"There's no place like home..."

“There’s no place like home…”

Judy Garland’s timeless 1939 line in The Wizard of Oz will forever stand as a reminder to all of the comforts and familiarity of home.

There’s a certain sense of safety when you cross over that threshold.

The smells, the sounds, that scuff on the wall from when you’re dad was attempting to move that (insert appropriate piece of home furniture) all by himself...

We like being home. We like knowing what lies behind each door. We like the comfort.

And now, we’re home again…

We’re back from daily, intentional ministry in Nicaragua. We’re back from knowing that each and every day is going to be full of telling those around us of the love and life that is in Jesus Christ. We’re back from 80-degree weather. And, most notably, we’re back from rice and beans at every meal.

God worked, and we felt so blessed to get to be a part of what He’s doing all over the world. How He can use crappy, messed up people like us is such a testament to how wonderful and amazing He truly is. How He orchestrated everything from the team that we were blessed with to the opportunities that we were given to the friends that we made... It was all from Him.

However, if there’s one thing that many of us know from past experience, it’s that we quickly forget. We quickly forget the wonders of Gods love. We’re so prone to wander away from Jesus, chasing after every novel thing and idea. Spiritually, it’s safe to say that we all have ADD. We have so much trouble staying focused on the one thing in this universe that really matters.

It’s easy to fall back into the luxuries and ease of home. At home, we have to plan our own days and seek out our own opportunities to reach out to others. We have to be more bold and intentional here than almost anywhere else. If it isn’t a constant thought, a constant prayer, we get lured away by any and every little, insignificant thing.

I remember that the one of the most resounding prayers each evening in Nicaragua was that God would continue to break our hearts for what breaks His and that we would continually seek His will. We want so badly to see Him work in mighty ways in our life.

We prayed that we would come back home different… that we would come back UNCOMFORTABLE!!

It’s weird to really pray that and mean it… or at least think that you mean it… But God has truly begun to transform our hearts here at Switchboard Missions. As we learn to cease being rebellious, He’s begun to transform our hearts. Slowly but surely, we’re learning to submit to Him, to follow where He leads, to humble ourselves before both Him and others.

Needless to say, we are without a doubt testing God’s patience, but we’re trying.

We, as humans, don’t like change. We’ve got a plan, and we’re trying to stick to it.

But, what happens when the rug gets pulled out from under us?  What’s going to happen now that God is truly answering those prayers? What’s going to happen when we decide to stop running? When God really does finally get a hold of us? When He really does change our hearts? What does it look like for our hearts to really break for what breaks His?

It’s heavy, weighty stuff. It feels so beyond us, and that’s probably because it is…

We don’t get it… Second Corinthians 2 is clear about that… But that’s where the Holy Spirit comes in…

God gives us his Spirit so that we may have the faith to believe, the faith to follow, the faith to let Him change our hearts.

Because of the work that Jesus did for us on the cross, we have hope. We have hope that we can be different, not different because of what we do, but different because of what He’s already done.

So, while there truly is “no place like home,” we must also remember that, “Home is where the heart is.”

When our hearts seek Jesus, we’re home… regardless of our surroundings…

The comfort of a home is not in bricks and mortar but in knowing that we’re already accepted before we even walk through the door… in knowing that inside, we’re safe from whatever the world may throw our way… in knowing that HE, the creator of the universe, loves us all intimately in our own unique ways.

We have a heavenly home, and there are many rooms in His house. He’s waiting… waiting for us all to come home…

God, the Perfect Father, is in the business of bringing people home. He wants to free us from the bondage of this world so that we can see what’s waiting for us in eternity.

We’ve been rescued from ourselves. We’ve tasted and seen His goodness, His grace and the fulfillment that only He can bring, and now, He’s commissioned us as Christians to let other people know. He’s given us a handful of invitations and asked us to pass them along to whomever we may meet. He wants them all to come.

The invite… His…

The message… His…

The generosity… His…

The house… His…

The party… His…

It’s all His. We just know how awesome it feels to have our own invitations, and He’s allowed us the honor of handing out a few envelopes to others.

Sometimes, it’s awkward… Sometimes, it’s hard... And sometimes, we’re just convinced that we’ve got better things to do than to walk around handing out these goofy invitations.

