Emptied and Open

Good morning everyone,

I'm Dawn, and this will be my fourth trip to Juarez Mexico. Every time I've gone to visit the Children's Home and our friends there I am reminded that none of this is about me.

Leading up to an adventure like this, I usually start off with great excitement and anticipation for what is to come. It's always exciting, albeit often scary, to step outside of your own norm. Those who know me well understand that this is often a difficult step for me. A person, such as myself, who likes to think of themselves as adventurous and brave will at different points face the reality that much of the courage they try to muster when stepping into the unknown, is not actually coming from themselves. When faced with this, I come to the realization that the excitement I feel is more akin to a sense of urgency. The knowledge that something bigger than myself is happening. God is working. I'm just a vessel to be used in that work, if only I'm willing to get moving and be a part of it.

A couple summers ago on the trip to Juarez our friend Adam, who works at the Children's Home, said to me that he prayed God would empty everything from me that was of me on that journey so that the only thing left would be His Spirit and the capacity for me to be used for His glory.

I do remember the exhaustion of that trip. Waking up one morning in Hays KS and by later that same night sitting in a time of prayer in the dimly lit church at the bottom of the hill in Juarez Mexico where the Children's Home is located. Feeling emptied and blessed. I had before fought the feeling that I didn't have much within me to contribute to the work ahead. "What am I doing here?" I asked God, almost laughing out loud. But, I knew. See, I undeservedly have Christ's love. Whether or not I have any other practical ability or useful skill to offer or extensive knowledge of the language where I'm going...I have His love. People need His love. People need to be reminded that Christ loves THEM, right where they are. That's where the urgency inside of me comes from. In this excitement, or urgency, I feel while preparing to leave Hays tomorrow morning I too am reminded of His love for me. Unflinching. Never ceasing. Faithful even when I am not.

This trip is not about those of us on it, but about the ONE who is sending us. My prayer is that we do not forget that and that we are emptied of ourselves. Our problems. Fears. Doubts. Worries. That we would be open to Christ's love and leading. That we would show grace to one another as we travel and work together as a unified team and that we would share Christ's love openly with the children at the home and adults that we encounter.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement. <3 ~Dawn