"I'm no longer a slave to fear, for I am a child of God."
A great line in one of my favorite worship songs! You have probably heard it and/or sung it a thousand times. But ... what does it really mean? It seems it is a lot easier to sing about than to live it out. The first step to conquering your fears about Royal Servants is to identify them. Here are five common fears that you may be experiencing:
Afraid of raising support or that people I ask will say no
Afraid you’re not good enough for God to use in ministry
Afraid you might fail
Afraid you might get rejected while trying to present the Good News of Jesus
Afraid of the elephant in this summer’s room ... traveling & coronavirus
These fears are natural and understandable. Our response to these fears is what matters. If we can get to a place of realizing what it means to be a “child of God” like the song says ... then we can move forward – even in the face of fear.
Being a “child of God” means that the Creator of the Universe is the One that is providing for us and protecting us! Even though we don’t always feel good about ourselves, the One who created us has complete confidence in us and wants to use us to make an impact on the world!
Here is some truth from God’s Word about fear:
Psalm 34:4, David writes, “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 56:4 says, "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
We pray that these verses will help you to push through your fears. And, as another one of my favorite worship songs says …
“I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like
But I've heard the tender whispers of love in the dead of night
And you tell me that you're pleased, And that I'm never alone …”
Remember that you are “a child of God” and He is a “Good, Good, Father”! Go ahead… do it… take a moment right now to sing both those songs and place your fears in the hands of the One who can handle them!
If you are reading this on your phone while sitting in class and want to respond - that would be a great way to start conquering your fears!
Important Information
International Airfare
We will begin booking the international flights the first week of May. We'll announce official booking dates and flight costs in next Friday's PreSummer Letter.
Booking Domestic Travel
This is the time of year when I start getting a lot of questions about booking domestic flights (to and from the summer). We know that flight costs increase the closer you get to your departure, and we want you to be able to book those tickets as soon as possible. However, we also want to balance that with possible international flight changes that sometimes happen this far out from the trip. Those changes could cause you to have to rebook your domestic flight, and change fees are pretty expensive. We will be sending out an Updated Mission Trip Schedule later in April along with all other Travel Documents, and you can begin booking flights then.
Packing Tips
Hopefully, if you've received your Prep Packet, you've looked through the Packing List (page 21). Make sure to also look through any of the Trip Specific items that pertain to your team. Now is a great time to start a box of items that you'll need for the summer, purchasing a few things at a time. This way, packing won't seem so overwhelming when June comes. If you have questions about the packing list, send an email to the Trip Leader listed in the front of you Prep Packet booklet. They are willing and able to help!
Biographical Questionnaire - Mandatory Step for Registration
If you have submitted your registration and received your Prep Packet, the final piece to your registration is completing your Biographical Questionnaire. We use this information to get to know you a little before the summer and help place you in your small groups. I know you have many things keeping you busy, so we appreciate you completing this mandatory part of the process. If you've had your Prep Packet for any length of time, please make completing this step a priority.
Nehemiah Team Only
Nehemiah Team, please note that your team is on a different time schedule than our other teams this year, so some of the deadlines you see in the PreSummer Letters will not pertain to you. Please be sure to read all emails sent to you from your Trip Leader with your team specific information.