my "dirty little secret" ...

I went here ...

ON A MISSION TRIP ... yep, you saw right ... MISSION TRIP ... on a medical mission trip 3 years ago!!  I know, I know.  The minute we pulled up to the hotel, I swore my team to secrecy!  We could never speak of this gorgeous place to which God had brought us.  And ironically, when I went to look for pics of this trip, I had NONE on facebook because no one would think we were real missionaries if they saw where we went...

and who we met ...

and how we served ...

And I'm we're going back ...  SATURDAY!!  And all of a sudden I've grown very nostalgic ... looking at the pictures of the places we went ... looking at the picture of Hannah (above) a few weeks before she started nursing school and remembering that she knew NOTHING ... and now, she's an RN ... and she's going back to be one of the leaders for this new group and I couldn't be more proud.  And so is Kristen ...

who had just graduated and was waiting to take boards and start her "real" job... and now has been an ICU nurse for two years and been on two more trips with me.

and so is Josh, who has graduated now and will start medical school in the fall.

WHO KNEW ... what God had in store when he sent our team of 12 to Playa del Carmen/Paamul to serve in the Mayan Zone, to marvel at God's goodness and provision, and to bring the gospel to a little village called Chan Chen where our little medical outreach was the beginning of a church and ministry that exists there now. 

These are some things I remember learning on that trip:

1. 
   
   God never said that serving Him always = suffering.  He did say that He is the giver of all good gifts ... and He challenges us to "taste and see that [He] is good!  Waking up to an ocean-front sunrise was a GIFT.
2. 
   
   God uses our obedience more than our experience.  We were one of the most inexperienced teams EVER.  We thought Dr. Daniel would go out to the villages with us, but he couldn't leave Playa.  Only three of the students had previous medical training.  The rest were waiting to start that journey.  And we saw over 500 patients, saw several come to know Christ, and were part of starting a church.

As we prepare to go back, THIS I know ...

God's plan is more comprehensive than we could ever imagine.  This trip was our second medical mission trip for GA students.  In the last 3 years, we've had 11 more!  Of the students on this Mexico team, 7 of the 10 have served on subsequent medical teams ... some even as leaders!  And there was no church in Chan Chen three years ago, now there is a growing church and they are working on a ministry center to train young people to work in tourism and come to know Christ.

This is a day when I truly can say I LOVE getting to do what I do!  I LOVE that God has given me a place to do medical missions ... with students!  Can't wait to see what's in store THIS year ... five days and counting!