Our Trek through the Jungle with Guys From Holland

Emmaus 2016 ~ Semuc Champey 

"So what are you guys doing here?" asked the tall young man from Holland. One of our team members replied, "We're here for missions." His immediate response, "What mission?" I had to chuckle to myself because I've been handed that same question. 

We toss around the word, "Missions" frequently in church circles. But what does that word really mean? Do we get to be somehow "On Mission" a few weeks a year, and then conversely be, "Off Mission?" 

Well... it could be that folks expect that "Missionaries" are "On Mission" at all times, and... for the most part that is very true. For example, during the summer team season, most missionaries host teams for 16 weeks. That means 16 weeks, 7 days per week, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM every night, no days off. It is wonderful. It is beautiful. It is exhausting. 

We get sick. We have bad days. Some missionaries I know are much better than me at hiding the human side. If you know me... you know that I'll tell you when I'm having a bad day, and I'll even grouch at you... no matter who you are. 

We are human. Period. First and foremost... and that should never be forgotten, not by you, and most importantly, not by us. God is perfect. I am not.  I do not expect myself to be. Even so, I strive to follow the perfect steps of my savior, and release my pride, and pick up the grace that He bought with His blood, life, and love.

And as another team member articulated to me today, trips like today allow me to step outside of the daily mission, and to just take a day... to experience God in the wonder of His creation. Emmaus allows me to bask in the beauty of fellow followers of Jesus Christ, and to be energized by their fresh enthusiasm and perspective.

Walking with the young men and women of Emmaus is a refreshment to my soul. I am able to view old things through new eyes. Today their wonder and sheer happiness was every bit as refreshing as the emerald waters of Semuc Champey. 

Under the influence of their enthusiasm, this 41 year old man floated a tube down the Cahabón River, jumped from a cliff into a black hole deep in the Kanba Cave, climbed to the top of the Mirador, and swam through the seven pools. 

Yes, today was a day to release a little. To widen my perspective and take in the SHEER WONDER that is my God's creation. I stood in the middle of translucent pool #3 and was nearly slack-jaw with the realization that the reality of the moment was made possible: through creation, through thousands of years of erosion, mountain formation, water trickling and rushing through the jungle... to be encountered by me... in this very moment. 

If God can do this... I realize that He can do the same through my life. I see Him doing it in the lives of these young men and women as they powerfully follow His voice. 

It is no different for you. There is great beauty to behold, great adventures to be grasped, and a great story that belongs to Him. Take hold. Take a risk. Make the plunge. Fall into the water.