goodbye September....hello OCTOBER!!!

Dearest Team,

I just really looked at the calendar and realized today is the last day of September! Which means tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER!! (Brilliant, huh?!?)

We are five days away from being ssssstttttttrrrrreeeeettttttcccccchhhhhheeeeeddddd!! Actually, some of that stretching is already occurring!

Every short term mission should stretch your faith. It’s not life as usual. It’s being part of something bigger than you. It’s a move from the familiar to the unfamiliar, and to the unknown. What happens when life consists of the same routine every day? Well, if you are like me, you can get careless and lethargic in your relationship to God, because you at least think you know what’s coming.
But when the routine is broken, as it is about to be when we leave on this trip, there is an interesting dynamic that kicks into gear, a new urgency to rely on God. The short term missionary embarks on an adventure that’s more than a change in geography. You have no choice but to trust in God moment by moment in ways you would never have to if all was familiar. When you go from the familiar to the unfamiliar your faith is forced to grow more active. And because God responds to faith, guess what? You experience Him in new ways in your life.
As you step out into new territory, the Lord will often step up the intensity in which a spiritual gift operates in your life (it may even have been dormant inside you up to now.) While on the unfamiliar terrain of a mission you will listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit with greater care and sensitivity than you typically would during the normal routine. You may be asked to do something that is not routine for you, like speaking or giving testimony publicly, or praying for the sick. You may face some practical challenge that is completely new to you. You may need to make a decision in the course of the trip, a decision which taps undeveloped leadership potential in you. Unexpected circumstances could tap certain skills in you that nobody else knew you had. In a spot like that you will find yourself desperately leaning on Christ and experiencing His wonderful help in ways you never have before. You are now right where God wants you. Now, He can reveal more of Himself, and more of His great power, in you and through you. The team can pull together to accomplish more than the sum of what each of us can do individually. Because we’re obeying the Great Commission, God’s anointing will be strong in us. The Lord will use you!

Expect a fresh touch from God as you prepare and participate in the mission. As the day of departure approaches, prepare your heart by taking extended time with the Lord, communing with him. Consider fasting for a period of time. Expect great things from God!

Prayer: “Thank you Lord, for calling me to be a part of something bigger than myself, and for calling me to seek eternal fruit in a place and environment unfamiliar to me. You are the God to whom I look for provision, guidance, grace, power, and anointing to enjoy a successful mission. I consecrate my life to Your use, and trust You to draw out of me gifts and potential that I may not currently be using to the fullest.”

(by Jan)