God, Use Me – Devotions For Your Mission TripSample

Rejoice!

God is awesome, isn’t He? You’ve most certainly seen God work in your heart, the lives of your teammates, and those you served. Perhaps someday you will return to the location of your mission trip and see God continue to work in His mighty ways.

Tom shares about the joy of returning to a church in Ecuador and seeing God’s amazing grace:

On a trip to Ecuador, we visited one church center that was situated high in the Andes mountains. During our visit, one of the sponsored children received a wheel chair. Her mother had been carrying her daughter to the church center because her daughter was unable to walk due to her medical condition. The family was very poor and unable to provide the medical care that their daughter so desperately needed. However, because her daughter was enrolled in Compassion’s child sponsorship program she was able to get a wheel chair which made it easier for her mom to get her daughter to the church center to attend activities. In addition, she was able to get access to medical care, medications and therapy for her condition.

We returned to Ecuador and visited the same church center a few years later. During our trip, I asked the Director of the center if the girl we met was still enrolled in the program. He said that she was still enrolled and he pointed her out to us. I was delighted to see that she no longer needed a wheel chair. In fact, she was active and playing a game with some of the other children! We rejoiced!

Keep rejoicing and thanking God for what He did on your trip. You’ve returned with a joyful awareness of God’s work in that location and an appreciation that you were able to have a small part in it.

Take time to simply thank God and rejoice!

Suggested prayer:

God, I come to you humbly, joyfully aware that I am only a small part of how You are working around the world. Thank You for using me and changing me. Continue working among the people we served. Draw them to Yourself in a real and amazing way. Use them. Change me. We rejoice in Your power. Amen.

Suggested prayer:

• In what ways am I a different person today from when I began this journey?
• What was the most significant insight I gained on this trip?
• What are the moments I never want to forget? What made me smile? What broke my heart?
• In what ways are you rejoicing and praising God?