Is this experience anything like what you were thinking it would be? My dad asked this question of me in response to the Q&A session. When I was writing the answer, however, I realized that I wanted to explore my thoughts on it in a bit more depth than the two- or three-paragraph responses I gave the other answers. Thus, it receives its own blog post. The answer is: yes and no. Truth be told, I did my best to walk in without expectations and have not thought much about how it compares to those I failed to quell. When reflecting on this mission I cannot help but compare it to my other experience...

Our team time last night consisted of a big group prayer. We prayed for Thailand, for the death of their king and the grieving of the nation; for the building tension between Russia and the United States that appears to threaten war; for the people of Haiti and anywhere else hurricane Matthew struck and tore apart; and for the success of Outpour movement and any other missionaries working around the world. It reminded me — and everyone else, I think — of the amount of pain and hardship around the world. Struggling is pervasive and inescapable. Just as that prayer time reminded me...

 “Their idols are silver and gold,the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak;eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear;noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel;feet, but do not walk;and they do not make a sound in their throat.those who make them become like them;so do all that trust in them”Psalm 115:4-8       I remember it like it was yesterday. Four years ago, standing in one of the man-made wonders of the world, I let tears flow freely as I looked into the worn face of a buddha statue and cried for this continent....

 “Their idols are silver and gold,the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak;eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear;noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel;feet, but do not walk;and they do not make a sound in their throat.those who make them become like them;so do all that trust in them”Psalm 115:4-8       I remember it like it was yesterday. Four years ago, standing in one of the man-made wonders of the world, I let tears flow freely as I looked into the worn face of a buddha statue and cried for this continent....

So for a lot of us on this trip, this season in our lives is a season of training and focusing on God and what He has in store for us. In the bible in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 it refers to us as an earthen vessel. An “earthen vessel” is another name for a clay jar that was used to hold oil and grain. Before the clay could be shaped by a potter, stones and other large objects had to be removed. After the objects were removed the potter could start shaping and molding the clay. Once the clay was shaped it could either be sun dried or stuck in a kiln. If the jar was sun dried it could hold...

In late spring, I decided that I wanted to start a garden, so I got a bunch of seeds, cups, and dirt and did just that. I spent weeks watering and tending my plants until they were big enough to go outside. My parents sectioned off areas in our backyard for certain fruits and vegetables that we decided to grow. Then I spent more weeks watering and doing my best to protect them from the elements. Before I left for this trip I was able to reap some of the vegetables I planted. I was able to try tomatoes; zucchini , peppers, squash, and more. But there were a couple things that I wanted to try...