Gradi Ellis is a guest blogger from Nashville, TN. She will be traveling with Passion Partners on the Summer 2014 Missions Trip. To learn more about joining Passion Partners on an upcoming trip, visit http://passionpartners.
“Jesus responded, ‘Didn’t I tell you, you would see God’s glory if you just believe?’” John 11:40 (NLT)
It was a few weeks before I decided to embark on this journey, that I read those words in my daily quiet time. My inbox was filling up with unread messages that needed tending to and I was halfheartedly trying to get a couple of moments in with God before my day started. I don’t know why, amongst all of these distractions, but I could not help but focus on this simple sentence.
To simply believe seems like such an easy task. However, when I was faced with having to believe in the calling I felt God had placed on my heart, to travel to Uganda and share His love, the mere simplicity of the task seemed to diminish. I spent a lot of time wrestling with this calling and the fear of doing something so big. Yet, in spite of my fears, I knew that I needed to trust in His calling.
So here I stand, overwhelmed at the abundance of love that has been poured into my life over the past six months. I have seen prayers answered, as dollar by dollar I was able to raise support for my trip. The intricate web of people that have come together and believed in my heart amazes me. To be able to say that we are truly on this journey together is incredible and I will never forget their generosity.
I am now faced with the “fill up the suitcase challenge,” but I find myself more concerned with the internal preparation over the external. Of course there are a couple priorities that I need to ensure (like getting the right bug spray and making sure my bag stays under the required weight limit). However, beyond all of that, I find myself longing to prepare my heart, more than my wardrobe.
As I prepare my heart I am praying that God will help me to be a servant to everyone I meet. I pray that through my actions, and those of my team members, they will be reminded that they are honored, esteemed, adored, and cherished by a creator who sees them as children of the King. That they will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that each day is a celebration of their life on this earth and of the life to come again.