Almost a year ago I was sitting on a plane with 100+ church members flying to San Diego to begin my first mission trip. After landing, we were heading across the border into Mexico to build houses for poorer residents of Tijuana. I was seated next to Beth B., a staff member of Chapel Hill and the only other person I vaguely knew on the trip except my son. Beth had taken pity on me and invited me to share a tent with her for the week and to sit next to her on the plane.
Beth was reading some book so I casually inquired what she was reading. She told me she was doing homework for her next trip...to India. Immediately, I was intrigued. I love to travel, I especially like travel in Southeast Asia and I especially want to go to India. As the plane ride passed by, Beth filled me in on the potential new mission trip for Chapel Hill, working with a group called Catalyst in Delhi, India. By the end of the conversation I was hooked and knew I wanted to go! Sign me up, done. Except I knew also that I was moving away from Gig Harbor to South Carolina in June and my life would not include this mission trip to India.
But then God has a funny way of surprising us.
After seven months in South Carolina, we moved back to Gig Harbor and back to a life that was rich in friends and community. Walking into church the morning after we flew to Washington was like coming home. And being home meant being able to participate in familiar activities for both me and my family.
Right away Beth started talking to me about joining the India trip taking place in March. I dismissed the thought of it fairly quickly as it seemed a crazy thing to do in the middle of our "boomerang" move. How can I pick up and go to India when I don't have my "stuff", don't have a house, haven't settled in?
Except God has a funny way of surprising us.
He set a persistent feeling in my stomach and a continual thought in my head. I want you to go. After my good friend, Lori, signed up to go and after being advised by my Bible study leader to pray about it, really pray about it, I knew it was time to have a serious conversation with Beth. Her enthusiasm for the trip was so apparent in her voice, but so was the wisdom to advise me that the decision needed to be for the right reasons. She was convincing. I also had a conversation with my husband, who was more than supportive. He acknowledged that this might not seem like the best time, but if the opportunity is there and I feel driven to go, then I need to go now. Everything else, he declared, will get taken care of. I also had conversations with my kids. The eldest was super excited and super encouraging. The youngest two's biggest concern was that I was going to get eaten by a tiger (India has the highest rate of human deaths by tigers in the world). If that was the most pressing concern, I figured I could deal with it. Finally I called my friend Lori and told her I was considering going and she said, "Really, because I've been praying for you to go." Ah, the power of prayer!
So here we are almost a year later and I'm signed up to go to India. Isn't it funny the twists and turns of a path to get you to a destination. I can only wonder what turns my path will take in India. Hang on and check back in with the blog often because...I'm going to India!!!
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| Beth, Jessica and I on the plane to Mexico |
Beth was reading some book so I casually inquired what she was reading. She told me she was doing homework for her next trip...to India. Immediately, I was intrigued. I love to travel, I especially like travel in Southeast Asia and I especially want to go to India. As the plane ride passed by, Beth filled me in on the potential new mission trip for Chapel Hill, working with a group called Catalyst in Delhi, India. By the end of the conversation I was hooked and knew I wanted to go! Sign me up, done. Except I knew also that I was moving away from Gig Harbor to South Carolina in June and my life would not include this mission trip to India.
But then God has a funny way of surprising us.
After seven months in South Carolina, we moved back to Gig Harbor and back to a life that was rich in friends and community. Walking into church the morning after we flew to Washington was like coming home. And being home meant being able to participate in familiar activities for both me and my family.
Right away Beth started talking to me about joining the India trip taking place in March. I dismissed the thought of it fairly quickly as it seemed a crazy thing to do in the middle of our "boomerang" move. How can I pick up and go to India when I don't have my "stuff", don't have a house, haven't settled in?
Except God has a funny way of surprising us.
He set a persistent feeling in my stomach and a continual thought in my head. I want you to go. After my good friend, Lori, signed up to go and after being advised by my Bible study leader to pray about it, really pray about it, I knew it was time to have a serious conversation with Beth. Her enthusiasm for the trip was so apparent in her voice, but so was the wisdom to advise me that the decision needed to be for the right reasons. She was convincing. I also had a conversation with my husband, who was more than supportive. He acknowledged that this might not seem like the best time, but if the opportunity is there and I feel driven to go, then I need to go now. Everything else, he declared, will get taken care of. I also had conversations with my kids. The eldest was super excited and super encouraging. The youngest two's biggest concern was that I was going to get eaten by a tiger (India has the highest rate of human deaths by tigers in the world). If that was the most pressing concern, I figured I could deal with it. Finally I called my friend Lori and told her I was considering going and she said, "Really, because I've been praying for you to go." Ah, the power of prayer!
So here we are almost a year later and I'm signed up to go to India. Isn't it funny the twists and turns of a path to get you to a destination. I can only wonder what turns my path will take in India. Hang on and check back in with the blog often because...I'm going to India!!!
