“So Victoria, What is this Mission Trip All About?”

Hello all! I recently had a conversation with a family member that made me realize I probably haven’t properly informed all of you of what we actually DO on the race! 

Please allow me the excitement and pleasure of sharing this journey with y’all as we go! But first, let me explain what I intend to do (and how I hope I already do these things in my every day life): 

1. Respect and love those around me with the deep love and desire for connection with others that Jesus has filled my heart with already.

2. Serve and meet the needs of those around me as I see them and they are brought to my attention. I’m not the best at this, but the Lord is helping me get better at seeing needs of those around me and finding ways to meet those needs. Here’s what I’ve discovered:

Some people need food; some people need help finding an apartment (and I help them since that’s my job in the States); some people need to be heard and understood; some people need help in their homes with cleanup and renovation; some churches need help in a specific area (in childcare, serve team, youth leadership, community service, etc.); some people need a smile (and, yes, even through a mask they can see it and feel it); some communities need cleanup and/or renovation; some people need a listening ear or a kind word; some people want to know more about Jesus; some people need someone to share in their joy, and others in their pain; some friends need a hug; some people need a friend.

As you can probably imagine, while some needs in other countries might look differently than others in the U.S., all of the needs I just listed are needs within communities everywhere.  Hear me out on this one; the main difference is the setting, severity and context. 

There are hungry individuals in every city.

There are lonely people throughout the world, in every community. 

There are people in each place that need help within their homes, whether that’s through childcare, home renovation/cleanup, or a need for love, kindness and sanctuary from abuse. 

There are churches in every community that have needs in regards to service teams, leadership growth, or individual care. 

There are people who struggle with the side effects of anxiety, depression, and/or other mental or physical ailments in every place within most families.

There are people who want and need to be heard and understood everywhere. 

I have yet to meet an individual who doesn’t need love. 

I sincerely hope I have not severely failed to meet the needs of others in my Austin community for the last four years, where I have always tried my hardest to serve and love people for the glory of the Lord.  I’m not perfect at this, nor will I ever be.  I thank God for grace and for his massive help with this.  As my sweet momma says, “We are not a perfect people, but we serve a perfect God.”  All I can say is that I hope I can always show people, no matter where I am, the love that overflows within my heart (the love that the Lord loves me with) by serving them, meeting their needs, and loving them sincerely.  May Jesus be given the glory for all this and so much more, for he has done much more for me than I could ever give to others in return; my hope and prayer is that I always grow in returning this love to others!

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:6-7