God had an only Son and He made Him a missionary. David Livingstone

Something quite exciting and adventurous is about to happen.  In early August, my granddaughter Isabella and I will be joining a team of 13 other adults and 2 children from the church I attend (Faith Christian Center in Seekonk, MA) to go on a Mission Trip for a week to a Jungle School in Petén, Guatemala. (Team Pictured)

For the past few months we have been imagining and preparing for our missionary work that will impact the people, especially the children, we are there to serve.  As a group, we have resolved to do whatever it takes to get there in a competent and cooperative manner, to be a general blessing during our time there, and return with a greater appreciation for God’s blessings in our lives and a stronger sense of our responsibility in the great commission.

Our group has learned that just as personal values influence and guide our individual behavior, organizational values have influenced and guided our team’s behavior as well. As servants of Christ, our Mission Team’s values must come from the Bible, because we consider God’s Word as our perfect source.  In doing so, we honor God by accessing the life of His Holy Spirit as the leading organism within our organization.

In the midst of all that is in process, special teaching, counsel and comfort has come in a sweet flow from studying what God has to say.  We’ve learned that His shared values hold our team together (Eph 4:3; Col 3:14-15), set the standard for our team’s performance (Jam 1:22-25), provide stability (Matt 7:24-27), guide our decisions regarding direction (Ps 37:23), attract other like-minded people (Amos 3:3), and identify who we are (2 Timothy).

So family and friends, as we move toward our takeoff on Saturday morning, August 3, 2013, we ask that you keep our team in your prayers.  With God’s grace, and your prayerful support, we believe we will better understand and implement God’s wisdom and effectively share His values in Central America, a world away.

Matt 28:19-20

** Additional Resource:  John Maxwell’s 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, Chapter 13 (The Law of Identity)