As cliché as this may sound, God never ceases to amaze us with the completion of His Plan in all circumstances; His plan is essentially the only plan. This summer at Arizona was another opportunity for me to see the power of God in action in my own life. Bluntly stated, it was pretty complicated and difficult for me to come on this trip. Although I was faced with many challenges along the way, I was also able to learn/grow from these challenges.
I was actually part of the Spain team, which in the end got cancelled. My attitude towards that at first was to get angry and disappointed in God. I had switched around my summer plans in order to fit in that trip and now it was getting cancelled. It was hard for me to understand God’s plan at that time, but praise God for working in His ways and showing that He is the one in control and for giving me the great opportunity to join the Arizona team.
Joining the Arizona team, I had somewhat low expectations due to the fact that the trip to Spain was cancelled. Reflecting back on the Arizona trip now, I’ve realized that my only expectation was to “get a lot” out of it; to be stretched outside my comfort zone, be challenged/changed, and see more of God’s mercy and the works of His hands. I was challenged as I learned about the Navajo culture and their lifestyle and then learned to be able to relate and talk with them. I had never gone on a short term missions trip with adults before, so that was a challenge in itself- to be able to talk with the rest of the team and build lasting relationships with them. Lastly, I saw so much of God’s beauty in His Creations, everything from the sunsets, to the vast desert plains, to the cactus plants, the rock structures of the Grand Canyon, the relationships that formed between our team and the Navajo people, and the smiles on each of our faces at the end of each day.
