This week I leave for a trip to Guatemala. Some of my LWML Oklahoma friends and I are heading out on a MOST Ministries Eyeglass Clinic trip. LWML Oklahoma President, Dianna Just is going. She’s been on many mission trips. She is an educator and has a real love for people which shows up in her many trips she has gone on all over the world. Lori, Sharon, Ruth and I have been on mission trips together before. Ruth was a missionary nurse in Nigeria. Kathy is a new traveler and we look forward to having her along.

One of the many reasons I love to go on these trips is the break from “stuff”. You see, most of God’s people that you serve on these trips don’t have much “stuff”. There’s that much less to get in the way of having God lead them into depending on Him for everything and seeing God in control of it all as He provides everything they need.   

Do you think that the United States is the only country in the world where people have so much stuff they have to pay for storage units to keep it in?  I do. I’ve never heard of other countries having storage units for rent. Does our stuff sometimes get in the way of our devotion to God? I think so.

Another thing I’ve experienced on these trips is the reliance on prayer and the answers God gives. Years ago, when Servant’s Heart was active near the Guatemala City dump, we would walk through the compound and pray in each room with our hosts. Prayer was foremost in their efforts to keep the ministry going, for protecting their workers and for providing food for their lunches served at the dump.

And finally, relationships. Last trip I went on I took one photo of my grandchildren along to the clinics. This sparked many conversations (my broken Spanish and lots of hand gestures), smiles, and hugs as we related to our common human emotions. No relating to common stuff, but to common feelings and emotions. Those times I carry in my heart and smile.

One of our 2017-2019 mission grants is for MOST Ministry family scholarships. I urge you to support that grant and also to consider taking your family on a mission trip and applying for one of those scholarships. You’ll see firsthand that prayer, dependence on God, and relationships trump “stuff” every time!

Talk to you when I get back!

Patti