When Dr. Aaron Mitchell felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to leave behind his comfortable life and a busy medical practice for the unpredictable streets of Cairo with his teenage son Caleb, his faith was put to the ultimate test. The timing of the trip coincided with the war breaking out in the neighboring Israel. In this episode of the Limitless Spirit Podcast, host, Helen Todd, sits down with Aaron to explore the emotional and spiritual implications of answering God's call. His story, a narrative of courage and trust, reminds us that the path of true discipleship often leads us through the wilderness of our fears and into the promised land of divine purpose.
Aaron's candid recount of their adventures offers a vivid illustration of the challenges and joys found in connecting with people across language barriers and the rich spiritual rewards that follow. Aaaron challenges us to answer the question: "If we are comfortable, are we doing enough for God?"
Visit World Missions Alliance website: rfwma.org to doscover opportunities to serve in short-term missions across the globe.
Thanks for listening! Visit our website rfwma.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Help us make more inspiring episodes: https://rfwma.org/give-support-the-podcast/
When Dr. Aaron Mitchell felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to leave behind his comfortable life and a busy medical practice for the unpredictable streets of Cairo with his teenage son Caleb, his faith was put to the ultimate test. The timing of the trip coincided with the war breaking out in the neighboring Israel. In this episode of the Limitless Spirit Podcast, host, Helen Todd, sits down with Aaron to explore the emotional and spiritual implications of answering God's call. His story, a narrative of courage and trust, reminds us that the path of true discipleship often leads us through the wilderness of our fears and into the promised land of divine purpose.
Aaron's candid recount of their adventures offers a vivid illustration of the challenges and joys found in connecting with people across language barriers and the rich spiritual rewards that follow. Aaaron challenges us to answer the question: "If we are comfortable, are we doing enough for God?"
Visit World Missions Alliance website: rfwma.org to doscover opportunities to serve in short-term missions across the globe.
Thanks for listening! Visit our website rfwma.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Help us make more inspiring episodes: https://rfwma.org/give-support-the-podcast/
What if you had a guide who could tell you how to bridge a gap between who you are today and who you are destined to be? What if, each week, you could hear a story of someone who has tried and succeeded, or perhaps tried and failed but learned something in the process? Limitless Spirit is a weekly podcast where host Helen Todd interviews guests about topics and personal stories on defining life's purpose, pursuing personal growth and developing a deeper faith in Christ.
Speaker 2:Welcome to this new episode of the Limitless Spirit Podcast. I'm your host, helen Todd, and my passion is to inspire you to pursue and live out your greater purpose in Christ. A purposeful life cannot be lived in the safety of your comfort zone. It requires us to exercise our faith, courage and obedience to God. As we wrap up the year 2023 and make plans for what's ahead, I want to challenge you to be intentional about seeking God's will for you and venturing out of your comfort zone in little things and big life events, to make the year 2024 the most impactful year of your life.
Speaker 2:My guest today is Dr Aaron Mitchell. He shares about his experience of leaving behind his comfortable life and successful medical practice for a few days to travel with his 13-year-old son, caleb, to Cairo, egypt, just a few weeks after war broke out in the neighboring Israel. So relax for a minute during this busy season with a warm cup of something to hear his and Caleb's experiences that are unique and, at the same time, very relatable to anyone who has or is considering embracing the Great Commission or a challenging assignment from God. Hello, aaron, hello, welcome to the Limitless Spirit Podcast. How are you doing today?
Speaker 3:I am doing wonderful. Ms Helen, it's so wonderful to talk to you and hear about what's going on.
Speaker 2:You are at the office, so if we have a medical emergency and you're going to be called off, we're going to totally understand. But in the meantime, I am excited to talk to you. You are a fairly recent addition to World Missions Alliance and you have already made a significant impact on our ministry and on the Great Commission, and so, before we dive into that part of our conversation, I want to hear more about your personal story, how you came to know Jesus.
Speaker 3:Well, wonderful, wonderful question.
Speaker 3:So, like many people, I was very blessed to be raised in a Christian home.
