Kenya 2013: Unexpected Blessings

We are about halfway through our first flight. It is a crystal clear night and the moon is simply unbelievable. It is simply amazing to see God's beautiful creation. The feeling I have is the same one that comes when I sit on the beach and marvel at the beauty of the ocean and the reflection the moon makes on the water. Tonight is different however. I am not simply looking from the beach...I am actually over the Atlantic Ocean  and peering down on the moon's reflection. I must say that the view is simply breath- taking.  All the planning is over and now we can finally say we are on the way to Kenya to serve our awesome Creator.
Everything went so smoothly this afternoon and we could definitely feel your prayer!! I am so glad to be a part of a church community that is so focused on missions and spreading the Good News of Jesus.  We seriously could not have had this opportunity without your support.  So from all of us.... Thank you!
After the service today, we loaded ALL of our luggage (about 45 checked bags) into the Hinton's horse trailer and headed to the airport.  Only in Texas would you see a horse trailer at the airport :) In a matter of 10 minutes we had everything unloaded and were headed to the ticket counter.  This was the part that I was most worried about...but once again everything went better than planned! Before we left, we checked all of the weights for the bags and we knew there were a handful that may be over the weight limit. Brandon Crow was the last person to check his bags and the we had one last donations bag. this bag was marked fragile and had all of Belle Rutledge's "Vision of Love" glasses in it. And I am sure you have guessed it already but I will tell you anyways....the bag was over weight.  Even though I think only being over on one bag is not too bad, we still did not want to spend money on baggage fees.  As we prepared to pay the fee, a wonderful God-moment occurred. The lady at the ticket counter blessed us in an incredible way.  She asked Brandon what was in the bag and after he responded she gave a little wink and said "Don't worry about it."  A simple gestured that just made our day :). Those moments, when you know God is working everything out for Hid good, are wonderful. We know that He is guiding our steps thought this trip and that He has all things under control....even the small things.  However, the story doesn't stop there.  Before we headed to security, we circled up to say a prayer and the lady that had "let us slide" ran over to join our prayer. It's the simple things that mean the most!
Thought: As I was reading a book about different student mission movements around the world, I stumbled upon this quote "God is moving! He is bringing students to a crossroads and they are asking, am I going to allow God to interrupt my life?  Will they say yes to embracing God's love for the world and whatever that means for them? Or will they allow obstacles and excuses to distract, hinder, and eventually keep them?"
Life is not about comfortable living.  We were put on this earth for a much greater purpose. A purpose that is meant to bring people to Christ and seta fire for God in all the nations. It is a trait that we must instill in our hearts.  It is easy to live in the United States and be blinded from the unbearable needs of the people around the world.  It is easy to look past the hurt and pain.  But whether we accept the pain or not...it is still there; and there are still people in this world that need the gospel to heal their pain.  They need to know that the is a real, true, living God that loves them dearly and can satisfy. I challenge you to be uncomfortable this week for Christ and to step out in faith.

We love yall!
Bekah
Africa Mission Team '13