I just got back from my first international mission trip, and I will never be the same!!
First, let's back up to review how, exactly, I got involved in this mission trip:
I attended a prophetic conference through Abilene's TSSM School (Transformational School of Supernatural Ministry) in October of 2012. At that time, I knew virtually nothing about the active gift of prophecy. However, the man who was leading the conference called me out to speak a word of prophecy over me during the conference. I don't remember much about what he said, as he downloaded information at an incredibly high rate of speed. But, what I did retain was something to this effect:
"My dear, have you considered missions? I sure hope so!" [laughter from the congregation] "Because you have a heart of compassion like no other. I see a picture of you walking down the street pulling a wagon, full of tools, and you have just the right tools to hand out at just the right times to those in need. I see you going on several short term missions in a short period of time. I see Brazil...and Africa...oh Yes, and India....." (This is but a snippet of the word he released over me...)
Now, mind you, this conference fell the weekend after I started my new career as a stay-at-home-mom. So, as you can imagine, my wheels began turning. I was thinking, "Oh my! This guy has got it all wrong." That's not to say I didn't have a heart for missions, because, in fact, I have had a burning desire to go to the nations for several years, but if there was a bad time for that season to open up for me...it was now. I had just given up my income, which had accounted for about 1/2 of our total income, and I no longer had routine childcare for our kids. That prophecy was sounding a little bleak.
Nonetheless, I told the Lord, "If this is from you, Lord, then I will absolutely partner with you, and I trust that you will bring down the resources to make this thing happen."
Much to my surprise, 2 months later, I received the following e-mail: "Hannah, I am writing to notify you that we have received an anonymous donation to sponsor you 100% on a mission trip. If you would like to go on a mission trip, please submit your application as soon as possible."
Wow! No WAY!!! (Is that what you're thinking? Because that's what I was thinking!!)
Choosing which trip to go on was very easy for me. The moment I heard about the structure of the Trinidad trip, my heart began to race in excitement, and I thought, "Oh, I need to sign up for that trip RIGHT AWAY, because it will surely fill up fast!!" (I suppose this is a good indication that intercessory prayer/worship/evangelism is the proverbial burr in my saddle!!)
So, I signed up.
In the meantime, I received prophetic word after prophetic word, from people who did not know me from Adam, but who were releasing awe-inspiring humbling words from the Father, such as:
"You are an encourager, and you have the ability to speak words that pierce right to someone's heart to release them from depression."
"You are small in stature, but your spirit is huge."
"You are powerful, and carry a powerful presence."
"You are an integral part of the Father's plan to usher His Kingdom on earth."
"I see a picture of a basket, and you have been hiding in a basket, in the background, but the Lord is about to move you to the front lines."
"The Lord has anointed your lips to sustain the weary."
From Will Hart, "Oh, wow! Haha! Yeah! I see Daddy all over you! This is a goooooood season for you."
So, it seemed like God's perspective of my ability to reach others for His Kingdom far outshone my own perspective!! What amazing words of encouragement I received!! I am so thankful for all of those perfect strangers/messengers I encountered before the trip. They definitely helped to stir up a boldness inside of me! The Lord is so amazing and faithful!!
The trip seemed like an eternity away, and then suddenly, it was upon us!! In fact, I can't believe it's already over! How did that happen??
But, OH, was it GOOD!!
It didn't, necessarily, start out that way for me, though. When I arrived in Trinidad, a woman accidentally took my carry-on luggage, instead of her own, off the plane. I had stored all of my essentials and valuables (including my Bible) in my carry-on, in case my checked luggage got lost or stolen.
So much for that safe-guard!!
I tried so hard to focus on the positive, but I'll admit, I was pretty distraught. I shed more than a few tears (especially when I finally got to speak to my husband -- that's when the water-works really revved up). I was weary, and most of all, I was concerned about the fact that I felt like a burden to the rest of our team, holding everyone back from getting to our destination, as we battled with the airlines to locate my lost luggage for over 2 hours.
In retrospect, it is blatantly obvious that the Lord went before me in the entire circumstance - without a doubt. I had packed my nice, expensive DSLR camera in my carry-on, but late, the night before departure, I felt a nudge deep in my gut, telling me to take the camera out, and pack my point-and-shoot camera, instead. Also, when I went to stow my carry-on on the plane, I had the wits about me to take my tiny purse, which I had stored in the luggage, out of the luggage to keep with me on the plane. The purse contained my money, credit card, and passport. If I hadn't taken the purse out of the baggage, I would not have even been able to get into the country!! And, one more miraculous thing. The day before I left for the trip, I changed my voicemail to say, "I am out of the country until July 27. If you really need to reach me, then please call Jeremy at ###-####..." Even as I changed my voicemail, I distinctly remember thinking, "Who on earth would need to reach me who wouldn't know to contact Jeremy??" Well, wouldn't you know, my luggage tag only had my phone number on it, so the woman who took my luggage, was able to obtain Jeremy's number from my voicemail, and we were able to connect to get my luggage back after a few days. Unbelievable!! God is so good!!
