Getting Ready For The Big Day

Missions Trips! I love 'em.

You have to leave normal life behind and venture out into something almost completely unknown. I've been on several trips before. My first one was when I had just graduated from 8th grade. I went with a group to some town in West Virginia to paint a church. We slept in the foyer of one church and worked in the hot sun. I still remember the good time I had with those team members.

For years I went to a church where the missions effort was very strong. We poured out as much love as we could on our missionaries. So my heart was always stirred by meeting missionaries and hearing their wonderful stories.

Later I went to Costa Rica with Pastor Winston and Keith Hershey. That was a treat. It was on that trip that I met my friend Don Korach. He's given his life to serving the Lord down in San Jose. I've been on several trips with him and each one is a delight.

The trip to Hyderabad, India with Pastor Winston was really awesome. So many different things I experienced. Staying in a 4-star hotel, made of white marble! Riding through the streets of Hyderabad. Ministering in an orphanage that was basically one room. Falling in love with a group of orphans and wondering when I could ever go back. Experiencing Spirit-filled Telegu worship-some of the best I've ever heard. The rhythms were so amazing you couldn't keep from dancing.

My favorite thing is ministering to people; seeing the light go on in their eyes, seeing physical healings, getting a word of knowledge from the Lord then finding out that it was really accurate, hearing from God a message to preach then seeing it land in the hearts of the people.

I remember one message the Lord gave me while I was in India. We were scheduled to visit the orphanage mentioned above. I woke that day and the Lord started speaking, He took me to Ps. 127 that talks about how blessed it is to have children they are like arrows that a father sends forth. The Lord said, but these children have no father. So, He said, "I myself will be their father. I will get up off my throne and send them forth like an arrow. I will launch them as a good father would." I was so blessed to deliver that message to those orphans. You could see that it affected them.

So now I'm getting ready to go minister in a church in Luxembourg, then to another church in Monrovia, Liberia. I know that this is a divine appointment. I know there is a specific task God wants me to do. However, many times you don't know what that task is until you've already done it. I like following God, doing things His way and fulfilling His heart's desire. I'll let you know how it goes.

Love ya
Joe
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