All trained up with nowhere to go!

I have just finished iTeams Summer Teams training - three days of training and equipping for short-term overseas mission. The summer teams are off tomorrow to Honduras, Bolivia, Thailand and Ukraine! All the best guys and God Bless!

For me, I have a several weeks before I leave for Queretaro, Mexico, so I am all trained up, but not yet leaving the country.

We covered so many things at the training and it was a truly engaging and challenging few days. We were challenged by interactive activities, real-life scenarios, cultural learning and new experiences. I think that even over the past few days many of us have grown closer to God and been able to understand a bit more what it is like to put our trust and reliance on Him in a variety of situations.

A particularly good verse that we shared at the training was Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

As we go out on this short-term mission experience, it's so good to remember that I'm created by God for a purpose - his workmanship in fact, and that he's planned and prepared the work for me to do.

I think that two particular personal lessons I learnt from the training were:

• To be more observant, both of other people and of the environment I am in; and
• To let others have a go and not always be the first to jump in even when I know I could potential do something better, or I think I know about something.

Please pray for me over the next few weeks as I am in Sydney with my work and seeking to get things for my trip organised remotely. Also pray for consistency in my walk with God over the next few weeks to keep the momentum gained from the great times we have had at training.

Be sure to check out the blogs of the summer teams (links in the links section!)

Shake it like a salsa dancer.

-Phil