One Little Step...

We love making lapbooks from our studies! 

"If everyone would do what they COULD do without worrying about what they COULDN'T do, a lot more would get done." ~Bill Hybels in his study, Walk Across the Room.

~I only have a week to go on a missions trip. That's not enough. I'll do more harm than good. I should just do something else with the money.

~I'm too shy to knock on someone's door. I can't share my faith. 

~I only have $10. Why bother giving THAT towards their missions trip? It won't make a dent. 

Have you ever noticed how often you are stopped because you think what you have in your hands is not enough? Have you ever noticed how often you are stopped because you read an article that someone imported onto Facebook or Twitter that said you shouldn't do it or give it? 

If I had a dollar for every time I've seen an article that said we should stop short term missions altogether...well, I'd have a lot of dollars!!

But if my husband had listened...and hadn't gone where God said to go...though he was only on the ground for 5 days...we'd have 4 less blessings at our supper table each night...and a dream would be unrealized...and 4 kids would likely still be in an orphanage...

And these friends of mine...who said *yes* to a week in Equador...would not have gone back for 6 years to serve...

Or what if we have plenty to give? Will we listen to other's who tell us where that would best be put when God is calling us to something that seems ridiculous?

I remember a story of Beth Guckenberger who had gone on a short term missions trip to Costa Rica as a teenager. She welcomed refugees coming over the border from Nicaragua. Before leaving, she asked the director what the greatest physical need was. "Clothes," he responded. She went home determined to gather used clothing to send. Her parents agreed to pay to send those clothes to Costa Rica for her. Years later, when she went to send a simple box to Mexico, she realized the ridiculous cost her parents paid to send used clothes to Costa Rica. If they had sent that MONEY, the director could have bought NEW clothes. She didn't even make it out of the post office before calling her mother and asking why her parents spent all that money to send used clothes to Costa Rica. Her mother's answer? They believed God was telling them to do it and they saw something bigger happening; their daughter had a new passion to serve God by serving the poor. Beth also recognized this was the original spark that eventually led to what is now: Back2Back ministries which comes alongside ministries already serving the orphan. Beth has also written several books that spread the hope of Jesus and lights a fire for others to serve. What if her parents hadn't been open to doing the ridiculous?

What if we just gave what was in our hand and heart to give? What if we just served God with tunnel vision, our eyes stayed on HIS leading and HIS Word? What would be different? What if we stopped over thinking and talking ourselves out of every service idea that comes to mind? What would happen if we stopped thinking we didn't have enough and just gave what we had...one dollar...one week... What BIG dreams could start from one.little.step?

The poor widow that Jesus spoke of...she gave what she had and it surely wasn't much!! But it was what she had and she didn't let having little stop her from giving. She had no idea that the God of the Universe would be the one to tell her story to every following generation!! She stands as our example. What we have in our hands is little, but plenty when put in the hands of our great multiplying God!! He makes much out of our little!

As I think of the week long missions trip to Nicaragua in October that my girlfriends and I are taking...I wonder with great excitement about what God will do!! Will some soul find Him as we share? Will a big missionary journey start from a small one? Will God show someone something they could not have discovered another way? Will a week turn into a lifetime? Will long term relationships start from a short term one? Will someone say, "THIS is when God showed me...", "THIS was the moment I knew...", "THIS started it all...", "After THIS day, everything changed...", "THIS was when I discovered I was loved, beautiful, worth it, special, created with love, had purpose..." Is it worth the time and money to get a front row seat to see God work? To be a part of that work? Oh my, YES! Will we let ourselves get talked out of following God even if it doesn't seem to make sense or show up on the bottom line? Heck NO!

Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning His disciples, He said to them, “I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on.” ~Mark 12:41-44