If we would only realize how badly people need to be invited, or, better yet, if we would only remember how badly we needed to be invited, then maybe we could put aside all of the stupid things that get in the way.

After all, He invited us so that we would invite others, so that we would take His message of love and grace into a broken world. (John 17:15-18)

So, really, I guess the question is, “Whose envelope has God handed you?”

Who has He called you to invite… TODAY?!

Nicaragua Update: Friday Edition

Sadly, today was our last day in Nicaragua. The last day of the trip is always set side to spend the day enjoying the Nicaraguan sites and attractions. We had a great time at Monkey Island, the volcano, and zip lining. Tomorrow, we will head home. This is always such a bitter sweet time because, as much as we are excited to see all of you, we are devastated to leave the people of this country. We are praying for the Lord to help us process everything we've seen, heard, and learned this week. For those of us that it is our first time in a third world country, our eyes and our hearts have been opened to things we've never been exposed to before. For those of us returning, the eye-opening process only continues.

Nicaragua Update: Thursday Edition

Wednesday -- We went to Emmanual in the morning to do VBS with the kids. We also continued building the house for Carlos and hope to finish the house by the end of the week. The remainder of the team spent time evangelizing throughout the barrio, and one woman accepted Christ. Praise the Lord! That afternoon we continued helping Chosen Children Ministries with a building on-site to use for their ministry. It's such a blessing to serve a ministry who is continually serving others, including our team. A few of us headed to Marvin in the afternoon to work with the people there and see some old friends. Nicole managed to fall in love with a monkey, but don't worry, she will not be taking it back with us! Every night we have a devotion, but last night's was the best yet. The Lord was so obviously present.

Thursday -- Today we went to the dump. A few hundred people live off of the dump, searching from sun up to sun down for things they can recycle like plastic bags and plastic bottles. These people have absolutely nothing. No house. No job. And, without Jesus Christ, no hope. We met their physical needs with food as well as their spiritual needs with the story of Christ

One of the reasons I love Chosen children Ministries is because they continue to minister to the Nicaraguan people long after our group is gone. The people of the barrio are connected to a church with a pastor, who Chosen Children mentors and teaches. Short-term mission trips are often criticized for leaving the native people high and dry after telling them about Jesus. In each barrio that we work with, Chosen Children Ministries has a constant presence, which allows the people there to grow a deeper relationship with Christ. So, while we may only be there for a short time, the Lord's name is continually proclaimed. Can I get an Amen?

Nicaragua Update: Wednesday Edition

Wednesday -- We went to Xiloa, which is the same community we worked in last year. It was beyond wonderful to see familiar faces! It's hard to explain the feeling that comes over you after seeing a child running toward you, barefoot, down the streets of a small Nicaraguan barrio. The same child that you've been praying over for an entire year. It's even harder to explain the type of connection that you can make in just a week. We did VBS with the kids of Xiloa and were able to walk through the barrio telling people about our Savior, Jesus Christ. We also stopped in at a new community called SMP and met with Edgar, the community leader. We encouraged and shared with them the advantages of getting involved with Chosen Children Ministries, since this was the first contact Chosen Children Ministries made with the community. We assessed needs, and the entire community was really excited about CCM's involvement. The people of the community are desperate for a church. 

Thursday - We are heading to Emmanuel to build Carlos a home. We will also be doing VBS as well as evangelism.

Nicaragua Update: Monday Edition

Here is the latest update:

Sunday -- Things at Sombrano went really well! We did Vacation Bible School with the kids and spent time simply loving on them. Hugs have a way of breaking down the language barrier. 

Monday -- Today, we went to the orphanage in Juigalpa, which is home to 30 kids. Of course, the term "kids" is used lightly. There are 2 girls, ages 12 and 14, who were raped by their father. Both of these "kids" are now moms. Both moms are on the honor roll, and one of the moms recently earned an academic award. Praise the Lord! We were able to take the kids on a field trip to the zoo. It was so exciting to see all their faces light up! They absolutely loved it, and we loved that they loved it! We fell in love with the kids, and goodbyes came way too quickly. 

Tomorrow -- We will be in Xiloa and The Flags, which are the same two barrios we were in last year. Several team members from last year's trip are anxiously awaiting reuniting with some of the relationships formed last year. 

