Last year, I was sitting at a women’s conference at my church, minding my own business, when the Lord directly impressed upon my heart to invite the red head singing with the worship ministry … that he needed to go to Africa. I remember clearly thinking, but wait, Lord, I don’t even know his name… are you sure? Trust me, He was sure. For weeks, every Sunday I saw him singing on stage, the Lord reminded me. I finally told a friend, I was supposed to invite (pointing to the man 3rd to the left) on my mission trip. “Oh, that’s Trevor Birch,” she whispered. Great, now the mystery man had a name and the pressure was on.

Honestly, I kinda felt like a stalker every time church ended trying to hunt down Trevor. I never had the opportunity to “bump” into him, so I finally told the Lord that He would have to introduce us…

Trevor’s Story (it’s all true)

One year ago, this month, I did not have a trip to Africa on my radar. I had been telling my friends that I really wanted to go on a missions trip someday but I wasn’t planning on going anytime soon. A friend of mine saw Kari Gibson’s Mission’s Trip Give Away and suggested that I enter. I didn’t win the free trip, however, God had some cool things in store for me.

A few weeks later, I met Kari (aka Mama Kiki) for the first time at a restaurant and she approached me (attacked me…no joke) about going with her on a missions trip to Ethiopia. We immediately clicked and she encouraged me to step out in faith and trust the Lord to provide the finances. I took a step of faith and signed up for the trip. Over the next several months, God miraculously provided all the finances I needed for the trip.

My experience in Ethiopia was unlike anything I could have imagined. From getting the dreaded diarrhea with no American-style toilet for over a hundred miles, to the slaughtering of goats for a BBQ. Needless to say, it was quite the experience. Despite all of that, one of my greatest joys was being able to share the love of God to orphans through music and also by simply spending time with them. God really taught me a lot about love on this trip. We encountered so many orphans who were desperate for love. At times, their situation was overwhelming but you could feel how special it made a child feel by simply spending quality time with them. My heart was so full of love for these kids, and it reminded me that God loves these kids and me more that I could imagine. I wondered if I was really making a significant impact because the need was so great. However, my prayer is that God will use that time there to remind those children how special they are to God that He would send a group of thirty individuals halfway across the world to simply love on them.

Trevor was such a blessing on our mission trip using his gift of music to bless hundreds of beautiful orphans we met throughout Ethiopia… God wanted to bring the best to his children. Don’t ever miss out on the God-ordained opportunities. I think back on how easy it would have been to ignore the Lord’s prompting and chose not to stalk hunt down Trevor. He could have been freaked out having a crazy lady pounce on him at the restaurant, but thankfully both of us listened to our hearts. The best part, a year after the mission trip, Trevor is such a dear friend of my family. Check out his cool website here.

So, here’s what I want to challenge you today … listen to your heart. If you have always dreamed of going on a mission trip, but the money fear keeps you from moving forward, this opportunity to WIN A MISSION TRIP is right here in front of you to grab. Buy your tee shirt today and see what God has in store for your life. The challenge is on …. now it’s up to you!

What is holding you back from joining a mission trip- I’d love to pray for you!

PURCHASE YOUR MISSION TRIP GIVEAWAY TEE HERE- contest ends 12/2