission trips, not actually go on mission trips. God is so good, and I actually believe He has a great sense of humor....me on a mission trip? (That's funny!)

Beth Ann and I have entered into a wonderful time of prayer together. Already I feel that this trip has done wonderful things in my life. We are praying for the Holy Spirit's power to be unleashed within all of the participants in the mission and all around the people we encounter. I believe this is the start of absolute surrender for many of us or maybe just me?! Starting today (maybe tomorrow) I will begin to unconditionally put my life in His hands.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. I will try and update this blog: http://leavingthemabetterplace.blogspot.com/ as often as I can. Pastor Doug will be updating his blog: http://mission2nicaragua.wordpress.com/ multiple times a day.

Thank you for your support
Mark