The month of October was a whirlwind!

A hurricane relief trip to Western North Carolina, a mission trip to Peru, and our local community Treat Trail ministry Halloween night. Three pretty big ministry events back to back. I often wonder who comes in during the wee hours of the morning and adds things to my calendar! The calendar elves were busy during the month of October.

However, things have slowed down a bit the first half of November ( a false sense of calm since the holidays are just on the horizon) and I have had a chance to reflect a bit, especially on my trip to Peru. I was invited by Truth Evangelisitic Ministry to teach a Pastors Conference in Lima, Peru. For several reasons (time being the most pressing) I hesitated. But after prayer and thought I was convinced that God was leading me to accept the invitation. I had just finished a series of sermons on being Bridge Builders and some of my own words were challenging me.

My mission trip to Peru involved building bridges to my past–never an easy thing to accomplish. However, when God is in it the infra structure of the bridge is secure and safe to build upon. It was a blessing to cross that rebuilt bridge.

Crossing that difficult bridge made it possible to cross some other bridges. I was able to cross the culture bridge. It was a blessing to work with the two interpreters assigned to our group. I learned much about the Peruvian culture and situation from them. They were great teachers and I hope they learned as much from me as I did from them.

I had the privilege of crossing the redemption bridge. I wasn’t even there 24 hours before I had the privilege of helping a young lady receive the gift of grace. I learned from that experience that receiving the gift of God’s grace is beyond our understanding. God knows the heart and knows when a person is receiving His gift of grace. It is sometimes hard to trust that God is the author of salvation–we are just called to offer the gift.

I had a second privilege of crossing the redemption bridge. I know her name, but for the sake of this article I will just called her the lady in the pink cap. I was speaking to a group of ladies on the mountain overlooking Lima and the Pacific Ocean. I spoke of hope and a joy that goes beyond our circumstances. God drew my attention to the lady in the pink cap. After she brought one of the interepreters to me to say she wanted the joy I had. I was able to help her understand forgiveness and how to forgive others. She too, received God’s gift.

I also crossed the missions bridge. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them…” Each night I had the privilege of teaching pastors, their families and friends. It was such a joy being able to use my gift and knowledge to help equip others. It was encouraging to know that these friends came night after night after working all day to learn. Their dedication overwhelmed me.

Last, I would like to share that I crossed the worship bridge. As I was worshipping (in Spanish) on Sunday at Jesus El Camino Iglesia Bautista, my congregation in Atlanta was also worshipping (in English). As I preached that morning I felt the prayers of North River Baptist Church–many sent text to affirm they were praying. It reaffirmed for me that we are not alone. Followers of Christ around the world, join with those who have gone before us, as well as the angels of Heaven singing “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

I am convinced, more than ever, that we are called to cross bridges–damaged bridges, well established bridges and new bridges we have never crossed before.

This is my story…