The Lord has a way of doing things that take our weaknesses and faults and make something lasting out of our willingness to obey God.   This trip was no execption.  We were a team of eleven who left for the Amazon not sure what to expect.  Yet as all of us were praying here at Cornerstone and also the team as well, God was already preparing the way and looking out for us as well as answering the prayers of the new believers in the village of  Jempentes in Ecuador.

When you spend the night in the Amazon the Sun goes down by about 6:30PM each night. So with no electricity the best thing to do is cool down, talk with each other and look at the sky. When you are near the Equator the sky that you see is unique.  Three prominent star constellations are in plain view, the North Star, the Southern Cross and Orion's Belt.  The sky unhindered by street lights is beautiful beyond words.  One night as we were looking at the stars, I was reminded of the account in Genesis chapter 15 when God told Abram to look at stars.  Abram was just like us, wondering whether or not his life would have an impact.  Wondering if he was really hearing God's voice when he heard the promise that he would have a son.  These were questions in his mind and God chose the stars to give an answer to Abram.  "He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if you indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."  The next verse is a great encouragement to us.  Abraham believed the Lord and He  (G0d)credited to him as righteousness."    God had the answer to Abram's question written in the stars.  What God was saying to Abram is the same thing he says to us.  Whether we are on a trip to Amazon or a trip to school or around the beltway.  God says, "Believe that I am!"  Believe that He is the God who still answers today.  Believe that the God who is in love with you and is eternal is also the God of all of our today's and all of our Tomorrow's. Don't trust others who question God or His leading. Don't let time or the delay of the answer shake your faith in God's ability to fulfill all that He has promised.  Each one of you had a part in this trip to the Amazon.  Each person who prayed or went or gave will have part of the joy in seeing what the Lord will do with this investment of your hearts and lives.  One day we will stand before God and celebrate  all that God did in those days in the Jungle.  We will rejoice over people who are in Heaven because of that week and the ripple effects of simple steps of obedience and faith.  But if in the mean time you are wondering whether or not God will fulfill all that He has promised , or whether our life will make a difference for eternity?  Or if you are going through an especially difficult time in your life, take a trip outside in the evening and look up to the stars and remember God is still saying "Believe I Am"