Short-Term Trip, Long-Term Impact - Amy Cook

Amy CookGE Staff Member, exploring options for long-term international ministryI’ve known for several years that the Lord was calling me into full-time international missions. But, that doesn’t mean that I’m automatically prepared! I remember sitting in team devotions day one of my first Global Encounters trip and suddenly thinking “what in the world am I doing?!” Here I was with 23 strangers to spend three weeks in a strange country far away from all my family and friends. Was I crazy?!But, the best preparation comes through practical experience. Get out of your comfort zone and follow Jesus wherever He leads you. Through it all, I’ve found my faith challenged, my personal “safety net” stretched (and stretched, and stretched…), and my relationship with God greatly deepened. Experiences like 8.0 magnitude earthquakes have just added to it.Six trips and three years later, I’m writing from San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico, living with Nathan and Julie Terrell for three months to assist them in their ministry. It’s an experience that only God could have arranged! My interest has always been in Bible translation and getting God’s Word into the hands and hearts of those living in more remote locations. And that’s exactly what the Terrells do! I get to work side by side with them learning what everyday missions is like, from creating audio Scripture CD’s, to printing study Bible portions, to translating kid’s curriculum for GE, to taking care of precious kiddos, to sewing curtains, to navigating the grocery store. It’s absolutely true that life is ministry, and ministry is life. In it all, let God be glorified! I can only imagine what He has planned next.For more about Amy's trip this summer, take a look at her personal blog. Click here for all the stories from the May, 2010 newsletter.