I recently got back from a mission trip to Jamaica.

I almost didn’t go.

See, Jamaica wasn’t the original plan. We were supposed to go to Haiti. I was able to go to Haiti on a mission trip two years ago, and when I left that place, I left part of my heart there.  That mission trip was life changing for me. I couldn’t wait to go back. But right now Haiti is in turmoil. There is a lot of unrest and it’s not very safe for mission teams to go there. So Agape to the Nations decided to change our trip location.

When I found out the destination was changing, I struggled. I wanted to go to Haiti—not Jamaica. We were supposed to do a ladies conference for the Haitian ladies. Now the plan was to go to Jamaica and stay at a deaf school called Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD). We would be ministering to the deaf students and then doing a ladies conference for the deaf ladies in the community.

So I prayed and asked the Lord if He still wanted me to go. Then it occurred to me that if the Lord had called me to go, of course He still wanted me to go. It wasn’t really Agape who changed the trip destination. It was the Lord.

I like to think of a mission trip like taking a vacation with the Lord. Can we spend time with the Lord at home? Sure. But taking a vacation with Him is just, well, it’s just different. When we go on a trip with the Lord we get to see different aspects of Him that we don’t get to see at home. We get to know and experience Him in new ways. We get to see what He’s up to in other places.

We get to see some of His masterpieces.

It’s like when my daughter comes in the kitchen and asks me to come see the project she’s been working on. She takes me by the hand and together we walk into the den and she shows me the picture she’s been painting. Her masterpiece. She’s worked hard on her artwork. She’s proud of it. She wants to show it off. And she wants me to see it.

I think the Lord is like that. He invites us to go on these journeys with Him. He has been working hard on His artwork. He’s proud of it. He wants to show it off. And He wants us to see it.

Only His masterpieces aren’t pictures—they’re people.

I went to Jamaica with the Lord and a team of five wonderful ladies. Our team got to meet some incredible people in the deaf community. We saw people who couldn’t hear praise God passionately with both their hands and hearts. Their disabilities did not hinder them from knowing and worshipping God. If anything, it awakened a whole new way of worshipping Him. We got to know Eve-A and Leah, two of the missionaries who interpret for CCCD. Both ladies are gifted in sign language. It was such a joy to watch them use their hands to share the gospel so powerfully.

They were some of God’s masterpieces.

One day I was playing four square with some of the kids and our ball rolled away. A precious girl with bowed legs starting running after it. I tried to run ahead of her to get the ball so she wouldn’t have to. I was worried about her falling or straining her bent legs. But as I tried to run and catch up with her, she picked up speed. She was determined to beat me to that ball. In that moment, I realized something.  That girl loved to run. And she was fast. Her bowed legs didn’t slow her down, and neither should I. The thing I thought would hinder her was the very thing that fueled her. What I needed to do was get out of her way and let her run. When she reached the ball, she picked it up and turned and looked at me. She gave me a little smirk then took off running again. I pray she uses that same passion to run hard after the Lord.

She was one of His masterpieces.

One day we had the opportunity to visit the elderly at a local nursing home. Our team painted nails and rubbed lotion on ladies’ hands. As I rubbed lotion on those delicate, fragile, old hands, I wondered about the history of those hands.  The babies those hands had held. The meals those hands had prepared. The wounds those hands had bandaged. The hugs those hands had given. The tears those hands had wiped.  As I sat there, Karen, one of our team members, cranked up the worship music. She walked over to the sidelines and took a lady by the hand. She led her to the middle of the room and they danced. It was a beautiful sight to behold! Later, I realized something.

That nursing home visit was so much more than rubbing lotion on hands and painting fingernails. God had sent us there with a message—a message of love. He wanted those ladies to know He still loved them. He had not forgotten them. He still had a purpose for their lives. They still mattered to Him. I look back and I picture Him there. I see Him walk over to the sidelines, taking those ladies by the hands and leading them out on the dance floor. The God of all creation wanted to dance with them.

They were His masterpieces.

Another highlight of my trip was the team of ladies I went with. It’s so neat to see how God handpicks a group of people to send on a mission trip. They were women of different ages, talents, and backgrounds, united together for one purpose–to proclaim Christ. That week He knit our hearts together. I got to hear their beautiful stories of how the Lord had radically changed their lives. I watched Him use their gifts and talents for His glory. I witnessed Him speak powerfully through each of them.

They were some of His masterpieces. 

I can tell you this–Jamaica is full of God’s masterpieces. Wherever there are people, we can find His masterpieces. Isn’t our God an amazing artist? There is no one like Him. He hangs His masterpieces all over the walls of His creation for us to see.

Have you been on a vacation with the Lord lately? Is He inviting you to go on a trip with Him? Maybe there are some of His special masterpieces He wants to show you. If so, don’t miss out on an incredible vacation with the Lord. Trust me. You won’t regret it. You don’t even need a money back guarantee.

 

For more information about Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf, click on this link: https://www.cccdjamaica.org

 

For more information about Agape to the Nations, click on this link: https://www.agapetothenations.com