Speaker 3:I have amazing parents who still are alive and they love the Lord, and so they raised us, my brother and I, in several locations because my family moved, but through it our family was able to stay together and were always being pushed to church, or maybe drugged to church, and really felt loved in any, every aspect.
Speaker 3:I do have to tell you that in high school years I felt myself getting away from the Lord and I had a critical decision to make before going to college and I said either I'm going to go to a secular public university and fall away from the Lord forever, or the Lord's going to open up a path for me to attend a private Christian university. And he opened up that path through scholarship money and I was able to attend Oral Roberts University. So I think right about that time I realized that my life is his and I need to give it over to him fully in every aspect, and I've done my best to do that for the last 25 years. And so met my wife at Oral Roberts University as well and we were attended together all four years and then graduated and I've seen his hand upon our lives every single step of the way until we are today.
Speaker 2:So what influenced your decision to become a physician?
Speaker 3:Great, great question. Well, I'll leave that up to the Lord's hand as well, because there was one point in my undergraduate career that I didn't know what I was going to do or who I was going to become, and I didn't even know if I was smart enough to become a doctor.
Speaker 2:Well, tell me why. What created these questions for you?
Speaker 3:Doubt, a lot of doubt, and I started to make some bad grades in undergraduate college and so I would pray and say, lord, if I'm really supposed to be a doctor and originally I thought I wanted to be a doctor just because I thought it would be a good profession. And I got to shadow some other doctors when I was in high school and just thought it would be really neat to be one. But I didn't know the impact of what a doctor could really bring in terms of ministry. So when I started not doing so well in school and I don't think I ever failed a class, but I came pretty close on a couple Me and Jesus had some good talks.
Speaker 3:I could remember fasting and praying, especially before exams. I remember one exam. I fasted and prayed and didn't do so well on it. In the end I ended up passing the class. But still I remember talking to the Lord one night saying, god, if there is ever a chance for me to be a doctor and if this is who you really, really, truly want me to be deep down on the inside, then I will give my entire career to you. Just make a way. Just make a way. And he did, and we were able to pass classes and pass exams Each and every step along the way. He has given his hand upon my life. It's a testimony just to that, and I'm not perfect by any means. I think I felt Christ in some way, probably every single day, just being a human, but still just like the life of David we all do.
Speaker 2:It takes a mature Christian to recognize that, though, erin. So I think that that is a great example of where you are with the Lord, and, in the end, not only you became a physician, but you have built a very successful and impactful practice of several clinics across your state and the area where you live, and so there is no doubt that there was God's hand on you in all of this. And that leads me to my next question. You have experienced success in your career. You have a wonderful family, a large family, and so it's certainly a very busy time in your life. Normally, that's the season where all your energy goes towards building and establishing your career and raising your kids, and yet, in the midst of all this, you connected with our ministry, you and your wife, and expressed the desire to get involved in missions as a family, and so I want to hear how this came about, because that is unusual.
Speaker 3:Thank you Again. A few things. I did my first medical mission trip during Oral Opportunity University, and it was a medical mission trip and I wasn't a doctor at the time, but I was serving on a medical mission trip beside a doctor, and at that moment I knew that medical missions needed to be a part of my life in some way for the rest of my life. And so my wife had been on medical mission trip as well, and so we have agreed throughout the course of our marriage of 19 years that we need to have this as part of our family, not only for us but for our children and even those that are around us. And so, as we had our children and they've been growing up, we've reared them in the ways of the Lord as much as we can.
Speaker 3:But now our children are at perfect ages, we think to really expose them to medical missions or mission trips in general on a worldwide basis, and there's so many reasons for it. But we wanted to make sure that they were exposed to the things of medical missions or missions in general for the world to see, to grow their faith. And we reached out to World Mission Alliance and connected with you guys, and we're so thankful for it. Our local church is wonderful, full of members, and they do take multiple mission trips a year through our church. But there were some minor restrictions on ages of the children and we said our children don't quite meet those ages yet, but we want them to start experiencing life as a missionary at an early age, and so we have been very intent on doing that and so we're excited to partner with World Mission Alliance and to make that happen.
