This week, a team from University Lutheran will be going to Kenya, to the Point of Grace Academy in Kisumu Kenya. While the team is there, they are going to be working with the school as well as helping run a medical clinic for the students and those associated with the school.
They will be providing real tangible help for the people of Kisumu, but that’s not the entirety of the reason for them going. Instead, it is probably as much about them as it is about other people. They will be seeing things they haven’t seen before, doing things that they haven’t done before, perhaps even things that they would rather not do. And this will change their perspective, especially when they arrive home.
Going to Kenya helps you to do that, but it is not a necessity. You can gain the same perspective here in Tallahassee. All it takes is noticing. That’s the thing about Kenya – when the team is in Kenya, they will notice things because they will be new and unfamiliar. But if you notice the things near you, you may find a “newness” to the familiar, and you may also find some unfamiliar things you never knew were there.
Going to Kenya is cheating, but you can do the hard work of noticing things yourself this week. Notice the people around you and consider the mission of God placed in His Church to bring the Gospel. Notice the nature around you and celebrate the wonder of His creation. Go on your own mission trip this week in your own neck of the woods and notice some things. Notice the brokenness of things and consider your sins and the sins of others that needs healing by Christ. As you notice, simply ask the question “God, what do you want me to see here?” See how He responds.