In a few short days, I embark on yet another mission with another fantastic team. This time around, we travel to Catadupa, Jamaica. For 8 days, we'll serve the community, leading Kids Club and completing work projects side by side with the local people. This is the same community our team traveled to in 2012, and we are excited to return. We are excited to go back and see what God has done and how he has continued to move and work.

After planning and completing an amazing mission trip to Chicago, it was time to get to work on this mission. To be honest, I've been stressed out - the result of an overwhelming amount of homework (yay Greek!) and prepping to take 25 people on international mission. From organizing countless forms, making multiple copies of insurance cards, passports and notarization to leave the county to prayerfully seeking God's words for this team as I write devotions, there's been a lot to do. I've felt the stress and weight of making sure this trip goes well (as well as it can) and is a positive experience for the high school team, college age team and adults. I want it to be perfect, not for my sake, but because I want nothing to come in the way of this team meeting God - maybe again, maybe for the first time.

Today, I sit in my office, with my desk (mostly) clear. The planning is complete, all the loose ends are tied up. The Ipod is stocked with music. The last of my homework has been submitted, so I'm free from that for two weeks (PRAISE GOD!)... From where I sit today, this is the best part of the preparation. I am free. I am free from all the things I have to do, get done and complete. I'm free to surrender to worship and prayer.

The truth is, as I've planned and prepped for this mission, I've been overwhelmed, not by all that needs to be done, but the words and prayers God is giving me for this team.

Countless times I've gone through the high school team list and God has given me prayers for these people. Or words for their families or parents. Our high school ministry has grown - maybe not wide, but deep - these last few years. Our faithfulness to God, our obedience to his will, has been fruitful. This high school teams is ready for whatever God brings. They are open, they are fearless, they are found in Christ. And so I pray in anticipation for what he will bring each of them on the mission.

Our college team has rendered me speechless, breathless and on my knees in prayer for them and for what God will do through them on this mission. This team has been on my heart since day one of youth ministry, when they weren't much older than my son. As we have met, talked, prayed and chiseled in preparation for this mission, God has revealed much. He is carefully preparing for heart, soul and mind surgery on each of them. They know it. I know it. I am overcome with a sense that God is on the move within each of these young adults.

And so today and in the days ahead, I am free of what I need to do, and find myself free falling to my knees. I humbly invite you to join me and to pray for this team and the mission ahead:

Prayer Requests (Full Team)
- Pray for the community of Catadupa
- Pray for the youth team from Ashburn Presbyterian (who will be there with us)
- Open hearts and minds to the work of God.
- Hearts open to surrender and freedom in Christ
- Pray for lives changed for God's glory
- Wisdom for our leadrs
- Our team time, prayer time and worship
- Boldness in sharing the good news of Jesus with one another and the people of Catadupa
- Strength and endurance for the hard work, heat and new surroundings
- Traveling mercies (long flights, drives, roads)
- Health, wellness and safety
- That all of our financial needs would be met

Prayer Requests (High School Team)
- For our graduated seniors, as they complete their last mission with Youth Ministry
- Strengthened faith and relationship with the Lord
- Commitment to serving God not just on mission, but at home
- Open eyes to where we can serve others
- Divine appointments for this team, that God would meet them where they are at

Prayer Requests (College Team)
- Discernment of future plans, as God speaks on this mission
- Wisdom for decisions about college, ministry and mission callings
- Strength and wisdom in allowing God to prune their lives of things not of him
- Strength to boldly proclaim Christ to the high school team
- Release the burden of guilt, shame, accept forgiveness so they can be open to God's healing and work
 
Prayer Requests (Leaders)
- That all needs at home/work would be met as we lead and serve
- That we would feel peace about our decision to lead mission
- That our children at home will be cared for in our absence
- For the people caring for our kids and helping our families
- For our spouses, as we lead and serve this team

I leave for Ecuador in 9 days.

My head is spinning, I'm overwhelmed by all I have to do, all I have to get and all the unknowns. And my arms ache, thanks to the shots I got this morning to prep my body for anything I might get into while on mission (namely, Yellow Fever, Typhoid and two different forms of Hepatitis). Now with my "Yellow Card" tucked into my passport, I'm another step closer to "ready."

Following my appointment at the travel clinic, it was time for some shopping. I got some of the items and have more to cross off the list. All of this needs to be completed Sunday night so we can pack and load the bus. 

The list of items needed for this trip is lengthy. Here's a sampling. 
- rubber boots
- water proof jacket
- quick drying coat
- quick drying pants (it rains all the time!)
- work gloves
- more work gloves
- Pepto Bismal

So based on the list, I can expect rain, work and gastro issues. I can deal with that. 

There's so much to do, so much to get done, so many nerves to quelch. 

It's so strange to me that this mission has me anxious. I've taken groups on mission for 7 years. I've been on all over the country, as well as Mexico and Canada. I've been responsible for the health and well-being of 30+ teens,  had to figure out all the details, make the plans, get us there and back alive. A breeze compared to what lies ahead. 

Some of it lies in the unknown. I'm going along for the ride. Much like my first trip to Mexico in 2008, I'm not sure of what's to come. 

Still other anxieties come from the flight. I don't like to fly and I really don't want to have a panic attack. 

Maybe I'm unsure of why I'm going. I have an idea. I feel comfortable with the why behind the what, but really... like, what am I doing on a medical mission? 

Perhaps I'm worried about Jeff and how he's going to balance it all while I'm gone. Yes. There's that. 

Or that anxiousness may be the realization that while I easily say I trust the Lord, I'm getting a full on, in-your-face,  gut-punch reminder of what it actually means to open the hand to full surrender. 