The day of travel, and especially the day after arrival, I became terribly ill with a stomach virus that my daughter had been carrying for the few days prior to the trip. It. was. AWFUL. Thankfully, my team leaders were very proactive about getting my roommates out of my room, and insisting that I stay at the retreat center to rest the first day. Again, I was beside myself, thinking, "Oh my goodness! I am, like, the problem child of this trip!! And, now I'm going to get everyone else sick!!" I, seriously, could not believe the drama I had carried with me - first with the luggage debacle, then getting so terribly sick. I was so distraught. I think I cried more in my first 18 hours in Trinidad than I had in months!! But, praise be to God, my illness was very short-lived (Come to find out, Jeremy had come down with the same horrific bug at the same time back home).
Later in the afternoon on Day 2, I sat in my room, and just started giving Satan the what-for! I demanded, "You have to return to me what you have stolen!! You cannot keep it!!" I mean, I was so mad!! I was speaking with great authority over the enemy!! Much to my surprise, when I spoke to my husband that night, he notified me that the woman who had my luggage had contacted him earlier that day, so that she could return the luggage. I was blessed to get my luggage back the next night, and to find that absolutely nothing was missing from my belongings.
And, so the real mission work began!! We partnered with Every Home for Christ, whose mission is to reach every single household on the planet to expose them to the Gospel of Christ. SO GOOD!!! We also partnered with IHOP (no, not the Pancake House...) to intercede with continuous worship and prayer, concurrently while teams did door-to-door evangelism.
Outreach teams were partnered with local churches. So, in general, one American would team up with 2 or 3 Trinidad locals from the church, to evangelize neighborhoods.
Incidentally, the Trinidad population comprises mostly of people from African and Indian descent. (You may remember that original prophetic word I received back in October 2012...), and their primary religions are Muslim and Hindu (and I found many encounters with Rastafarianism).
We had remarkable encounters. While many people (mostly devout Muslims) refused to accept prayer, I did not encounter anyone who wasn't willing to at least listen to the Gospel. We blessed so many people with prayer, and many people gave their lives to Christ. About 70% of the people I, personally, encountered were already professing Christians. And, I didn't experience any conversions. But, I did sow lots of seeds :)
Honestly, I was so inspired by the Christians in Trinidad. They know Jesus, and they operate under the power of the Holy Spirit, and they are beautiful examples of what it means to walk as ones who are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every single Christian that I met, whether on outreach or at the beach, would beam with exceeding joy and pour out stories of their affections for Jesus as the only Way, the Truth and the Life!! They know who their Savior is, and they want the world to know, as well, regardless of any possibility of rejection. Totally inspiring, these Trinis!!
The most incredible personal encounter I experienced was on the 3rd day of outreach. As my team hiked to our assigned outreach neighborhood, I noticed a man sitting on a street curb. I asked if the team wanted to reach out to the man. They all enthusiastically answered, "Sure!" but when they turned around and saw the man, they said, "Oh, no, we can't talk to him. He's deaf & dumb." I encouraged them to join me in ministering to the man, anyway, so we approached him.
I began praying over his ears, commanding them to open. As I repeatedly snapped in his ears, it became evident that his ears were not opening at that time. So, I simply placed my hand on his back and began praying over him. I don't really remember what all I prayed, but I do remember praying that the Lord would make His presence known, and that the Holy Spirit would touch the man, and fill him with peace and joy. When I finished praying and took my hand off of the man, he opened his eyes, and they were filled with tears. He, then, began vigorously pointing to his heart and uttering in excitement, "Ahh Ahh Ahhh!!!" Then, he pointed to the sky, indicating God, and would point from the sky to his heart, and back to the sky. He was overcome with joy, indicating that he had felt the presence of the Lord move in his heart. It was amazing. I was, then, able to use some literature to share the Gospel with him.
The experience was such a testament to the fact that God is not bound by our limited resources. The Holy Spirit is not inhibited by language or communication barriers. He speaks the language of Love because He IS Love, and He speaks directly to the heart!!
God really empowered me with an even bigger gift of boldness, and He unlocked my gift of prophecy on this trip. During worship one day, God gave me a vision of me ministering on the streets. As I ministered, Jesus stood next to me, whispering into my ear the things to say. So, Jesus would whisper into my ear, and then I would say what I heard Him saying. During worship, the vision morphed, and Jesus, who was standing next to me, took one step over, until He was standing inside of me, and we merged into one. So, no longer was I having to listen to Him, and then speak. Instead, He stepped inside of me, and was doing all the talking, directly. Talk about a powerful vision!! That very day, I noticed everything shift in the depths of my prophetic voice. I'm excited to know that's not just for Trinidad, but something that I can continue to operate in at home!! Freakin' awesome!!
I'll admit, there was a part of me that felt a little discouraged at one point, eager and hungry for the harvest. But, the Lord, oh so gently, reminded me of how important the seed sower is, in the work of the Kingdom. If the seeds aren't sown, there can never be a harvest.
Praise be to God that I can play even a small role in ushering His Kingdom on earth!!
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