Speaker 2:Well, I see a theme in our conversation so far that you are very willing to step out of your comfort zone. So, while you're in college and you're experiencing difficulties with your studies and doubts, and yet you pursue that path that pushes you out of your comfort zone and beyond your faith and your own abilities. And, as a family, I've traveled on the mission field with my kids and I can say it is uncomfortable, no matter what age they are. That is a journey out of your comfort zone for sure. So here you are as a family, willing to do this. But also the trip that you chose to go on with you and your son and we'll get to that in a little bit so I see as especially the timing of that trip was a journey out of the comfort zone.
Speaker 2:But you also made it a point to use your business, your practice, as a way of impacting people for Christ by sending doctors and nurses from your clinics on mission trips, and that is extremely admirable too. So what is your idea behind that? What do you see this accomplishing? Because obviously you're taking them off work. You know you're creating an inconvenience again in your own schedule by taking them out of rotation, sending them on the mission trip, covering their travel expenses to do that. So what do you hope to accomplish through this?
Speaker 3:Great question. It has been our hope that we can, through our business Mitchell Family Medicine, the Art Children's Clinic and Harmony Health Clinic to have a true clinic where we are servants of the Lord but also servants of our fellow man, and my idea really was to give back in extra special ways. It is easy to take a clinic, especially like us, we're a for-profit clinic, we're not a non-profit clinic, we're a for-profit clinic but to take in knowing that we are so blessed as we are in the income that we make. How do we not just say thank you to the Lord by turning around and giving a special gift to all of our providers and nurses that are willing to serve and go? So this year we've been able to take three trips with three different doctors, one of them being myself, and we're excited that we have a fourth provider that's going in a couple of months, so we're excited to let them go on a short-term mission trip as well. Some of them have been before. In fact, the other two that had went have been before and, as Chuck frequently states, it truly is a date with God and I can't think of a better way to bless my team members, my fellow man, my staff members by having them take that date with God, because if they can get away on a medical mission trip, isolate themselves and really pour into the word, pour into their fellow man, get back to the roots of compassion especially in the medical scene that we see these days, there's not very much compassion, unfortunately. It's more about business and money and time versus getting on the mission field and connecting and praying with the patients. Having that date with God in the end will bring that provider back to our clinic with a rejuvenation, a new spirit, a new compassion and they're going to be that much better of a doctor or nurse practitioner because of it. It gives them time to get back to their roots and to connect with the Lord and grow their faith, and those are sincere things that we want for every single provider that works for our clinic system. Same for nurses.
Speaker 3:So my offer stands, and it has stood for the last year. I can tell you it was about this time last year no joke where the Lord put in my wife and I's heart that 2023 needed to be the start of missions for our companies, and at that point we started researching and we connected with World Mission Alliance. We had not gone on one trip with you guys and on our way to see you and Branson. One day we called you up and you welcomed us with open arms and we came and saw you guys and Branson and I think it started a wonderful relationship with World Mission Alliance to be able to have a platform that's organized, very well organized and safe, but also to give that date with Jesus that every provider and nurse wants.
Speaker 3:So we make this offer known to all providers that are willing to go and also nurses. If nurses are willing to go and serve, my only request of them is they get their own passport and we'll take care of the rest. And while our providers are away, we pray for them Every single day. We have a huddle and we meet with 20 to 30 people and we pray for them every day for, yes, their safety, but that they would make an impact on their fellow man wherever they're at, and also that the Lord would change them on the inside. And I believe, if we continue to focus on these things, that our providers will ultimately come to know the Lord more, and that would be our goal. The goal of being a doctor is, yes, to help people, but our goal really is to change the inside of each and every provider, and let that be our ministry. So we're deeply committed to that and we're excited for the next few years, for sure.
