I’m convinced there’s no greater feeling than wheels down on a runway.
Arriving is the only good reason for leaving, nowadays. I’ve traveled enough to know that it’s not so glamorous, and expensive in more than just one sense of the word.
And I love it, nonetheless. Arriving is worth the cost of leaving, I think.
On January 29th I arrived, wheels down on a runway in the blazing summer heat of Zimbabwe, Africa. The security guard at the end of the immigration line was smiling and I realized I was smiling, too.
With each sticky hug from the men and women on B Squad, the tension of all those hours on a plane melted away.
Debrief is a time we set aside to ask ourselves as individuals, “How’s your soul?” It’s easy sometimes to get caught up in team dynamics, ministry needs, squad identity, or theological questions. Each of those things has their time and place, certainly, but if we aren’t coming back at the end of the day to the simple Gospel- the Gospel of the Kingdom Jesus preached when he was here- then we’ve missed the point somehow.
At debrief, we celebrate the fruit we’ve seen, knowing that we are sent to reap a harvest for which we did not labor (John 4:38).
We figuratively stack stones and remember the miraculous work of God to not only deliver us from our enemies, but also lead us straight into the land of fulfilled promises (Joshua 4).
We grieve goodbyes and anticipate hellos, knowing that we must move forward; we were sent to preach the Gospel in other towns, as well. (Luke 4:43)
We reconnect and abide in the true vine, knowing that apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
At debrief, we come back to the truth that we love him because he loved us first (1 John 4:19).
As we travel each month offering the love of Christ to others, we’ve got to remember that his offer is for us as well.
Planning and facilitating debriefs for B Squad is one of my responsibilities as their squad mentor, and it’s one I love very much.
B Squad will have a total of five debriefs this year, and we just finished the second. To continue journeying with B Squad, I need to raise $4,920 by March 7th. Thanks to over 40 generous donors, we’ve already raised $2,595! That means we have just over 3 weeks to raise the remaining $2,325.
I have full faith that, together, we can and will reach this goal!
If you’d like to receive postcards from the field, sign up to become a monthly recurring donor! I am currently building a long term support team, and am looking for 11 people to give $50 monthly, and an hour in prayer each week.
If you’d like to make a donation, you can do so at the red “Donate!” tab on the left side of this webpage.
Please pray and consider joining my team!
