First Team Meeting

Last Sunday I attended the first team meeting for my trip in December. One of the things that I have appreciated about previous trips are the meetings that we have prior to departing for Honduras. We will meet 4 times prior to the trip & during this time Pastor Jim presents the group with information about what we should expect, what to take & how to prepare for our upcoming adventure in Honduras.

Even after attending these meetings for three previous trip I find it very encouraging & exciting & also challenging. It allows me the opportunity to get to meet the folks that you will be spending 7 days in a foreign country with. We get to know each other, find out what concerns, fears, and everyone's needs are & ways that we can pray for each other.

This year our team is made up of a mom & two daughters, a mom & her college aged son (who I have gone with before) a mom of two small children who is a high school teacher (we were on the April 2010 together) two high school students, a father of two young children & college adviser (who I have traveled with twice before), Pastor Jim & is daughter as well a couple of others that were unable to be at the meeting.

Each of us come from different walks of life, we all have different challenges & bring different gifts to the team but, as we are reminded by Phillipians 2 we are going with the same purpose and sharing the same love for Christ.

Philippians 2

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.