i love our community.

yesterday was the first CF (Campus Focus, the college ministry here in Akron) of the summer. Kevin taught on how Jesus was tempted in the desert, and of how God used that to prove his victory over the evil one. He also reminded us that God allows us to be tempted not to watch us fail, but to grow us through the process.
after the last few worship songs, they brought the team up front, and gave us a charge to persevere through the trials that we will encounter on the trip. whatever issues might come up throughout the trip, whether large or small, our God will be faithful, and if we choose to trust and persevere, we open the door for Him to grow us in incredible ways.

afterwards, everyone gathered around and laid hands on us, and Brian and Kevin prayed for us. it was really powerful to see such a visual picture of the support of our community. [i *might* have even shed a tear or two...] it's so encouraging to be reminded that there are SO MANY people who love us and will be praying for us! in all honesty, i've been a little stressed out this week taking care of last minute details, and it was really good to take time to refocus on the big picture of why we're doing this in the first place.

it's not just about fitting exactly 48 pounds of notebooks and clothes and donated meds in each suitcase [although we did a great job of that], or about making sure we each get the right malaria prescription, or even about a fun trip to go play with some really cute kids [although the kids are definitely great].

it's about restoring brokenness to wholeness, because we love and serve a God who desperately wants broken things to be made whole again. it's about living today in hope because we trust that one day everything will be made right and good because that's how it was created to be. it's about being a small piece in a much bigger picture of what God is doing in and through His people, and it's about being faithful to the work that he has called us to.