Texas Mission Trip

October 1st, 2008

Last week I had the privilege of joining 8 other men from Cedarcrest on a mission trip to South Texas. The purpose of the trip was two-fold. We went to deliver 400 pairs of new shoes given by families at Cedarcrest Church to children in need on the Texas/Mexico border. We also went to do a few days of constuction and restoration on some homes damaged during the recent hurricane season.

As with every mission trip I have been on, God moved in my life in an incredible way. I love the opportunity to go on mission trips because my expectations are always blown away and this trip was no different. While I know there is no way I can adequetly explain what took place on this trip, I want to share one experience that stands out that I will not soon forget.

On the first full day of our trip we began the morning with construction. Late in the afternoon we went to a local church in Mission, TX to distibute the first 200 pairs of shoes. As we gave each child a pair of shoes our group washed their feet to show them the love of Christ and help them understand that these shoes were a gift of His love. It was an overwhelming experience for us all. In the middle of washing these children’s feet I was handed a little girl to hold named Isabella who was just over a year old. I was holding Isabella while her mother helped put shoes on the feet of her older brother. After a few minutes of holding this beautiful little brown eyed girl, she curled up in my arms and layed her head on my chest. As she rested in my arms a thought came to my mind that was a clear as it could be. I felt like God was speaking to me and said, “Why don’t you trust me the way this little girl is trusting you?” I was totally caught off guard! I was a complete stranger to this little girl and yet she trusted me enough to curl up in my arms and rest her head on my chest. She had total trust in me in that moment. I was reminded of how difficult it can be for me to place my full trust in my Heavenly Father in the same way this little girl was trusting me. I can be so quick to want to grab control or try to determine the outcome of my circustances based on my own strength and God was softly reminding me that I need to continually place my full trust in Him alone. It was both a convicting and reassuring moment for me and I needed to hear it. God alone is in control! He is trustworthy! Regardless of the circumstances in my life, He can be trusted and He is waiting to hold me in His arms carry me when I need Him the most. This brief moment pointed me back to one of my favorite passages of scripture.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIm and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

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