Our day began early – for some of us, alarms went off at 4AM or earlier to meet at KCI by 5:15 – and we watched the sunrise as we waited to board our first flight to Charlotte, NC. Our team of twelve range in age from 76 to 23, men and women from different experiences, different families, different perspectives, but all with a heart to serve. We all feel a sense of awe that God would choose us to come together at this moment in time, all different parts of the body of Christ, and we are excited to begin this journey together to meet God and the people of Puerto Rico where they are.

I have been asked before why it is I sometimes go so far away to serve.  “Why do you take vacation time and spend so much money, spend time away from your family, when there are people right here in Kansas City that have need and are already part of your community?” And I agree! It definitely is important to serve and give back to your own community. But God’s love has no borders or geographical limits. God’s love reaches far and wide, with no end and no beginning and with a beauty that cries out to be shared with all His children.

I’m reading a book that our fearless leader, Elisa, gave everyone on the team a few weeks ago called, “Journey to a Better Way”, by John Bailey. There is an excerpt from the book that speaks almost like it was pulled directly from my own heart.

 “In order to truly appreciate the beauty of a diamond, it is necessary to move it around so that you can see all the facets and beautiful colors that are evident as the light refracts through it. The same is true for seeing the beauty of God. If we hope to truly worship God in all God’s glory, we need to be willing to view the many facets of God through His people all around the world. If we stay in one place, we only see one aspect of God’s beauty…As we intentionally see others’ perspective of God, we grow in love and unity as a body, and we will begin to appreciate the many ways God’s beauty is revealed to Gods’ children. We can see God through the eyes of all God’s children, and in the end, we are more fully able to appreciate the beauty of diversity.”

 As we embark on this journey to find God’s path for us in Puerto Rico, it is my prayer that each of us – Tom, Elisa, Bob, Jennifer, Kayte, Tiffany, Norm, Bonnie, Greg, Jerry, John, and myself (Karie) – bring our own perspectives, skills, knowledge, and love together in one body to serve God’s children and to see God’s beauty for this moment in time through their eyes.