A Journal Relating My Experiences on Mission to the Amazon River Basin of Brazil

9 April 2010
Asheville, NC

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20 (NRSV)           

There are times that experiences lead us to opportunities that we never would have expected.  I have often thought that my first trip abroad would be to Europe, most likely a visit to the home of some of the greatest literary authors known to humanity, England.  But, life has a way of sending us surprises as we progress through the journey of our allotted time on this amazing creation of God.  Such is the story of how my first trip abroad became participating as part of a mission team on its way to the Amazon River Basin of Brazil.  How did I end up going to Brazil??  It is an interesting story and one that illustrates how our best laid plans get altered by God.

When Laura and Kim DeWeese returned from their first mission trip to Brazil over a year ago, they came back to Balsam Baptist Church where they gave a presentation about their experiences sharing the gospel with the Brazilian people.  It was truly a fascinating presentation; and I found myself wondering what it would be like to visit a remote region of the world among the indigenous people of Brazil.  But, the very human side of me kept saying "no, you couldn't do that.  That's not for you."  Of course, I heard the clarion call as clear as day that this was something that I needed to do.  But being the rational person that I am, I kept finding reasons I could not do this (read that "excuses").  Indeed, I felt just a little like one of my favorite Bible characters, Moses.  My pastor at First Methodist said something in one of his sermons a few weeks ago that reminded me of my vacillations.  Sandy said that he had come to realize over the years that humans are exceptionally talented at rationalizing any and all of their actions.  It was a statement that rang very true for me, a statement that likely left me with a goofy grin on my face in the choir loft.

So, how did I end up yielding to God's call to go on this mission trip?  Well, God for some reason has this amazing ability to use mere humans to prompt us to do what he is asking us to do.  In this case, God brought a young man into my life that has become one of the best friends I have ever had.  I believe God brought him to me to help break me out of my comfort zone.  Tony Wing was the first volunteer for the trip.  As we chatted one evening, he told me he was going on the mission trip.  I told him that I just couldn't do that.  With his typical enthusiasm (and sometimes bluntness), he said "Well why not?"  It was at that point that I realized that I was putting up excuses to avoid launching out on faith and doing something that God wanted me to do.  If a young Christian could so easily commit to going on a mission for Christ, what was wrong with my faith?  At that moment, I knew that I would be going to Brazil as part of the mission team.  I had no job, no clue what I was going to do, but I had the faith to go ahead and commit to going on this trip.  It was one of the most uncharacteristic moves I have ever made but I can say that sitting in the Asheville airport with this group is one of the most peaceful moments I have experienced.  There is no fear, but there is an overwhelming excitement and anticipation to be about the work of the master.