How about the pennies in your pocket?

When our team met for our final stateside meeting in mid December, I shared with them a little exercise that I thought I would ask you to participate in as well.  Each team member was given a penny and challenged to keep it in their pocket until we returned on January 7th.  As we looked at the pennies I gave to them, I reminded them that they represent all of the children, their peers, who gave pennies to help students they did not even know and we would now have the privilege of meeting on their behalf.  We must always represent our school well on this trip was the call to action. In El Salvador, a penny is worth more than it is here. Money has value, but how much more valuable are the people we will encounter in this country that only two of us have been to. We need to remember when we pull that penny out of our pockets that value is given by God the Creator to each of us. That value can be a concept that is reinforced to people by the way we respect and treat them. We will give value to those we encounter on this trip.

In addition to value and the call, I reminded the team that we were all about the phrase on the coin that is so familiar to us. It's that famous 4 words, 'In God We Trust."  We are trusting Him on this whole journey. We trusted him for the resources to pay for the trip, the faith to believe we are going to be used, the health and strength to go and be His hands and feet. We trust Him for everything we need as we go for His purposes. That was the most important thing to remember:  It's all for Him, every penny! How about the pennies in your pocket? Will you allow them to be a reminder of the team and what we are up to this week? and also of the God who gives you value and the world who needs Him?