This year in missions I really learned a lot from the time there. I believe God really showed me a lot of things that I want to remember. Today I want to talk about faith. On the way to Mexico we experienced a lot of difficulties. First of all our flight got delayed which caused our group to arrive in Mexico on three different days. There was even a point when a person said that we might not even be able to go on the trip. I was a little disappointed but I was determined not to let myself feel defeated. Then I remembered my VBS key verse; "Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt (Genesis 45:8)". I was reminded of the theme of my message, God's hope for you. God doesn't have small plans for our lives, He has big plans that He wants us to fulfill. We can't do that on our own so we need faith. The bible says that "and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)". God wants us to have faith so that we can carry out the plans He has for us despite the obstacles we face. Joseph had many problems in his life but he never let them stop him from having faith in God and His goodness. In Mexico we also broke some musical equipment that actually caught on fire. We decided to pray that it would still work. That seemed impossible because the thing was smoking and on fire, but "with people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27)". We can have faith in God because He can do all things. We also broke a water heater in Mexico, and some of us were afraid we would have to buy a new one. "But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, 'do not be afraid any longer; only believe...' (Luke 8:50)". We did end up buying them a new one, but I still believe that having faith drives out fear, just as love does. At the end of the missions trip, we got a lot of hugs from the people in the village. I wondered why they would appreciate us so much even though it seemed we only did so little, but I was reminded of a verse given me before the trip. John 6:8-9 says "One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 'there is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?'" Andrew only brought a little bit to Jesus, but Jesus was able to multiply what he gave. Sometimes it seems we only give a little but God can multiply what we give if we believe He can. Just give to God what you have in faith. Matthew 17:20 reads "For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." A similar verse says "have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him (Mark 11:22-23)". All we need is a little faith and we can move mountains. After reading these verses I was really encouraged because I know that God is able to remove anything that stands in my way no matter how big it is. I just need to have faith in God and He will move mountains. I believe God is waiting for those people who will have faith. I think God is excited and wants to move mountains. Sometimes it may seem like the mountains are too big. We shouldn't be telling God how big the mountains are, we should be telling the mountains how big God is. All we need is faith in God and amazing things will happen.
-Smart
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