I attend the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Al where Pastor David Platt preaches straight from the heart of God to those in attendance every Sunday. He began a series in 2008 which spanned the course of a year entitled, "Radical". The teachings were on what it meant to be RADICALLY abandoned to Jesus. Abandoning our comfort, all that is familiar to us, abandoning our career (if necessary), and even abandoning our own plans and dreams to follow and live our life according to what Jesus calls us to do. In other words: being totally SOLD OUT to Him - the one who gave His ALL for us.
I learned so much reading and studying the word of God during this time and did a lot of thinking about my own life. I never really thought of myself as having a lot of material possessions or even as a materialistic person. But when I was presented with these hards facts:
- Approximately 9.2 million children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable diseases. That's approximately 25,000 children each day.
- 2.5 billion people around the world do not have access to adequate sanitation and about 885 million people do not have access to clean water.
- Every day, 4100 children die each day from severe diarrhea - as a result of poor sanitation and hygiene.
- Approximately 600 million children live in extreme poverty.
- Nearly 11,500 people die every day from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Nearly two-thirds of these people are living in sub-Saharan Africa.
- 75 million children are out of school around the world, a figure equivalent to the entire primary school-aged population in Europe and North America.
Then at the end of December in 2008, our Pastor David asked for us to consider spending a week or more in another context outside of our home to serve Christ. He then asked those in the congregation who were willing to do this - to come up front. I just happened to be sitting on the end of a long row and had to stand up and move to the side to allow a couple to go up front. Before, I knew it, I found myself up front with the crowd. As the crowd came forward, I got pushed all the way to the front not far from where the Pastor stood. I have always loved missions and missionaries. I have even spent a part of my life raising funds for them and supporting them in various other ways. As Pastor David began to pray, I stood there thinking, "What am I doing up here?", "I can't go on a mission trip!", "I can barely pay my bills now working two jobs." Pastor Platt began to pray for the crowd that was standing at or near the front and for the committment they were making to serve Christ. I don't remember the specific words he prayed but they were in answer to every one of the questions and doubts that I had racing through my mind. I began to weep uncontrollably and I prayed, "Lord, I don't know how I am going on a trip, but I TRUST YOU". I had stepped out in obedience totally terrified to go on a trip and over the next month began to pray about where to go.
A woman in my small group, Gwen, told me one Sunday in January that she would like our women's group to go on a mission trip together and she thought we should all go to Guatemala. There was my answer! I told her, "Well, now I know where I am supposed to go". I shared with her the committment I had made in December and that her suggestion was an answer to my prayer of WHERE.
The rest of my story will be published in later blogs. I invite you to follow on this spiritual journey with me. Revealing what the Lord has done in and through me so that He gets ALL THE GLORY! Mas de Ti', menos de mi. (More of Him, less of me.)
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Dios te bendiga siempre!
God bless you always!
