This coming Monday I have the privilege of travelling with several other NP Partner lead pastors to Lima, Peru. We’re travelling with Compassion International to learn more about their efforts to provide for disadvantaged children around the world, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about this trip.

Compassion has ministry centers all over the globe, and they are most well known for their child sponsorship program. Tami, the girls, and I have been sponsoring a girl named Mirella for almost 5 years. For $32/month we provide an opportunity for her to spend time in one of these centers. She gets a good meal each day, has tutors to help with her schoolwork, and she gets to hear that God loves her. When I was given the opportunity to go on this trip I was amazed that of all the possible locations, it was to Lima, Peru. That’s because Mirella lives just a short distance away! I’m not sure I’ll have the privilege of meeting her, but it’ll be amazing to just visit the area where she lives so I can learn more about her culture and her environment.

I’m also excited because of how God has been working in my life over the past few years. I’ve spent a significant amount of time in Mexico, and I’ve also travelled to India. Each time I serve in one of these places I learn more about myself and about God’s amazing love. I could tell you hours worth of stories, but I won’t. I will say that I can’t wait to see what the Lord will teach me while in Peru, and I hope you’ll begin praying about how God might use you on a short-term mission trip during the next year or two. I believe Beachside Community Church will create incredibly relevant environments that reach the unchurched in our local area. However, I also believe we will make a global impact as we carry the love of Jesus to the rest of the world. And, who knows- that just might be what God uses to develop your passion for those that live right here among us.