Day 4 - My List of Five

I had a very nice conversation with a close friend yesterday, and I asked her what she thought should be my next blog topic. I ask her questions like this all of the time, whenever I need great ideas for something because she is never afraid to just through out the first thing that comes to mind. I call her my muse because, although she would probably deny any arguements about her being, in the least bit, creative, she never fails to inspire great ideas.

She suggested, for this blog, that I write about the Top 5 things that I wish to acomplish during this trip; and, based on the fact that I have several great ideas already planned, I thought I'd do just that.

1) Every day at 3:33pm (Holy Trinity) I plan to take the clothes off of my back and hand them out to the first person in need. I am bringing an extra bag full of old clothes and shoes with me on the trip. Over the course of the trip, I hope to hand out enough clothes to enough people that I come home with only one bag.

2) I hope to sit down with at least one person per day, who does not believe, or have a relationship with God. I want to minister to that person and find out one thing that he or she might be struggling with. Then, I’d like to ask him or her to pretend, for one second, that God does exist and get them to follow me through this verbal process:

A) I admit that I am struggling with _______.
B) I relinquish the power these negative emotions over me.
C) If there is a God, I ask Him to reveal His truth about the situation.

3) After I go through this three step process, I want to read a piece of scripture, pray with this person, and ask for a way to keep in contact. By the end of the trip I hope to have had a significant impact on at least 3 people who desire to keep in contact long after I leave Africa, by which I will be able to continually work to plant the seeds and enhance their relationship with Christ. Thus, my third accomplishment is to acquire at least 3 email accounts by the time I leave Africa.

4) Through my actions, I hope to inspire each of my teammates, at some point, to commit to jumping on board and traveling with me, during the times that I minister and witness to people. Likewise, I hope to inspire several teammates to join in donating the clothes off of their backs; thus, highlighting their respect for my influence as a leader, as well as their openness to God’s will.

5) Lastly, I want to take as many pictures as my camera can hold; so that I can not only cherish each moment during this experience, but also so that I will have something tangible that people back home might accept and relate to more easily whenever I refer to stories illustrating such a life-altering experience.

These are five really basic ideas of things that I hope to get out of this trip. I am sure that once I arrive to S. Africa I will have an enhanced perspective on things, and I might even add to this list. However, I just pray that God uses me in every way that He possibly can to act in the character of Christ, and prove to Him my love desire to fight for Him in my life, and the lives of others.

~Tristan