It's Go Time

ok so I have been lacking with completely updating this but I am Jamaica bound in the morning!!!!!!!

Since the last main mission post we have had our logistics meeting and packing night.  So everything is set and ready to go, all donations in (financial and material) and now it is just getting us there! 

I know that we individually, and as a group, are going to be a part of some amazing things!  And personally I think (as always) God has perfectly made this trip be at the perfect time for me!  I just said to my best friend last night that "I think I need Jamaica much more than it needs me!"

I am so open, so raw, so ready.  Lord please bless our team and give us the right words to say, the right actions to use, and the right faith to help amazing things happen within ourselves and your people.  AMEN! 

Can't wait to get back and share with everyone!  Please pray for my team!!!!!

Boston Strong!

Taking a break from the norm...

Today, being April 16th, the day after the bombs at the Boston Marathon... please pray for the people of Boston, pray for the marathoners and all of their families, friends, and the first responders!  Our country needs continued prayers as the only way to beat darkness is with light!  The only way to combat evil is with love.  God is love and love is a verb!  We all have the ability to help our cities, countries, and families to fight this evil that surrounds our world.  With every action and reaction we need to choose love, choose strength, and choose prayer!   God be with our country, with Boston, and with those hurt and hurting today and in all the tomorrows to come.

February 18th, 2013....Team Building Meeting

TEAM BUILDING!

Whoop whoop it is time to start meeting and getting to know the team for Jamaica.. oh wait and the team for Costa Rica too!????  When I arrived at the church (and just know I know NO ONE on this trip but myself) the room starts to fill up with both the surfer dudes going on the Men only Costa Rican Mission trip and the group going to Jamaica. 

So they put us in our respective groups to talk about our own trips for a bit.  It is funny because you can tell most of the guys for Costa have went previously together and/or surf together all the time. And yes they do maybe talk a bit like surfer dudes..... just a bit.  (and yes you can surf in Jacksonville, so they tell me). 

We do introductions and then we break off into smaller groups (mixed with the Costa team) and do some short games, discussions on what TEAM is, etc...  Then we change groups and have an activity... We have to create a human machine.  Everyone on the team has to be a moving part and make some type of noise.  Our 5 person team had to create a human suitcase packing machine.  I can't really explain nor give the visuals needed but each group was pretty hilarious to watch as they all had to touch, make different noises, and get the rest of the group to guess what they were.  My team was awesome of course. :)  Of course would you expect anything less?  I mean I may be a little competitive.  ha ha.

Towards the end of the first mission meeting they explain to us how we will be in situations where we may have the opportunity to pray out loud with others.  That when this occurs we need to allow God to work through us and have confidence in this.  So of course that means partner up and pray for your partner out loud. 

UMMMMMMMMM  let's say this... ask me questions all day long about God, Jesus, the Bible, my faith.  Have a conversation with me... that is perfectly fine.  Make me pray out loud with someone and for someone else... SLAM ON THE BREAKS!

So I pray every day, at some point throughout the day.  In my car, at work, at bedtime, when I rise, when my patience is running thin, when you cut me off on the highway.... lol    But praying out loud for someone else just scares me.... makes me uncomfortable.. why?  I have no idea but it just does.  Now I have realized the 'why' is because I lacked some of the faith I needed to know that God would give me the right stuff to say and the right thing and just the right time.  I firmly believe this in all other aspects of my life not sure why I have always lacked this faith for out loud prayer with others listening.

So my partner was Ruben and we talked a little first about things we were going through, where we would like some prayer and where our own anxieties were on life in general and specific to this trip.  I have to say that talking to your partner first was a very easy transition to praying out loud for them.  So if you are EVER in doubt but want to pray for someone... I would just ask them if they mind first and then ask if anything that they would like prayers for.... the rest will come to you from God and will be 100% what is needed in the moment. 

Now this is not to say I am 100% completely comfortable praying out loud... but God doesn't want us comfortable. His disciples weren't comfortable but they were on a faith journey and so am I!  I am this little child moving forward in my faith.  Learning every day, falling down every day, getting smarter, stronger, and more faithful every day!  I want to be like this child in this picture... no fear of what is ahead as I am moving forward on faith!

Donations begin--January 2013 and still coming!

So as my deposit and application are accepted with the church and for the trip tne next step is raising money.  The cost was going to be a little under $2000. This would cover flights, food, lodging, and help with supplies for the projects we will be completing.

One of our Pastors, Ryan Stone, mentioned in the information meeting that the reason we send out letters/emails requesting donations from others is to give others an opportunity to participate in something they, themselves would never be able to do for various reasons.  I thought about this for awhile and prayed about it as I was thinking I will just cover my own cost and maybe get my super close friends/family to donate if they want to and that is it.  But I was really feeling that as we all get older it is so easy to not have the time to volunteer locally let alone in another country.  I realized there may be people that want to help and feel drawn to help so why not. 

So many emails and a few Facebook posts later..... I raised over $1650 dollars from my friends and family.  And often times their donation was given without ever letting me know or with an email that actually told me thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing thing you are doing.  CORRECTION.... what GOD is doing!   I was blown away and am still blown away while others are still helping me out by giving money to help with additional supplies we need to take with us on the trip.

You never know what people are passionate about unless you ask.  You never know what interests them how they may want to help unless sometimes just given the opportunity.  I used to always say that people typically will volunteer to help around the community but only if it is easy to them. Meaning their job allows them a paid day off and gives them specific activities that they can assist with or it is something a friend or family member is also doing or leading and needs help.  So many people want to help; financially, through prayer, or through their own physical efforts... but sometimes we just have to ask. 

