The Experience

Q:  What does an experience do for you?

For me, I can think of several things.  It can inspire you, it can move you to strong emotion, it can be a deep memory that stays with you for a life time.  All those things are good....but this experience did more than that....MUCH MORE!

So much more than me "telling you stories or showing you pictures".  This experience will only be able to be understood over time.....hopefully by watching my life. 

Are we doing incredible things here in the USA? here in Coweta? Absolutely!  Are there things that need to change? Absolutely! 

After returning from our missions trip to El Salvador, I can only sum up my feelings with one word....DESPERATION.  We are not desperate enough. 

Q: What do you mean "desperate enough"?

I mean desperate in prayer, in being a servant, in putting others first, in being focused on a task that is ultimately about reaching, teaching, and training others in the word.  We have skipped over that verse in the bible that says " do everything without complaining or arguing" and we have actually mastered that skill. 

I could not be more proud of our team that ministered through construction, medical, and evangelism.  The way they worked their tails off from 7:30 in the morning until late in the evening. No complaining, no dragging their feet, no easily offended.....just focused in spirit on the task at hand.  Loving each other, building relationships, getting to know each other's stories were the perfect model of how it should happen here at home. 

My prayer is that those 44 people will come home and make this their El Salvador.  They will be so contagious....again, not by their stories (even though there are some powerful ones) but by their life.  May our life be CONTAGIOUS!  It won't be easy.  The American culture is spoiled and all about self (sorry to be such a downer.....just being real).  We will have to fight off being dipped in self and dried off with what feels good.  We drink what is only satisfying and eat what we can digest easily. 

The only way to make this our El Salvador is by bathing our self in the Word of God daily....by scrubbing off the influence of the world and drying ourselves off in prayer.  Not a casual....when it's convenient for us....and our short attention, but intentional and focused prayer. 

We make the Christian walk way more difficult than it needs to be.
1. ask Christ to come into your life and forgive you of your sins (believe & confess)
2. read and study His word (grow)
3. pray
4. serve

If those things are happening....you are representing Christ.  You are growing, loving, and reaching others.  That's not an EXPERIENCE.....that's TRANSFORMATION my friend! 

More than an experience,
The Mrs. Pastor