There are certain days in the year that we all look forward – Christmas, birthdays, last days of school, etc. Each one of those days elicit some pretty cool memories of years past, and also lead to some crazy expectations when they come up again. (Luckily for me, I still get to enjoy the last day of school feeling every year.) Well there is another day that creates so much excitement I can barely contain myself – Day 1 of this trip.
On the days leading up to this trip, like kids the week before Christmas, I’m pretty much on pins and needles in anticipation. Knowing what has happened in years past, and the great things we have accomplished, make it very difficult to contain my emotions. And being the organizer of the trip, it really messes with my sleep patterns. Way too many times have I woken up in a panic thinking I left someone or something, only to take a few deep breaths and realize it’s still a few days away.
Like most people who have been on a mission trip, you know that the work is not going to be easy – physically emotionally, and spiritually. But for some reason we keep coming back for more. I think knowing makes us want to come back. The feeling you get the entire week cannot be duplicated at any time during the rest of the year.
I know that many of my friends and family can get kind of sick of me talking about it. It’s hard from them to relate to what I’m doing if they haven’t done anything like this yet. A lot of them also think that I’m kind of crazy to be doing this year after year. But I can’t help it. Now that I have gotten a taste for this type of work, how can I stop? Now that I have been to a place with so much despair, and the little time we spend there makes such a difference in their lives, how can I not go?
So when this Saturday rolls around, and we are all at the church parking lot at 5 am looking like a group of zombies before dawn, you’ll know why I’m bouncing around like a kid waiting for their parents to get out of bed on Christmas morning. I can’t wait to give the best gift I can think of.
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Dan! We NEVER get tired of hearing about your experiences in the Bahamas. You're not only infecting others with your enthusiasm - your inspiring them to follow you lead and changing lives in the process! I pray this trip and each and every one you go on Jesus reveals something new and different to you about His Kingdom! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteMartha