What. A. Trip. (by Evan Templeton)

Biggest Challenge for Me This Trip: Treat every day like I'm on a mission field.

What's so great about a missions trip? Why is it any different than any other trip? 

The difference is that the focus of the trip is sharing the Gospel.

Now here's the real question...

Why isn't sharing the Gospel the main focus of EVERY DAY?

There's nothing more important. Nothing. 

That's what I've been chewing on. I plan to keep chewing on it, and more importantly, I plan to be changed by it. 

That's the meat of this post, and my challenge to you. The rest of this post is a few of my favorite moments from the trip up to this point. If you plan to read it all, buckle up. It's a lot. 

Hello to all our blog-followers, especially my Dad and my brother Tyler back home. Yes, I'm still alive, and yes (more importantly), Mom is still alive. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you. ;) Although "culture shock" would be an understatement in describing what she has experienced here, the Lord has done a literal miracle in getting her through each day, and I've enjoyed seeing it all happen.

I'll be honest...I've dreaded this moment, the moment that I would finally sit down and take my turn on the blog post. And here's why...

The Lord has shown himself in many miraculous ways, and my desire is to convey to you everything that I've experienced, everything the Lord has shown me. But in spite of the minutes, maybe even hours, that I've spent trying to think of how I would put all my thoughts and experiences on paper (or blog, in this case), I still don't know how I could do it. So I will highlight a few things that have happened, be disgruntled that I'm incapable of relaying it all as I wish to, and let you wish you were here to experience it all with me. :D

Big Moment Number 1: Witnessing to a Muslim man. More like Muslim boy around my age. It's cool for me to think of the instances leading up to the time with him. How the Spirit, unknown to me at the time, was literally guiding our steps to the exact spot where he was, so that I could give him the Good News of Jesus Christ. "What is the difference between Islam and Christianity?" he asked. "Jesus Christ," I replied. And the conversation ensued for somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes. The result of the conversation? I saw a lightbulb go off in his eyes. I saw him realize that the righteousness of Jesus Christ was the only hope he had for heaven, and not his own righteousness. That Jesus Christ offered more hope than Muhammed. That he couldn't get himself to heaven. That Christ paid for his sins. That he didn't have to keep living righteously in order to pay his sin debt. That Jesus did it all for him. That it seemed too good to be true. 

The man did not say with his mouth that he believed, but the wheels were turning. The look in his eyes made me believe that it made sense, that he finally found what he was looking for. Did he truly believe? I do not know for sure. Thankfully, I have his email address! So rest assured, I'll be keeping in touch with him.

Big Moment Number 2: Three new members of the body of Christ, adopted on a porch outside a bar. No they weren't drunk, yes they were thinking clearly, and yes, they needed a Savior. As I followed Caleb's lead in walking up to three men around a table, I had no idea that these men would truly place their faith in Christ alone to redeem them from the penalty of sin, and that these men would become my brothers in Christ. I could go on, but I'll leave it at that.

Big Moment Number 3: The many souls that have been received salvation this trip. Exciting stuff!

Big Moment Number 4: Seeing the power of God's Word. I've had the opportunity to talk to two different mean after two different evening services. After the Holy Spirit used Pastor Quilty to bring a powerful Gospel message, these two men stepped out into the aisle signifying that they wanted to place their faith in Christ. I had the opportunity to talk to two men who, when they got to me, already knew they needed help, and already knew it was as simple as believing. This reminded of the power of God's Word, and the preaching of the Gospel. 

Big Moment Number 5: The unimaginable view that Mr Nichols and I stumbled upon during an accidental hike after our van broke down. Yes, I took pics and videos to try to capture what I saw, but as the old cliche goes, "pictures just don't do it justice." And since a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll refrain from trying to describe them with words. They'll be posted somewhere later. 

Well, I'm going to stop here. So much more I could say, but you're probably tired of reading, and I'm tired of typing. I am thankful for how the Lord is using me. Yes, it's all the Lord, and nothing of myself. I've learned the reality of Christ's statement in the book of John..."without me, ye can do nothing." Praise the Lord that souls are being saved, lives are being changed, and most importantly, God is being glorified through it all. 

Please continue to pray! Your prayers are not taken for granted. We desperately need the Spirit's power to continue to work in us and through us so that souls can be reached with the Gospel. 

God bless you all.