Pastor Chris Heads to El Salvador!

Tomorrow morning, at the very early hour of 6:00 am, I will board a plane to El Salvador as a member of a Habitat For Humanity mission trip. For a while now I have encouraged our members to be part of an overseas mission trip and now, for the first time, I will take my own advice. As excited as I am I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little anxious. This will be a tremendous experience, and I will have the opportunity to be part of a great mission. But 9 days is a long time. It's a long time to be away from my family, and it will put an extra burden on my wife (pray for Gina). I assume I wont be able to check email, and I don't plan to take a cell phone, iPod, Kindle, etc. with me. I was told not to run my tooth brush under the faucet or open my mouth in the shower. But as much as I will miss these usual conveniences it doesn't take away from the opportunity.

To do God's work do we need to occasionally be taken out of our comfort zones? This doesn't mean that we cant do God's work here in Charlotte (or where ever you call home) or that we have to take a break from our work to do God's work. But with an experience like this there certainly wont be many distractions, my focus will certainly be on the work that we have been sent to do.

As excited as I am to make a difference in the lives of others I am equally excited to see how this experience impacts me. Faith is rooted in community and as I engage with a community that is different from my own they will change me as much as I will change them. I believe we benefit greatly from these types of exposures.

My thanks to Christ Lutheran Church for making this possible and I look forward to sharing with you my experiences when we return next Sunday. Your prayers are appreciated.

Peace,
Chris