You Bet They Are My Troopers!

Mission 2010 entered its fifth day and the focus was a little loose this morning.  However, once the group got the routine of busting the cabinets down and breaking the toilets up they were working like a well oiled machine.  Thursday night brought us to the swimming pool at Randy's (this great guy in charge of the demolition) father's house.  The kids swam, had diving contests, and played pool baseball.  I have to say my troopers earned it.

Throughout the week I have referred to the senior highers as my troopers.  I do that because that is what they are.  As the leader of senior high youth group mission trips I have sent my troopers into battle in many different states and sometimes outside the states.  I have sent them to battle hurricane ravaged homes, inner city Vacation Bible Schools, as well as Mexican orphanages.  I have deployed them to from Indiana to California and from Montana to Texas.  And each time they have been deployed they have served admirably and with distinction.

My troopers are commanded by a Living God and they battle His enemy.  They liberate people, not from war riddle countries, but from the pain of nature's destruction.  Their ammunition is not made up of mortars and M-15's but of God's and His promises.  Children have been entertained with the stories of God.  Nature's wrath has given my troopers all it could muster and my troopers have come out victorious.

Is serving on a mission really a battle?  the answer is yes.  We battle the fear of the unknown.  We battle fatigue and sometimes we battle each other. But in the my troopers come home with the great satisfaction of a job well done and victory in their hearts.  You bet their my troopers and I have been privileged to serve beside them for almost 20 years.

We began this mission with doubting whether you could really be on a mission serving a town 36 miles away from your town.  We forge into the final day knowing there is no other place we would have rather served. 

Praying for one more day!

Derek

PS.  I have placed a link on the upper right hand of this blog.  It links you to the Lamar Ledger and a great story about some people who came to Lamar and changed this town forever.