Every night our team gathers in prayer and cries out for God to show up, use us, and lead us. Our team is praying that God would take this trip and make it His. We are also praying that we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His lead as to where we need to go, who we need to talk to, and how to direct the conversations.

Nicaragua Update: Sunday Edition

Bienvenido a Nicaragua! All 24 team members arrived safely without any hiccups. Prasise the Lord! We hit the ground running, so here's a recap of what we've done so far:

Saturday -- After we landed and made it to the mission house, we helped construct a building on campus for Chosen Children Ministries. That night we spent time seeking the Lord through prayer and scripture. What a joy it is to worship the Lord here in Nicaragua! We wanted to be sure our hearts were focused on what we have been called to do here this week.

Sunday -- This morning we went to church in Managua with Guillermo, Chosen Children's International Director. Reagan Sinclaire shared her testimony, and Rachel, Kaelynn, and Courtney sang special music. This afternoon we are going to Sombrazo to do our first VBS and sports camps.

More updates to follow!

Para nuestro Dios

It’s that time…

The rubber is about to hit the road…

After months of hard work, we find ourselves just hours away from Switchboard’s very first mission trip.

It’s surreal… We’re truly blown away by God’s loving kindness through all of this. He has turned what was once just a passing thought into a full-fledged, functional organization. He has turned our “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, Philippians 3:8) into something amazing, something that He will undoubtedly use to bless individuals all across the globe. We are thrilled to get to be a part of what He is doing for the people of this world, exceedingly humbled by His grace and eager to see what He has in store for us in the future, namely the next few days.

Our destination… The beautiful, exotic nation of Nicaragua…

Our partners… Chosen Children Ministries… These wonderful people have committed their lives to serving the people of Nicaragua for the glory of Jesus Christ. Their website says it best…

        

“Chosen Children Ministries exists to share God's love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Nicaragua, serving their spiritual and physical needs in ways that bring God glory, by planting churches, equipping leaders, strengthening families and individuals, evangelizing and discipling children and adults, establishing child sponsorships and giving humanitarian aid.”

To learn more about CCM or about how to be involved in their ministry, visit their website at:

http://chosenchildrenministries.org/index.htm

Our team… The Lord has assembled a team of 23 students from 6 different universities across the South, including Louisiana State University, Louisiana-Monroe University, Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee-Martin. Also, we are beyond excited that a member of our wonderful Board of Directors, Amy Woodby, has chosen to accompany us on our inaugural journey. And, not to be forgotten, we have been blessed with OVER 60 PRAYER PARTNERS from all over the United States. They’ve joined our team specifically to pray for each and every one of those travelling. It’s breathtaking to see our beautiful and gracious God work to bring us all together, and we have no doubt that He has orchestrated this ENTIRE team to achieve His purposes.

Our mission… As a team, we will be doing about three main things everyday.

For the children, we will do a Vacation Bible School of sorts and then run Sports Camps for them. The main focus, though, is on loving on them. We will come into contact with a multitude of children who just want to be loved. Whether we need to give piggyback rides, play tag or paint fingernails, we just want to show each and every child that they are indeed valued and loved just as Jesus does for us.

To reach the adults, we will do lots of one-on-one evangelism. These people are often times hurting, broken and lost in the chaos of their everyday lives. Our only aim is to, as the apostle Paul wrote, preach Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2) because He is the only true Healer and the only One who can bring perfect peace.

How can you help?

PRAY!!!

We’ll tell you the same thing that we told our prayer partners…

“In these first days as we all get adjusted and settled in, we ask that you would pray for safety as we travel both into the country and as we travel between the "barrios" and the mission house.

Pray that each of the team members would drop their inhibitions and step out onto the ledge. It will be hard for us, even those that have come before, to let go of our assumptions and preconceived notions about this new world around us. Please pray that we would truly surrender to whatever God has for us in these next 7 days.

But most importantly, pray that we would be cognizant of the true reason that we have come, to spread the love and good news of Jesus Christ across the world. Pray that we would remember that while we will have fun and enjoy our time together in such an exotic place, we have come to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ because, in the end, nothing else can satisfy but Him.”

Please join in with us as we bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the people of the world.

We’ll have more updates soon, so make sure that you at least log out of Facebook long enough to check back here in the next few days…

Until next time… Adios Amigos!