Mission Trip

On this Ash Wednesday, as the Lenten season begins, it seems fitting to talk about a different kind of trip.

Not one where fun, adventure and relaxation are the guiding principles, but one in which service and helping those in need reigns supreme.

To reach out a hand to those in need.

To care for the poor, the orphaned, the sick.

To show the love of Christ through the work of our hands and the outpouring of our hearts.

To not worry about the rewards we will get in return, but to look into the faces of those in peril and show that there is a light that shines bright despite the oppression.

I don't know where we'll go.

When the time is right, God will lead us.

It may be to somewhere like Haiti, or Africa, or Ecuador or Honduras.

It may be stateside to assist after a natural disaster.

It may not be an easy trip, emotionally speaking, but spiritually, it is likely to awaken us to the call of Christ.

"Almighty God, our heavenly Father, the privilege is ours to share in the loving, healing, reconciling mission of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, in this age and wherever we are. Since without you we can do no good thing:
                  May your Spirit make us wise;
                  May your Spirit guide us;
                  May your Spirit renew us;
                  May your Spirit strengthen us;
So that we will be:
                  Strong in faith,
                  Discerning in proclamation,
                  Courageous in witness,
                  Persistent in good deeds.
This we ask through the name of the Father."
                                               Church of the Province of the West Indies