Speaker 2:I love what you said about building the sense of compassion in your providers because in the end, I feel like medical profession. There are certain professions, well being admissions, one of them, teaching being a medical provider. It's more than just a job, it's a calling, and you can't really be effective in that job if you don't embrace the calling. And then, if you embrace the calling, I think it's going to build your business in a much better way, because, you know, as a patient, when I come to the doctor, I can sense when I'm being treated as just you know, somebody passing through and affecting the numbers of the business, or I'm being treated with compassion. And there's no better place than the mission field to stretch us in our compassion and open our eyes to the things that we sometimes take for granted. You know, and we've been very blessed with the providers that you have sent with us, they were extraordinary. I personally got to work with one of them and seeing them in action, watching them being Christian doctors, was truly a blessing, you know, to me, to the team members and, of course, to the patients.
Speaker 2:So, jumping back to the trip that you personally chose to go on with your son, caleb, who is 13 years old. So that was Egypt. So let's talk about you. Chose this trip before a war erupted in the nearby country of Israel, but it is still quite a step of faith to choose this country, choose Middle East, to go on a mission trip with your son. So what was behind that? How do you feel God called you for this particular country Really?
Speaker 3:through just some simple prayer and the Lord led us to Egypt back at the WMA conference last year, and unfortunately you and Chuck were with your son in the hospital at that time. I remember that day and I had no idea. We showed up for the ceremony and they announced it, but within that three day timeframe, rebecca and I had been praying on the first trip we should take as a family together all six of us and also we had been praying about just a trip for me to take with my children one on one, and so as we go through the next few years and as they age, my intent is to take all of them at least one on one. That way we can really connect together and serve together. Sometimes it's easier to do that one on one versus all at the same time. But the Lord led us to Egypt and I think the determining factor was one of the medical directors, kenna Cowart, said that there would be quite a bit of children on this trip, and so I wanted Caleb, my 13 year old, to be able to interact with other children and felt that that would be a good first soft opening for Caleb.
Speaker 3:Even though the war came out one month prior, I felt it would be a good soft opening for Caleb to be able to be exposed and see another culture and how it learns and how they learn so many different things that I wanted Caleb to experience Number one.
Speaker 3:I really just wanted him to learn that there are other cultures out there and America, unfortunately, is becoming more and more ungodly and we are not like that.
Speaker 3:We do not live amongst the world, but in the world. We live amongst the people and try to give them the hope of Jesus every time, but through the culture of another nation. I wanted him to realize that Jesus really is for everyone. That is huge for my son to see and I want him to see that Jesus does not just exist at our local church, that Jesus exists on the other side of the globe, that Jesus exists in every tribe and every tongue, every language. And it was really funny to see Caleb try to interact in Arabic and it was great because he could sit there and say whatever he wanted. He knew that they didn't know it and on the other sense, he could pray and you could just see the children and the other faces that were around, that they kind of all got it that Jesus can be expressed in many different ways, in many different languages, but he is for everyone, even the ones on the other side of the world.
Speaker 2:Let's back up a bit. So before you went on this trip, literally a few weeks before the trip, the war erupts in Israel and you actually made arrangements to go to Israel before Egypt. I'm sure you wanted to take Caleb to some of the sites. So how did that? I mean, were you nervous at any point? Did the parent mode kick in and you thought, hey, he's 13. There is a war going on nearby. What went through your mind and how did you overcome that? I'm sure you had some reservations about this whole thing.
Speaker 3:You know we did a little bit. I did send a couple of texts and emails and whatever to your team, just needing a little bit of reassurance that things were fine. You guys were very experienced in Egypt multiple, multiple times, and so I knew that that front would be okay. The other side of that was just a quiet inner spirit inside of me that said hold fast, aaron, hold fast, take your son. He needs this, you need this and we're going to do a blessing in your life because of it. And so hearing just the Lord say don't be anxious, don't be fearful, I have gone before you, I've gone ahead of you, we're going to protect you, and I can tell you he did every step of the way, from the minute we landed we were very safe to the minute we left and not one incident occurred throughout the whole entire experience, except one.
