Post Trip - Day 3 - June 21st, 2007

Read and think about John 15:1-17.
Jesus doesn't have much time left with His disciples. They're having their last meal together and Jesus is sharing some important last bits of truth with His friends. So why does He seem to go off into a mini-gardening lesson? Because the relationship of a branch to a vine is a great illustration of how Jesus wants His disciples to stay connected to Him even after He is gone. Some people treated Jesus like a fuel pump: they can connect up with Him just long enough to fill up, and then they're off again. That's not the way Jesus wants it to be. He wants us to be continually connected to Him, constantly drawing all that we need from Him to live, love, grow, and bear fruit. You probably feel pretty fueled up after your mission trip, but you can only live off of that steam for so long. Continuing to stay connected daily with Jesus is totally necessary for you to keep living to Him and reaching people right where you are!

What is your plan to "stay connected" now that you're home?
Spend time in His word and in prayer. Never be ashamed to talk about Jesus.

Is there someone you can share your plan with who can hold you accountable to it?
No, not really.

Spend some time thinking about verse 5 and write down any insights God gives into how that verse applies to your life.
Isn't that truth. Without God, nothing would be possible. Who'da thunk that a church from a tiny town in Illinois could raise over $41,000 in 3 months? It could never have been possible without God. And we served Him on that whole trip, and GOd did produce quite a bit of fruit. I love how God has used us for His glory. He handpicked 29 of us from Illinois, plus 17 from Georgia and 5 from New York to spread His word in Jamaica. Out of the billions of people in the world, He picked us to serve in that area of Jamaica at that time. That still amazes me.
I've been so tired. My body clock is all out of whack. I don't even get sleepy till 11:30pm, then I wake up at 7:00am and just drag through the day. I'm so glad to be home but...in a way I still wish I were in Jamaica. It's weird.

TRIP UPDATE
What was the best part about today? Actually relaxing.
What was the hardest? Don't know.
What was the funniest thing that happened on your trip? There are so many funny memories that I can't decide.
What was teh biggest thing you learned about yourself on your mission trip? I learned how compassionate and encouraging I really am.