It is a humbling thing going to a country torn apart by a drug war. It is even more humbling being trusted by parents with their kids to help them grow in their faith. Being in love with Jesus brings you into many circumstances in life that don't seem rational at the time, but upon reflection afterwards seem perfectly rational. This is one of those times ...
It doesn't seem rational to take the one week of vacation and work harder than your actual job or school. It doesn't seem rational to pay money to build a home for other people that you have never met and will probably never see again. It doesn't seem rational that building a building would communicate the radical love of Jesus dying on the cross.
The lesson is that God is sovereign. When we focus on ourselves we get lost in the noise of the world around us. When we focus on God we can clearly see the hurts of others and recognize that we have the power to do something about it. The truth of the matter is that everyone in the world is hurting the same, just the circumstances that we have before mask it differently. Some have physical obstacles that are easy to see while others have internal obstacles that can stay buried forever. In the end the same thing heals them both, the radical love of Jesus dying on the cross.
So I will leave my boys, and my wife, and America in pursuit of taking my eyes off of my life and personal desires and instead focus on the cross and all that Jesus has to offer a humble sinner like me. My hope for all of those who are joining together on this mission trip is that we can see how important it is and how valuable it is to keep Jesus as the center and let everything else flow from this space.