Speaker 3:Getting back through US customs was a little difficult, but past that, the whole entire trip was just orchestrated by the Lord. I wanted my son to see and know that we're not going to laugh in the face of danger on the other side of the world. No, we're going to use common sense, but also we're going to trust that the Lord has sent us and we believe the Lord has called us, and so we're going to go confidently to him and do his service. Christianity is often portrayed in America as needing to be comfortable, and that's a sad thing. I wanted my son to see that Christianity is everything but that, and if we're comfortable are we really doing enough? And I don't think he's ever been experienced experienced something like that to be uncomfortable before the Lord. And so throughout the entire trip let's say some of the things I thought he would find uncomfortable. He found comfortable, but he loved Egyptian food, For example.
Speaker 2:give me some examples.
Speaker 3:The Egyptian food. Oh, he did, he loved it.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, that's awesome, it's quite different from the American food.
Speaker 2:So that is. That is awesome. Did he have any fear himself? Was he concerned about any aspect of this trip?
Speaker 3:So he asked me some questions privately at night about some of the things he saw and it really had to do a lot of the poor that we saw Asking questions about them. He asked if it was safe just to be wandering at the street around the street at night because there's kids running around kicking soccer balls at midnight. There's dogs all over the place. He asked if that was safe. But other than that, not really. I think that he was just very, very comfortable for the most part in this situation, in the environment. What got him out of his comfort zone was actually for him getting to minister and speak to other children. That kind of thing is outside of my son. In general he's a very outgoing man, but when it comes to public speaking or being in front of other people he was very nervous. So we planned for several months in advance and he wrote his testimony. We rehearsed his testimony. We practiced in front of our family, in front of the other children, and he was able to. Even though it was somewhat rehearsed, he was able to get up and perform that testimony in front of the other children and adults that were there. That was huge for him because it taught him so much that he can still give the word of God and love on other people when he didn't feel like he wanted to. He learned a lot about service on this trip. This was great Other people serving and helping his fellow man Everything from carrying luggage and helping out with luggage to helping people get their meals, to passing out supplies and praying for people in the exam rooms. He learned a lot about service and so that was great.
Speaker 3:I do have to say I had one really proud dad moment the entire trip and I'll never forget this moment. I hope I never do. And it was. It all actually probably started with Kena Cowart and Kena, halfway through the trip, during our prayer time in the morning, decided that everyone should gather around Caleb and just pray for Caleb and you know he's a typical 13 year old, so he's he's like what. You can really know what was going on, but he allowed everybody to pray and some of the prayers were beautiful prayers over his life and who he'd become. And here I am, a dad that's just sitting next to him and tearing up, thinking man. I really hope he becomes every one of these things and he gives his life fully to the Lord, whatever occupation he chooses, but fast forward.
Speaker 3:Two days later, caleb, in popcorn style, prayed out loud in front of everyone and that was the first time, as a 13 year old, that I've heard my son have a moment where he just felt upon the Lord to pray. And it was some need. Maybe we were going to an orphanage or something that day, but he prayed out loud. And that is not my son, it really isn't. But I sat there and teared up that, wow, the Lord is speaking to my son and he is helping him to grow in his faith and he's. He didn't feel pressured, I didn't even ask him to pray one time, the entire trip out loud. He did it all on his own and I left that prayer time in the morning just saying, wow, thank you God that you have spoken to my son and I will never forget this day because I hope he remembers this day too that he can go to the Lord for anything, at any time, and Jesus is for everyone. He really, really is every language, and I think that was a Aaron.
Speaker 2:That blesses me honestly to hear this, because as a ministry this is one of our goals Not only to see the gospel preached in the nations, but also see God do his work in the hearts and lives of people that go. And hearing about this happening in the life of a 13 year old is that much more significant, because he is at the cusp, at the beginning of his destiny. You know. He's pondering probably what he is to become, who he is in the Lord, and so this kind of experience he's not going to forget. I've seen the impact of something like this on my kids lives, on the lives of the young people that grew before my eyes, you know, and watching how those missions bring fruit later in life. So I know that you probably will be amazed to see the impact that is far beyond anything that you can imagine right now in his life.
