Blessed beyond difficulties!

Wow this is my first post. It is a very monumental occasion in my life because I get to share with you my thoughts and my life. I recently came back from a trip to Ethiopia, Africa. Where I learned 2 very important things. It was a trip filled with struggles and adventure but also it was filled with joy and happiness. Going into this trip you don't expect anything but you prepare for the worst. What I gained on this trip outweighed any troubles we encountered. So the first thing I learned on this trip is God's Love. You see going to Church you get to see God's love first hand but applying it to your life is different. My father rarely told me he loved me in my life...in fact right before I left on my trip he stopped by for a visit. Before we parted ways I looked at him and said I love you but he just got in his car and drove off. I would've given anything just to hear him say I love you to me but I have realized that I don't need his love because I have a Heavenly Father who always loves me. Actually one of the reasons I came to know Christ was because of the Pastor of Light and Life named Larry. The first time I met him he told me he loved me. You see God knew what I needed in my life and he used Larry to tell me. In Africa there were people there that wore the same clothes every day, had flies following them all the time, and hardly took showers. Here in the U.S. it is very hard to walk up to a homeless man who is similar to the people in Africa and give him a hug. I am the first to admit I haven't done this here in America...but in Africa the people there are excited to see you and all they want to do is hug you and hold your hand. You can see God's Love in them and I was blessed because I got to hug and hold alot of peoples hands. You see it's not Americans and Ethiopians. It's not us and them...it's my brothers and sisters. It's God's family! Going on this trip has showed me what's it like to love God's people without restriction.

The second thing that I learned is the gratefulness the people of Africa have for God. These are people that have no material possessions, no running water, no abundance of clothes, and really no money. Yet they thank God for life, they thank God for smiles and laughter, they thank God for peace. Here we take life for granite and plan for tomorrow. There they just live in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest. Every Church service we went to when the people would worship they would do it as if God himself were right in front of them and they just wanted to please Him. They trust in God completely and rely on Him for any need they have. They have nothing and they are so grateful...I have allot and it makes me realize that I should be extra thankful. There were times were we faced difficulties and I would get stressed out but I felt like God would smile and say My son why do you worry. This trip has made me realize that if you trust in God your blessings will always outweigh your difficulties.

May God Bless you and keep you safe.

Carlos