Fast, Feast, and Commissioning...3 keys to success

‘Twas a cold winter morn. The howling of the wind and the gurgling of my stomach were two familiar sounds which echoed through the house. The mere thought of one more minute without food made me cringe, but I knew that through God, all things were possible.

This may sound like the start of your next fire side novel, but actually it was the beginning of an adventure which would lead 14 friends closer to each other, the people of Venezuela, and God. Friday, February 10th, was the official beginning of our 2012 Mission Trip to Venezuela. Our agenda for the weekend was to Fast, Feast, and attend the Commissioning Service. The Fasting began at 6:00pm on Friday evening. This time was filled with constant prayer from the team, family, and friends. This was also a time for reflection and praise. From the noises that my stomach was making, I believe it was praying as well. Our Fast lasted 24 hours, so we all met at the church the following evening for our Feast.

The final hour was the toughest, especially with the aroma of Matt Reeves’ smoked meat in the air. Everyone had provided so many unbelievable items that I went into a bit of a coma before we ate. Before we dug in, we found it fitting to conclude our Fast with Communion. After a brief game of “hide and seek” with the bread, Steven did an excellent job bringing us together for the final moments of our Fast.

The food was absolutely delicious! I’ll have to admit, I didn’t spend too much time at the dessert table, seeing as my stomach was craving nothing but meat and hashbrown casserole…and maybe a little potato salad; and bake beans; oh and salad; did I say mac and cheese? Ok you got me, I lied. I went to the dessert table and indulged like I’ve never indulged before. I’ll just work it off in the 100 degrees heat down in VZ. After my acid reflux subsided, I went to bed to prepare for the Commissioning ceremony the next day.

We were commissioned by both Tom and Steven at the 9:45 and 11:00 service. What really made this day special was the fundraising we did outside the church. A few members of our group constructed a replica of an authentic VZ home. This helped the members of the church envision the environment we will be visiting in a little more than a week. We are very grateful for the members of Due West UMC and the family and friends who donated to the mission. We wouldn’t be able to go spread The Word without your help!