Speaker 2:But let's talk about you. So you went to serve as a highly qualified medical professional and I know that you were a tremendous blessing to the people that you saw. It was a very good clinic, from what I heard the report. So let's talk about some of your experiences, what you felt you've done as a doctor, but also as a man of God. Did anything surprise you? Did anything happen that you did not expect? I know I asked too many questions at once.
Speaker 3:I'll answer that I believe that one of my spiritual gifts is possibly and I don't know, I pray about this all the time but possibly even healing. But I think it comes through many different forms. So I was believing the Lord prior to this trip, just praying about what he wanted me to speak on If I was asked to speak, just everything about the whole trip. We prayed every night. My son and I would get together and we'd pray. We'd pray as a family. And so I prayed to the Lord and I said God, show your power again. Let me see your power in terms of a physical healing if that's really going to occur or not. And so we went through the clinics and I would pray for certain people. To be honest, I don't think any of them were physically healed because of a prayer that I made. I think that maybe we had a couple through some other team members. Praise the Lord, wonderful. But one of the surprises was actually on the way home. No joke, you can't make this up.
Speaker 3:We were on Egyptian Airlines headed from Cairo to Turkey and, lo and behold, we're at 35,000 feet and a woman they asked for a doctor on the plane and a woman is having severe pain in her abdomen and she's a young lady and I'm wondering if she has an ectopic pregnancy or something. And she is about passed out. Her blood pressure is terrible, she's pale, she's diaphoretic, she's tachycardic, and I said, oh Lord. So I put my hands on her and prayed because I didn't know what to do at 35,000 feet. I mean, I had my little doctor case with me and I was able to give her some Tylenol and check her blood pressure and look like I knew what I was doing. But I prayed. No joke, five minutes later she gets off the plane. Not five minutes, maybe 30 minutes later she gets off the plane pain-free.
Speaker 3:And it was just like a sudden reminder that I don't have to do a power and a work on the mission field to show my power. I could show my power anywhere. Just be a vessel that's willing to be used. And so that was the big surprise of the entire trip. It was actually on the way home. On the way home. So praise the Lord for that. And I don't know who that girl is. I'll never see her again. But pray, I don't think she knew a word of English. I spoke, but I pray that she is somehow changed and maybe she'll tell her testimony one day.
Speaker 2:Well, I also think that maybe that was God's way of encouraging you in your gifting and confirming that gifting God is sovereign. He chooses to heal when he choose. We don't trick him with our prayers, we're just conduits of his healing power. But I do believe that, as you brought it up, chuck, my husband often says a mission trip is a date with God, and that was your cherry on top for your date with God that you ventured on. He showed you the confirmation of the gift that you have and how extraordinary and appropriately he gifted you with being trained as a physician, but also understanding that true healing comes from the Lord and through your prayer you can be a conduit of that.
Speaker 2:I look forward to many more adventures with you on the mission field and watching God do his work and his miracles happen when they happen according to his plan and his purpose. But what a joy it is to be present and to be used, and that happens when we are truly on his assignment. That was not only confirmation of your gift, but also that you truly heard him when you went on that trip to Egypt. There is no better place to be than in the center of his will, whether it's on the plane home or in Cairo. That's when things happen. That's what makes the Great Commission the greatest adventure of a lifetime.
Speaker 2:So you probably don't know yet, but we have an unexpected trip to Egypt happening in 2024. That's an opportunity that just opened up this week and we're sending out an announcement today tonight, so that's interesting. We planned our podcast a while back, but a very appropriate timing. So if someone was considering going to Egypt, or they have a stirring in their heart to do missions there, what would you say to that person? How would you encourage them, or discourage them, for that matter?
Speaker 3:Well, there's a little two-sided to that. First is a non-spiritual versus a spiritual side. The non-spiritual side is where you stay in Egypt, guys. There's an awesome little bakery around the corner. You've got to pay it out.
Speaker 2:I agree, I concur.
