I sit alone this morning as Greg left yesterday for Nicaragua. This is his second time to go. They drove to Atlanta this time to catch their flight and were delayed a couple of hours due to weather. They got in last night around 11pm, Nicaragua time. Their mission this time is jam packed with things to do and places to go. They start bright and early this morning traveling to the north. I am so glad to have a tentative daily schedule to look at and pray over. It gives me an idea of where they will be and what they will be doing. Today it looks like they will be doing street evangelism most of the day and then a church service tonight. I remember Greg telling me so many stories about his visit last time, especially the street evangelism and about the people they met. I wish we had the blog then, so I could have documented it all. Hopefully, I will be able to do that this time.
Our Bible verse for last week was John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." We were discussing this verse with the kids one night and were trying to get them to think of ways we "lay our lives down". When Jesus asks us to lay our lives down, is not a one time event either. We are to lay them down daily. Its hard to explain that to kids. We are all born into this world selfish and foolish. We are out for number one and built for self preservation. So when we asked the kids how we could lay our lives down for our friends, we got blank stares. Jesus' example of laying down His life is the ultimate example of love. We can never achieve that level. So Greg and I tried to come up with examples that they could relate to. Its not as easy as you think. Because, you see, adults are selfish too, and when given our druthers, we will put ourselves first. It takes a concerted effort to put others before ourselves, and most of the time, I fail miserably. I told the kids that Daddy lays down his life every day for us, because he would rather stay home, but he gets up every day and goes out to provide for us. Greg spoke up and reminded the kids that Mommy was laying down her life by letting him go on this mission trip to Nicaragua. Wow. I really hadn't thought about it that way. Yes, I would like to go myself, and I do miss him terribly while he is gone, but I didn't think about it being a form of laying down my life. I won't even begin to stop now and toot my horn, because it would be a very short song. But I do want to remind myself and others, though, that sometimes laying down our lives, is in the small things, and they may make just as big of an impact as the big things. You see, I see what Greg is doing on mission in Nicaragua as a big thing. Its dangerous and tedious and tiresome and he must die to his fleshly needs and desires daily. (Lots of cold showers and rice and beans LOL). Many people will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ while they are there. Many pastors will be educated and encouraged and will be spreading the Gospel even more after they leave and come home. That is KINGDOM WORK. Meanwhile, here at home, I will do what I do most days, school the children, do laundry, keep house, cook meals, change diapers, run errands and of course try to throw in a little fundraising here and there! Those are the little things. But I guess the way he sees it, its big. Because it allows him to go do what he is doing, knowing that things here are being taken care of in a way that pleases him, and knowing that I am praying for him and proud of what he is doing and the man that Christ is molding him into. So, I will go about my day today encouraged that my little things are helping Greg to do the big things and that is KINGDOM WORK too. But we miss him already :(.
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