Expectations

Last week I took 25 students, leaders and adults on a mission trip to Ecuador. It took 9 months of preparation and hard work for us to pull it off, but on Saturday, June 27th we left Sky Harbor Airport and after 14 hours arrived in Quito, Ecuador.
During the months of preparation and during the flight over, I ran through a wide variety of expectations that I had for this trip.
I expected to fail.....
I expected to be frustrated....
I expected to be tired and miserable....
I expected to get sick....
But once again, God clearly showed me that my expectations are usually nothing more than my attempt to put myself in the center of things instead of allowing God to be the center.

From the moment we landed in Quito until we returned to Phoenix 9 days later, God clearly showed me that I've got to quite making my own plans and my own excuses.

The trip was incredible.....850 people accepted Jesus Christ in 5 days. 8 new churches were started and some flourished with over one hundred people in attendance each night. Nearly 500 0f those who accepted Christ spent numerous hours being discipled in Bible lessons and all were introduced to the local church in their area by church members who accompanied us.

Over and over again, God proved to me that he is in control. Everything that happened, happened for a reason and it happened in God's perfect design. It was an amazing week that changed not only 850 people in Ecuador, but also 34 people who went on this trip.

We all have expectations about our lives but God has a plan....and when God works out His plans....EXPECT great things to happen.