God is Already At Work

I cannot tell you how thrilling it is to already be hearing stories of how God is working through the details of this trip and making Himself known in awesome and amazing ways. In spite of a few road blocks that we have had to maneuver, we are moving forward, with confidence, to the work for which He has called each and every one of us. It has not always nor will it always be easy, but we forge into what often seems like the unknown where we will have to trust, believe, hope, and endure. It is a step of faith. It is also a step of faith for those we are going to serve. We are coming into their lives and they, like us, are not sure of what to expect when we arrive. As we merge our cultures together, we need to make sure we have done everything we can on our end to make that transition smooth and easy. Here are some guidelines to help you with that task:

Pray. Pray for the people in your own team, for your church ministry site, for those children who might come to your VBS who are not affiliated with the church. Pray for ease in communication and pray for those who will be staying back home missing you while you are gone.

Communicate. Communicate with your ministry site pastor and or translator. One phone call is just a step in this journey; you need to be in contact with them every week up until the time you leave. Some of them have FaceBook, if so, find them, become their friend and start building a relationship with them so when you meet, it will be like old friends coming together instead of strangers meeting for the first time. Have your team members ask on our Encuentro Puerto Rico Facebook page if there are any people on there who are from your church site. Many of our PR brothers and sisters have “liked” our page and follow what we are doing. Find creative ways to interject yourselves into their lives.

Learn. Learn a few phrases in Spanish. Even it if sounds funny to you, they will appreciate the effort. They, especially the children, may giggle at your attempts to speak their language, but it will show your commitment to them and your desire to fit into their culture. You are coming into their world, so do what you can to adjust rather than making them all adjust to you.

Give. Give a gift from your local church to the pastor and his spouse. Make it something that is unique to the culture of where you live. It will be something they will love and serve as a reminder of your team after you have gone. We like to bring an extra team T-shirt for the pastors to wear. It makes them feel included and part of our team.

Love. Love on the people while you are there. Don’t hold back in getting to know the people you are serving because of a language barrier. Love has no barriers and is a language that is always understood. Their custom is to hug, so be prepared to hug and be hugged because that is their love language.

There are many more things that I am sure you can think of that will make the transition easy. Be creative, don’t be afraid to try new things, and let yourself step outside your comfort zone. Be open to what the Lord has for you and you will see Him work in ways you could have never imagined.

See you in a few weeks!