Daily Devotion: 29 Days til Guatemala

This is the daily devotion from Terry Carr Bracey from Across All Borders.  This posting was perfect, as it really captures exactly why I wanted to create this Blog. Why I chose to go on this trip.  And why I chose to raise money to fund this trip.  The trip is not a vacation and its not for my benefit.  It's about being part of reaching out and helping people in need on a global scale.  It's about learning and growing and getting stepping into the "unfamiliar".  I hope that I may share this journey with others and in a small way give others the benefit of some key learnings.


Please join my "prayer team" by following this blog and letting your presence be known to me by posting or emailing me that you are following our journey.

May 4 - Taking Others With You

Colossians 4: 2-4 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ... Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should."

Besides those traveling with you on the mission team, you can, in a sense, "take others with you". Some people will go on a mission trip as part of a group and still be totally alone. I have done that myself, twice, and I will never do it again.

I am speaking of support, and not just the financial kind. This is much more than a financial issue. It is a prayer support issue and if you take the time to generate this support, you will "take people with you" in a way that strengthens you and blesses them. You need a prayer team and I encourage each person to have a team of at least ten people praying for them and the team as you take this journey.

You may or may not have raised money to help fund your trip and you may or may not be working to raise funds to help carry out projects for the trip. Regardless, it is essential that you have support. There are two reasons you should involve others in supporting you. One benefits them and the other is a necessity for you.

1 - Do it for them, for the fruit that will come into their lives. By asking others to pray for you or by asking them to give to our mission financially, you are opening doors for God to touch their lives and you are increasing their missions awareness. Also, so many want to contribute to missions that they believe in. If people already know and believe in you, they want to support you and your cause. Give others the chance to be a part of your trip by asking them to consider contributing to our projects financially. So many want to be a blessing to you and in return they will bless the people of Guatemala.

2 - Do it for yourself. Do you know that you can have all the money you need for this trip and still be unsupported? You can be coasting towards your trip because all of your funding is in place while others are still sweating it out, working and praying for the funds to go. Or maybe you are one that is still working to raise funds for yourself or the mission. Even still, it is possible for all of your funding to come and you still not be supported. What I mean is this: Whether you are struggling with the financial side of the trip or all of your fees have been paid, your mission trip can impact more people here and there if you will give people an opportunity to support you in prayer. Furthermore, if you have a number of faithful Christians praying for you daily you will sense the difference. I believe this so strongly because I have experienced mission trips both with prayer support and without it. Let me assure you that you will FEEL the difference if you have a prayer team standing with you, praying for you before, during and after your trip.

It is important that you contact a number of trusted Christians who are faithful and to whom you can ask to pray for you, beginning today and continuing until after you return.

Several things will happen. You and the team will be strengthened and our mission will be more fruitful. Also, your prayer partners will also touched by God as they talk to Him about your mission.

Don't be afraid to ask and give others the opportunity to begin THEIR missionary journey with you.

Lord, cleanse me of any desire to be independent. Show me those friends, neighbors, relatives or church members whom You would have me involve in this mission by their prayer and financial support. Use this time to strengthen our team and to impact others whose hearts You want to stir to a new level of service.


With Gratitude,
Sondra