So for all of you that have donated money to this specific mission trip in any way... THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, from my mission team, from Pastor Wayne in Jamaica, and from the people in Jamaica themselves.  God bless you all!  (Side note if you want to hear Pastor Wayne, who we are partnering with in Jamaica preach, here is a link to the sermon he just gave at my church..... "Arise, Quickly!"   He will have you smiling from head to toe!
http://coe22.com/church-people-wk-3/

If interested in donating financially please do so here: 

https://coe22.ccbchurch.com/w_form_response.php?form_id=60
If interested in helping out with construction or medical supplies please email me directly at llbuckeye@yahoo.com

My Church....Our Church...The Church of Eleven22

Some of you know my church journey started since I was born as I was lucky to be raised in a Christian home with Christian parents and Christian values.  I was active in church my entire childhood and attended youth group through middle school and high school and went on many mission trips during that time frame. 

Since becoming an adult (which I don't truly claim on any specific day) I have had a few experiences here and there volunteering around the town where I lived or raising money for cancer awareness or Big Brothers Big Sisters but I truly was not fully fulfilled the way I knew I could be. I felt there was something more, something that was going to potentially wreck my world in the most positive way possible. Something that was Christian based and driven versus awareness driven. 

I started attending the Church of Eleven22 pretty quickly after moving to Jacksonville. It originally started as a service at Beach United Methodist Church in Jax Beach, FL.  Though I don't live close to the beach when I went to this service I knew I had found my home.  Over the first 2 years I was not consistent in attending every week but since May of 2012 I have missed only maybe five services and when I miss I can't wait until they post the videos online so I can get the message before the following week. 

*****interested in seeing what I always talk about?  www.coe22.com and click on Sermon Series on the right to see the various sermon videos. I highly recommend the "Dating" one if you are single and I promise it will make you laugh!*****

I call the Church of Eleven22 my home but I can honestly say it is a church for ALL PEOPLE, regardless of what your beliefs, where you are at in life, or how bad you think you have been.  It is accepting of all people and helps to teach biblical principles that apply directly to your life that day!   God is doing amazing things through this church and through Joby Martin and the entire church staff.  For the first time in my life I have a relationship with Jesus Christ versus just saying I was raised a Christian and therefore am a Christian.  Ultimately that is what Christianity is about... not religion but a relationship between myself and Jesus Christ. 

Final thought.... originally the first service of The Church of Eleven22 was at literally 11:22.  It was to make it a time that people would remember.  But of course people assumed it was for a scripture so ultimately they decided yes, it was associated with a scripture.  Mark 11:22  "And Jesus answered, have faith in God"
.....Well that is exactly what I am doing having faith in God with my life.... and with going on this trip!  More to come on faith in future blogs!

To learn a little more look here:  http://coe22.com/what-does-eleven22-mean/
:)

Mission huh? Mission what? Mission why? Mission NOW!

November 2012:
Back in November I decided to go to a mission meeting at my church.  The Church of Eleven22.  www.coe22.com   They take many trips throughout the year and two were calling my name.  Jamaica and Brazil.  Both interested me but for different reasons and I wanted to find out more information because I felt it was time for me to head on a mission trip within the next year.  

Here is a little info on what I knew about both trips/destinations:
Jamaica:
First I have been to Jamaica and not just the touristy part of Jamaica but the real parts of Jamaica that are poor and where people struggle to have housing, jobs, shoes, medical care etc...  I was there as a tourist at the time but one of the excursions we went on was up in the mountains to zipline and to get there we saw much more of what the 'real' Jamaica was like.  So for that reason going on a trip to Jamaica  for a mission trip interested me.  The other reason is that I heard that my pastor (Joby Martin) was leading one of the two Jamaica trips at that time and I was interested in also getting to know our pastor and growing in my faith with him.  This trip was scheduled for late May 2013.

Brazil:
Brazil was heading on their trip a bit later in the year and would be more expensive, but was partnering with Compassion International which interested me as well. I currently sponsor two Compassion children and had recently volunteered at a Compassion Experience at my church and so this was also pulling on my heart.  The other reason I wanted to head to Brazil was... BECAUSE IT IS BRAZIL!  I have never been to Brazil and it is in my top 5 places to visit.  I have never been to South America at all so this trip really interested me, especially working with Compassion and kids which I love both. 

So now comes the mission meeting. This meeting was for the two different Jamaica trips as the Brazil trip was not having an info meeting for two more months.  I find out there are two different trips at two different times going to Jamaica.  (I had no clue which one Pastor Joby is leading)  We had an option for Trip A (I honestly can't remember what the focus was but more evangelical which scared the poop out of me) and Trip B which was a medical based trip.  The trip for medical assistance pulled at me hard and basically had taken over my mind and my heart within minutes of hearing about both trips.  At this point I still had no idea who was leading the trip and as some of you may know....I am a nursing school drop out so why would I want to help on a medical mission trip!  I can say that I am not one to shy away from the sick ,or from blood, or anything like that and I tend to have a strong focus, compassion, and patience under extreme situations including medical ones and I just felt this is what was for me.  God definitely spoke to me basically just saying JAMAICA!!!!  JAMAICA!!!! MEDICAL!!!! MEDICAL!!!!!  and repeat until I listened!

So I listened, I signed up and paid my $100 deposit the next day and was ready to go to Jamaica right then!

So the journey begins!