Even now, several months after the trip, I’m still a bit in shock when I think about the fact that I spent a month on the other side of the planet…in SOUTHEAST ASIA!! God is just amazing like that. I wouldn’t have imagined myself going on the Southeast Asia CI trip but following God takes us on the biggest out-of-comfort-zone adventures of life!

 

Our team of 27 spent one week in Malaysia, one week in Singapore, and two weeks in Indonesia. Our prayer for each one attending the CI was that God would change their perspective on life from self-focused, achievement and status-driven perfection to truly desiring to know and love God for the rest of their lives. Our goal was to communicate the love of God to the kids in each city as we taught Biblical principles and character qualities, using songs, stories, crafts and skits. It had been 10 years since I had done a CI and I had forgotten how much fun they are!

I went on the trip, knowing that God was leading me to do so, but not really know what His purpose for my going was until one day in Singapore, God blew me away by giving me a glimpse of my underlying mission and passion for the trip. Not only for the trip but I think also for my whole life; and that is that in all things Christ might be preeminent. Underneath the principles and character, the stories and crafts and [very] funny skits, I wanted Jesus Christ to be glorified, lifted high, given His rightful place of first.

“And he [CHRIST] is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”  Colossians 1:17-20

~Ruthann

Tentative dates for 2012 Southeast Asia Children’s Institute trip: May 28 – June 24, 2012

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