Succotz, Belize here we come!

So, this is my first blog post as you can see, and I thought well what's better than to start it off with Belize?
July 25-31 I'm going on a missions trip with my youth group at open door bible church to Succotz Belize, which I am super stoked for! Not only am I really looking forward to going out of the country for the first time, trying new foods, and enjoying the beautiful nature there, I'm also really pumped to see what God is gonna do in us and through us while down there!
This is my second missions trip during high-school, the first being to New Orleans which was an AMAZING trip and I grew so much! I headed down there thinking, "Well why wouldn't I go on this trip? Going on youth trips is what I do." Not really looking at it with an attitude of "God, what will you teach me, and how will you use me?" Well man did that turn around. It was my freshman year in high-school, first week away from home, and didn't really have the best attitude about the trip to begin with. Just kinda thinking well yeah whatever we're gonna have a blast so that's why I'm going instead of going with a servants heart! So we're heading down there and everything's great until it finally hits that I'm on this trip away from home and I definitely wasn't looking to God to show me why he wanted ME on this trip, and i felt a sense of insecurity. So here I am in Missouri on my way down to New Orleans, not really sure why I even came, not looking at it with a positive but with a negative attitude, thinking, "Great this is really gonna suck". So I'm talking to my amazing youth leaders and friends Mickie and Char (who btw were awesome and sat up with me when I wasn't feeling well) about it, and she asks me well what are you relying on? Your parents, friends, what makes you comfortable, or are you relying on God as your rock and foundation? It really got me thinking, what is my rock and foundation? I was a christian and believer in Jesus Christ, but was I trusting him with everything and relying on him with my life? It didn't really sink in that night, but by the next afternoon I was finally confident that God IS my rock and foundation and he's all I need! So we finally get to the bible college campus that we were gonna be staying at, head over to the session that was taking place and began singing worship to the Lord. It was right then that I came to the place when I sat back and said "God, I know you're trying to teach me something, and it's definitely happening, so Lord do what you will with me on this trip, teach me what you want me to learn, and just give me a servants heart and that I wouldn't worry about what others are saying and doing, but only on what YOU'RE saying and doing. Help me to be flexible and do this for your glory!" There were definitely situations in which i found myself frustrated and feeling inadequate, but in those moments God just came back saying "This is for my glory and not your own. I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." I grew so much closer to God during that week and was really relying on him for everything! He taught me so much about community with believers, being flexible, having a servants heart towards others, and most of all about trusting him with everything in my life! I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
All that to say, I'm really looking forward to what God IS going to do on this trip and i'm also looking forward to being able to be a part of what God's doing and being able to do this for him! You could be praying for our group that we would all go down there with a servants heart, that when we're sharing the gospel with others that we would truly have a broken heart for them and not just looking at it as a project and another person to check off our list, but truly care, that we would be encouraged by and be an encouragement to our team members, and do it all for GOD'S GLORY!
Our projects for the week are going to be leading a VBS program for the week, and doing some physical labor which will prob be some kind of construction. Our group consists of 16 including leaders, and a college/high-school student mix, which is an awesome team! We have 4 groups with 4 people in each group. Each group plans and leads a different aspect of the VBS program. The groups are: Music, lessons and teaching, games and activities, and arts and crafts. I'm in the arts and crafts group along with Alex Rodgers, Paul Livingston, and Derrick Will. We're in charge of planning craft projects for 5 days and each day we have a bout 20 mins to work with the kids on their project and encourage them. This past saturday night I started freaking out thinking we were never gonna have everything planned and prepared in less than 2 weeks! So I talk to Alex on Sunday and come to find out, his beautiful amazing mother Mary-Anne had planned all of our crafts activities and was going shopping for all of our supplies this week to help us out since we didn't really know what to do and what to buy. What an answer to prayer! Praise God! I was overwhelmed again at how much God is already doing! So our groups are pretty well planned out and ready which is amazing.
Everyone on our trip is almost completely or completely paid for, another answer to prayer. When I first started saving money towards this trip I was thinking how in the world is this gonna happen? Within that week or the next I had received over $100 from someone towards my trip which was the exact amount that I needed besides what I had for my passport and deposit. Then once that was taken care of, support just kept coming in and before you know it I was the 2nd student completely paid for! Praise the Lord! I was blown away. God has done so much and we aren't even there yet! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, it is very much appreciated! I can't wait to share with you all everything God has taught me when I get back. I'd love to share with anyone who wants to chat so just give me a call or email and I'll be sure to meet up with you! :) Hope everyone is having a great summer!