I love those moments where special people make an impression. One of those for me this year was from one of our wonderful partner churches, Trinity on the Hill, during our Men and Women’s Conference last February. While we’ve been to Trinity many times, have had volunteers come down and even have had members serve on our Board for years, I had never gotten to know Melrose that well until recently.
Melrose has suffered the loss of her daughter and her husband over the past few years, but she is one of those people who never lets loss keep her from finding joy. She is thankful for every day and finds her purpose in making others happy.
Melrose journeyed to Jamaica to serve ACE and help us with our conference and all the day-to-day work that comes with it. When she got home, she wrote a little journal entry about her time here. With her permission, we thought you would enjoy her perspective and outlook on life. I know we did. Thank you, Melrose, and we look forward to seeing you in Jamaica soon.
Blessed
Do we go on mission trips to serve or be served?
Do we go on mission trips to bless or to be blessed?
I thought I knew the answer to that question.
I did not.
The last night of the prayer conference, I asked the women in my small group to list their prayer requests so I could take them home with me. You might think the women would ask for prayer for things that might make their lives easier, but they asked me to pray for them to know God better and serve Him more.
The Jamaican people we met have very little, yet those who know Jesus praise Him through circumstances we cannot imagine surviving.
Their requests humbled me:
“To listen and follow God’s way, not my way.”
“Give me opportunities to be Your servant and an example.”
“To serve God more.”
The women I was supposed to serve, served me.
The women I was supposed to bless, blessed me.
“You will be blessed when you come in and you will be blessed when you go out.” ~ Deuteronomy 28:6
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TRIP COST
There is an old proverb, “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” History proves that lasting change in a poverty culture is achieved by empowering the people to reach their full potential and become self-sustaining. ACE is invested in our community long-term and in conjunction with our partners in the US, we are identifying the circumstances of those around us in order to find real solutions for their unique needs.