Why GO???

I just got back from a short mission trip to Cyegera, Rwanda. This was my second trip to this small village. The couple weeks before going, I reflected on how the first trip impacted my life. What changed my life so much that I now am blogging because Jeremy and I are preparing to move to Africa for 2.5 years?

It was richness, hope, and courage.

As American, you really don’t realize how richly we have been blessed until you have left home and traveled to other parts of the world. Beyond earthly things, I am rich in Christ. He is that pearl or diamond worth selling everything for.

Christ is the greatest treasure.

The country of Rwanda was consumed by evil in the 1994 genocide. A million people lost their lives in just 100 days. Yet, Hope is alive in Rwanda. You can feel it among the people. God is working. Christ gives hope for the future. No matter what the day may bring, there is always hope.

Christ is HOPE.

The people of Rwanda are courageous and so brave. They have been through so much but they have the courage to face each day. They changed me. In the past, fear has held me back in life. Fear has limited God working in my life. To be brave and courageous, takes everything in me, but God compels me.

Christ is worth the risk.

So what impacted me the most on this second trip???

                        Why Go???

                                    Why is it so important to go?

            Yes, we can send money and it would make a small difference.

                                                But to GO makes a big difference.

God created us to be relational. We were made to have a relationship with Him and relationships with each other. Christ came to heal a broken relationship. He came to heal the sick. He could have healed without a touch but He chose to touch people. Christ chose to be a part of people lives. He is still a part of people’s lives today. To make eye contact with someone, to smile at someone, to play a game together, to physically touch someone, this touch makes a world of difference. The physical human touch makes the difference.

I know God only calls some of us to leave our homes and go to another country. But He does call all of us to step out our homes and touch our neighbors. Start and build relationships. Touch those people you see each day as we GO about life.

            So make a difference today by touching someone’s life.

This is why we go.