I’m Going To Maria’s Big House of Hope!!!!

As most of you know, I am leaving  this week for a Mission Trip to China!  This trip has become a reality through many months of prayer and planning.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time!  I think there are fourteen of us going.   I know four people in the group  from my past, the rest are people I have not met.   I am anxious to meet my travel mates whom I am sure will become lifelong friends.  We were all invited on this trip by our friend, Donna!   Donna, along with Kathy from Show Hope and Mary Beth put this trip together for us.  

We are coming from many different states and will all meet in  Chicago and will fly together  to Beijing.  We will travel from Beijing to Luoyang, China our destination. 

When I was first invited, I was so honored to be included on this trip, but as time grew closer, I began to get cold feet about being away from my family for 11 days.  I knew deep in my heart that this was God’s trip and not mine, but for some reason, I was resisting.  I could think of a dozen excuses why I shouldn’t go, but at every turn, God would show me, I was indeed suppose to go on this trip.  The final decision was made one Sunday, after I sat in church and listen to our minister, David Chadwick, preach about Jonah.  I realized I was like Jonah!  God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and Jonah wanted to go to Tarsus.  Like Jonah, God had laid out the plan, the only problem I wasn’t listening!  God wanted me to go to China and I wanted to stay at Topsail (Beach).  After many hours of back and forth, I decided I would go on the trip!  The amazing part of all of this was how and why I was invited to go and what happened after I commited to the trip.  I will share all of that in later posts.  

For now, let me tell you a little about our trip.   

This is where we are going…..