You may have seen my earlier post about what to pack in your suitcase. But I didn’t mention some other things that are essential to bring along. Such as:
- A Christ-motivated desire to serve others. First and foremost, we will be in Honduras as representatives of our church, or perhaps more accurately, as representatives of Christ. Our trip will be most successful whenever we are aware that the reason for our trip is to be the evidence of God’s redemptive purpose working in the world. Having this mindset will help us to keep the focus on God’s vision for the people we are connecting with and serving, rather than on our goals and hopes for the the experience.
- A heart prepared by prayer. How is your prayer life? If you have a disciplined prayer life, hopefully you have been bringing all aspects of our trip before God. But if not, now is a great time to make a fresh commitment by regularly praying for our trip. Ask friends and family to pray for you as well.
- A positive, flexible attitude. When traveling anywhere, but especially in a developing nation, it is impossible to predict what situations might arise to test the patience. We might be presented with a difficult customs clerk, a washed-out road, a lengthy power outage, a lack of some important supply or tool, or perhaps something even more interesting. Whatever happens, your willingness to “roll with it” will help shape whether the situation is just a bump in the road or something that hinders the spiritual success of the trip. If you experience something inconvenient or uncomfortable, consider whether what is troubling you is actually a routine situation for the people we are there to serve. Your perspective will change when you realize you will soon be back in the relative convenience and comfort of home, while most of those around you will be there indefinitely.
Certainly we could think of other intangibles that are important to bring along, but if you have these three you will be well on the way to doing your part for the success of the trip.
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