Speaker 3:It's super cheap. I only probably spent $20 there the entire week, but I think I ate nothing but the best baked goods for the entire week. Okay, the spiritual side Absolutely the right person. Really, it's up to you and the Lord, but if I had to choose the perfect thing in person or the perfect situation, I'd say, if you're a family and you want to take your children, we felt completely safe and that was a major blessing. Taking my own child for the first time on the mission field. The transportation was wonderful, the events and the venues where we went to minister, to hold clinics, to see the orphanages, were all very safe and we were very well taken care of.
Speaker 3:There's plenty of ministry opportunity for children to minister, which I think is an important aspect of growing the faith in your child.
Speaker 3:Give them opportunities to minister, yes, locally at your own home, but also abroad if you have the means, get them out there and do those things.
Speaker 3:The other portion of that is, yes, the clinics are very, very busy and that's a wonderful thing, Because if you're a medical professional and you take the time out of your schedule and you want to go on these trips, you would hope that you get to see quite a bit of people to make a larger impact, and so the hope there is that if you go to Egypt, you're going to see quite a bit of people.
Speaker 3:Finally is the spiritual aspect. I think that maybe was a little bit forgotten was the aspect I was able to bring in relating with the on-site pastors, those pastors that have come from all over the Cairo region and Egypt region that need a lot of support from a missions team. They were absolutely incredible, they were friendly, they were thankful and they genuinely, genuinely were interested in forming a relationship with you, and so they wanted to know that you were a blessing going there, and so they went out of their way in every aspect to make sure you're comfortable, make sure you had all your needs met, and then, by the end of the trip, you're holding hands and praising the same Lord and loving one another and exchanging WhatsApp telephone numbers, and you have gotten new friends on the other side of the world that can rejoice with you and cry with you. So, yes, I would love to go back to Egypt. I'm excited to hear about the new opportunity and maybe I'll be able to bring another child.
Speaker 2:You know, I love what you said when you were describing how you made the decision to go in spite of the war happening in the Middle East, where you just prayed and you had heard God's confirmation. And I think this is a rule of thumb for anything that God calls you to do, because when it's truly God it's way out of our comfort zone, it's when there are no guarantees. You know, there is no step of faith if you're guaranteed everything in advance. So that's where faith kicks in when even World Missions Alliance, with all of our experience and precautions that we take, we cannot guarantee 100% that you are going to be safe, that everything will turn out perfectly, that it will be enjoyable, it will be successful.
Speaker 2:Each mission is truly an adventure. We do take time to prepare and plan things out, but in the end God takes the lead and it's rarely exactly as planned. But I think that once you hear that confirmation from the Lord, there is still a step of faith on your part to actually go ahead and do it, and I think that's when you get rewarded. And I love hearing that both you and Caleb experienced that reward in many small and big ways. So thank you so much for responding to this calling and trusting the Lord and trusting World Missions Alliance to a certain level for sending the medical professionals that you have Dr Devin and Clay and, oh goodness, dr Sean. You went, dr Sean, to Argentina. They all made a big impact this year with WMA, so we look forward to the future and looking forward to being with you in Mexico in just a few months.
Speaker 3:I think it'll be wonderful and I'm excited to see you there.
Speaker 2:Well, blessings to you, and may this year bring you more exciting opportunities to serve the Lord in your career and also in your personal life.
Speaker 3:Thank you, helen. May the Lord bless you too, as well as WMA.
Speaker 2:Living your life in the center of God's will is not easy. It requires explicit trust in God's good will towards you. It also requires courage and faith in yourself, perseverance, and overcoming and even embracing challenges. The reward, though, is knowing that the words in Matthew 25-23, well done, good and faithful servant, apply to you. At World Missions Alliance, we are excited to open to you the opportunities to embrace the great commission for a short time and allow God to use you in ways perhaps you have not been used before. Year 2024 marks the 25th anniversary for World Missions Alliance of taking the gospel to the world's hot spots and inspiring Christians like you to pursue their greater purpose by winning souls for Christ around the world. I encourage you to visit our website, rfwmaorg, and look at the opportunities available to you each month in a different nation. If God is calling you, we are here to help you fulfill this calling. Again, our website is rfwmaorg. Until next time, I'm Helen Todd.
Speaker 1:Find out how to get involved.