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| Just added! I always knew that we, the the U.S., were very well off material-wise. Going to Honduras really opened my eyes to how a lot of the world actually lives. I don't want to take for granted anymore, the resources God has granted me. I want to use much that I have been given to produce much for others. The main thing I noticed was that no matter how little they had, they smiled and they loved each other. They had family and that seemed to be all they needed. Coming home was hard. Going into a shoe store brought tears to my eyes because I know that when we left there were children and parents who had not one pair and here we are with thousands to choose from.
--Tricia J.
Before we left I kept thinking that whatever we did would be but a drop in the bucket... how could we really help. After going I will always remember that even the smallest acts of kindness have a huge impact. Specifically, when we delivered water. Even though is was not much, for one family it was very timely in that they had just run out. A little made a trmedous difference in their lives that night. Yea!
It is as much my responsibility to make disciples all over the world as it is the pastors, missionaries or anybody else. It is up to me. You have to get started. At some point you have to stop hearing and preparing and just get started. Do we know everything we need to know? Absolutely not, but we can get started.
--Tim G.
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Just added! I never had thought about it before but now I find myself thanking God for my socks, shoes, carpet, a solid wood roof with shingles, running water, clean water for a shower and to brush my teeth with. I can picture the pastors that I'm praying for there in Honduras. I can see the faces of some of the little children that stuck with me. I can picture the land as I'm praying for the people.
I find myself not afraid to talk about God things at work. And to share with my co-workers what God is doing in my life and not worrying about their judgement of me. I feel a need to pray with my neighbors and develop those relationships more.
--Jason D.
I just feel after seeing what I've seen and my eyes being opened that I am more equipped and even more responsible for sharing my faith and God's wonderful blessings.
The world in some ways seems much smaller in thinking that we all worship the same God and we are all brothers and sisters, having the same command of making disciples. At the same time, the world seems so much larger, seeing the needs that are so great just in Honduras, where we went, but also thinking about all the other places there are, including my own community. We have a huge job to do and we need to get to it!
--Jeannette T.
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| Oh, my goodness! It's so amazing the way God has expanded my vision. Just a couple of weeks before the trip, He gave me the of being able to identify with the suffering of Christians around the world. This is SO difficult to do sitting in my air conditioned apartment in the middle of a suburb where I only have to cross the street to buy a crate of clean bottled water. My heart now aches at how good I have it, and I haven't even experienced the worst of it! It also was cool this last weekend (and the ones from here forward) to sing of God's glory and greatness and majesty and when the songs or the message talk about the world or the whole earth to be able to put names and faces and hugs and kisses and painted toenails with that.
The coolest part of the whole trip for me was when we were in Peniel. When one prays aloud, the whole church prays aloud. And there were moments when I could do nothing more than lift up the Lord's Prayer, but hearing it intermingled with the Spanish prayers and the other English prayers around me, I could do nothing more than hit my knees and imagine that this is only a small picture of what it will be like one day in the throneroom with all of us worshipping him in our own tongues. Even now, it overwhelms me to remember it.
--Nicky T.
I expected to see poor and I saw poor. I was expecting to see hunger for the word and I saw hunger for the word. I expected to see sickness and I saw sickness. I expected to see people glad to see us and they were. What I saw that I didn't expect. The amount of joy that almost everyone had. For the most part poorer than anything in the US and they had joy. Where most of our middle class has no joy. I miss seeing that everyday.
I have to get my priorities under control. All that I am and all that I have has to be for His kingdom. This world is not my home. I need not try to get comfortable in it. I can't get comfortable in it. In all that I do and all that I am I must do for the glory of God.
--Tom W.
I definitely am speaking more boldly to anyone and everyone here since I've been back. Am I more bold about serving abroad again? Maybe... I hope I would do well and trust God even in a tent in Africa without a shower or in an environment more hostile to the gospel. I need to get off my backside and just do it! I vow to serve wherever God leads and not procrastinate both in my community and globally! I pray for another opportunity to go global.
--David N.
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Even the first day back home I was surrounded by temptations to turn my thinking back onto myself, complianing and worrying about things in my life that don't really matter. I need to be intentional about turning my thinking outward, and I'm confident my actions would follow to make world impact more of a priority. Loving the Hondurans we served came so naturally; I think mainly because I had prepared my heart to do so. I need to expect God to soften my heart for people in Birmingham as well.
--Katie T.
I've realized how materialistic we are and how insulated our churches have become. I don't ever remember in all the 37 years of church going hearing about the importance of reaching out beyond our local community. Seriously.
I learned more about God's love in that week than I ever have, and everyone should just go to experience it for themselves. Plant the seed and be the salt--two of the most powerful devotions I've experienced. We've been blessed and we've always given, but I think I may need to sacrifice a bit more and direct more to the world missions effort.
--Christy S.
My needs are nothing compared to the needs of others not living in the U.S. Except for our homeless, our poor live in better conditions than those we went to serve. I also saw a great servant attitude from our Venezuelan brothers and sisters, something we could better learn ourselves.
I want Christ to better use me in service to others. I want to use the resources and gifts God has blessed me with to help others not only here but also around the world. I also pray that God's people here in the States rise up and give just 2% of their time in global efforts.
--Sue B.
I am definitely more thankful for the blessings I have in America. I am also inspired by the faith of those who have so little. I understand more fully that we have brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world not just in America and they worship differently than we do in the states but it is not better or worse just different.
My prayers are more global. I have an increased desire to pray for the people we got to minister to in Venezuela. My prayers has also become more outward toward the people in Birmingham- that the Lord would show me where he is working so I can join in with him in making disciples in the states like the venezuelans do in Venezuela.
--Allison C.
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 How To Be a Part of the Story...
If you've been on a Brook Hills global effort this year, here's how you can be a part of our online yearbook. You'll receive an email following your trip to fill out a global effort evaluation form online. Comments from these forms make up the stories you see posted on this area of the website.
To add your photo(s), simply email your best photo (no more than two per person, please), along with your name and the dates and destination of your Brook Hills global effort, to Gene Mason, Communications Minister, at gmason@brookhills.org. We'll add your photos as we continue to update this area of the site regularly.
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