One week away!

So the Ebenezer-Midwood Acts 1:8 Great Commission Partnership, international, "ends of the earth" mission (yep, a mouthful) will take place in one more week! Time has really flown right on by. I remember when we first talked about this mission that there was no doubt in my mind that I was going. I didn't know how, I didn't know under what circumstances, but I knew I'd be going.

For those who don't know what this mission is about, my church, Ebenezer Baptist Church teamed up with Midwood Baptist Church and the Baptists on Mission organization for year-long churchwide mission projects, based on Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”  Our first mission (Jerusalem) was to canvas the neighborhoods surrounding Ebenezer Baptist Church, identifying various people groups, documenting whatever needs they might have, ministering to them through prayer and inviting them to come worship with us. Our second mission (Judea) took place in Shelby, NC. We assisted the Journey With God Ministries in bringing the church, formerly a liquor house, up to standards so that the pastor and his wife could minister to the people in the community better. The third mission (Samaria) was in Hillsboro, WV, where team members ministered to new mothers at a birthing center set up for mothers who gave birth while in prison, services were held at the men's correctional facility, and construction projects were done in the community. The final project, ("ends of the earth") will take place in Kisumu, Kenya, Africa. There, we will be working with Kenya Houses of Hope, an organization that builds houses for people, mostly widows and their children, in dire need of shelter. We will also be ministering to adults and orphaned children in the area. There are two orphanages in the area where children eat one meal EVERY OTHER DAY. We pray that we will be able to bless those children with more meals at least during the time we are there.

People ask me if I am excited about this project, and I truly am, but the closer we get to the task at hand, the more anxious (good kind) I get. My mind is racing, thinking about things I still need to get for the time we are in Kenya, what we will encounter when we land, how little old me can make an impact on someone on the other side of the world, weaning my toddler, and on and on and on! But foremost in ALL of my thoughts is that God orchestrated every bit of what has happened thus far, and He will continue while we are doing His work. Whatever I forget to pack, whatever greets us when we land, whatever impact I make (or whatever impact is made on me!), however cranky E will get, and on and on and on, it's in God's hands, so I don't need to worry about it. Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." 

Lord, I thank You for this opportunity to continue doing the work Jesus did during His short time on earth. I thank for the opportunity to DO GREATER! I know that nothing I can do compares to what Jesus did for us, but I get to go where Jesus couldn't while on earth, and that, to me, is AWESOME! Equip me with the tools I need to show your love to the people I encounter from Charlotte, NC, to Kisumu, Kenya, and back Bless those I am leaving behind, and bless those I have yet to meet--keep us all in Your hands. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.