Steven’s Trip to South America

My wife and two young sons had been attending New Life for about a year when we found our life in transition. My job of 10 years was coming to an end and I was determined to trust God for my next steps (and what better place to be for next steps than New Life). Looking back on how it all played out, God’s orchestration was nothing short of amazing. One Saturday night my wife and I were discussing mission trips. I figured with some down time on its way I might have time to give. The next day, Sunday morning, Mike Fewster stood on stage and invited people to join the Mission Trip to our church plant in South America. My wife and I looked at each other in disbelief.

Soon enough I was signed up to go to the other side of the world with eight people I’d never met and deep in fundraising for the trip. Doubt paid more visits than I would’ve liked but all the while I was giving it to God and He was doing what He does. He worked, I trusted, and my portion of the trip was funded.

God wasn’t done though. During the week leading up to our departure we were able to sponsor a child in the village we were visiting. Almost everyone else had a sponsor child that they were visiting on the trip. God still wasn’t done; before we left the country, the next job I had been praying about came through, and I would start shortly after we returned from the trip.

What an amazing time I had. The eight people I didn’t know going in quickly became good friends. We learned a lot about how God is working in the village and with the kids. We all learned the importance of writing to the children and how much they cherish out letters. I got to spend time with my sponsor child; which was awesome. We played games with the kids, acted silly and the kids seemed filled with joy. We sampled the local cuisine and learned about their culture and how they live. We visited their homes and they stayed in our hearts.

God has great plans for every one of us. Looking back on the mission trip I can see His hand throughout. For the first couple of days I spent time looking for why. I quickly realized I just needed to sit back, watch and let God work. There are many reasons for my inclusion on the team; some I will never realize. But, God knows and growing His kingdom was the goal all along.

-Steven Pickeral