That part, that gut-punch? That has the been most amazing, grueling, freeing and exciting part of the process. I recall what we read in Ephesians 3: 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." ---- 

I'm most anxious about, most anticipating the immeasurably more. Every mission I've led and completed, God has done immeasurably more in the lives of the kids who travelled. He's done immeasurably more in the lives of the chaperones. He's done immeasurably more in the communities we've served. Immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. 

That is some crazy power, God. That you go before us, behind us and with us, working and doing more than we can ask, more than we can fathom. 

So for every thought I have about this mission, he is able to do more. 

For every hope I have, he is able to do more. 

For every expectation, he far outpaces anything I could consider. 

For every fear, he meets me there with immeasurably more comfort and assurance. 

And it's all for his glory. It's all for him. My job on this mission: Obedience. His promise for this mission: outcome. 

Would you join me in praying for our team? Pray for the community we will serve in Shell. Pray for our travels! Pray for the hearts of the team and those we will serve, that we will all be open to the immeasurably more. And, please consider joining us on this mission, through financial support. Any amount will help us do good work in the community and for the kingdom. 

Learn more here: 
http://www.gofundme.com/apaulsoncasadefe

The past few weeks, I've been sharing via Facebook and Twitter my upcoming mission trip to Ecuador. As I have shared the what, I have also asked for prayer and financial support. Can I just tell you that is not an easy ask? 

For me, the most difficult part of this mission has been getting over the fear of asking for support. I've worked with kids for a long time, and some have been bold enough to step out into the mission field, trusting they will be provided for (way to be Chad, Juanita, Adam and Nathan).  But when I ask people why they don't "go" the money part is the number one thing that stands in the way. I totally, fully 100% understand this!!! To actually ask for support feels like begging and, for us independent, stoic, Norwegian-German types up here on the tundra - well, we just don't do that. We take care of ourselves! We are self-sufficient! We don't take handouts! We don't need help. Thank you very much. 

The second most difficult part of the mission process is helping people understand why international and short term mission is necessary. If I had $1 for everytime I've heard "there's plenty to do here" I'd be able to fund this mission and probably 10 more. I understand that. I do. Before I was unceremoniously inducted into the world of mission in 2008, I felt the same. Thank you, Dale Wolf.  Honestly. If it hadn't been for your gutsy bet on a totally inexperienced person taking a role in Youth Ministry, my heart would not have been set on fire for mission. 

So, let's address this logic. Yes. There is plenty to do here. There are countless needs in our own communities. There are children hungry, women battered and abused, homeless veterans. There is inequality. There is injustice. There is trafficking, human slavery, people struggling with addiction. I agree - wholeheartedly - that there is plenty to do here. 

But here's something to consider. How often do you actually do anything about the "plenty to do here." Before my first mission to Mexico, I turned away from the needs of the community in which I live. I could easily walk past the people in need on the street. I could see a Red Kettle and shrug it off. I could hear stories on the news about the needs of the Women's Shelter, or the homeless. Want to know what my natural, American Christian reaction was: "they got themselves into that situation. They did it to themselves."  I'm so ashamed. But here's my reality, and I ask you to consider if it has ever been yours. 

So how did mission change that? Well, we live in a nation where the general belief is if you work hard enough, you can succeed, overcome, change your story. If you work hard enough, commit yourself to education, staying out of trouble your story can change. I think our "American Dream" fuels our natural tendency to shrug and dismiss the desperation of people and unmet needs in our own communities.

But, when you go to a foreign country, that entire school of thought gets turned on its head. When you step foot into a different country, you see that wow  - these people work hard, they commit themselves to bettering themselves, they commit to staying out of trouble.   And nothing changes. 

Imagine this. You work hard for 16 - 20 hours a day. And this is not enough to feed your child 1/2 cup of rice for supper. You work to provide and your hard work doesn't get you anywhere, because your labor is either forced or you get paid about $1.00 a day. The clothes you make, the coffee you process, the cocoa beans you pick - all for a buck or two a day - are consumed in a country far away by people who think nothing of dropping $5.00 on a 12 oz cup of coffee. For people who rarely stop to think about the lives of those who provide their "necessities."  

Think about that, all you Starbucks nuts (self included) The people who make our coffee? It would take them 2 to 3 DAYS to afford 1  cup of what they produce. 

This is why children in these countries are abandoned. Orphaned, alone, scared. This is why the special needs children of countries such as Ecuador are "forgotten." They are lost, faceless, nameless, with no resources, no one to care for them, look out for them. They are desperate not for the American Dream, but for love. The most basic need. Before you judge their parents, think about how difficult it is to send your infant to childcare the first day. Now imagine you can't afford to feed or clothe your child and your only option is abandonment? Or, worse. Selling them into trafficking. These are not bad parents. These are parents with no choices and no options. 

Friends - when we go to these countries, we have the opportunity to demonstrate that we are not a self-serving nation of consumers, but instead that we see. And we care. And we desire to give back. When we go, especially as followers of Christ, we demonstrate that the God we serve is one who commands us to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly. 

The benefit for the "plenty to do here?" When we come back - our hearts are shattered for the injustice here. Since returning from my first mission in 2008, I have become passionate about the needs right here. I (and my family) serve our community in countless  ways, because we have seen. And once you see, you can no longer refuse to do. Friends and family. I saw, and so I do. I saw and so I go. My heart refuses to beat in any other way. 

So I ask you all to consider. Would you give to support this mission? Would you consider passing on your daily tall, skim, mocha with extra whip cream this week and giving that amount towards this mission? 


Friends and family, I'm not necessarily suggesting you join me in person (though I firmly believe ALL people should experience one mission) but I am asking you to join me in connecting and giving back to a world in need of hope. I'm asking you to consider seeing the why behind the what, looking at this request as an opportunity. The world is in desperate need of hope. I invite you to help extend it. 


Please - check out Casa de Fe. And if you will, give.