Commissioning of the Team

"God help the outcasts hungry from birth
Show them the mercy they don't find on earth
The lost and forgotten they look to You still
God help the outcasts or nobody will...

I don't know if there's a reason why some are blessed, some not
Why the few You seem to favor, they fear us, flee us, try not to see us
God help the outcasts, the tattered the torn....

You made the outcasts, don't cast them out
The poor and unlucky, the weak and the odd
I thought they all were the children of God."

--Taken from "God Help the Outcasts" by Menken/Schwartz

Yesterday marked the "6th day till Honduras" and our team's Commissioning at St. Mark UMC. During this time, our pastor Rev. Phillip Thomason spoke to the congregation about what our tasks would be, why we are going to Honduras, and reminding the team that the congregation would be praying for each of us while away. At both services, he then offered a prayer of Blessing and Sending Forth as ambassadors of God's love to the people of Honduras. It really is a humbling experience to realize that you have been called to go and show God's love through word and deed in a land that is far away from the comforts of the USA. While there are so many here in Atlanta and the U.S. who need us and need to hear about God's love, there are many others around the world who need this as well.

The song quoted above "God Help the Outcasts" was sung by Margaret Miller during the service right after our Commissioning. It was a beautiful response to our Sending Forth. We (all people of the world) are children of God and we (the Honduras team) have been called to help those who might feel they are an outcast get needed medical attention, learn English or about God's love through crafts and recreation, or by building a protective wall around a small school. While not everyone in Honduras is an outcast, the song's message was on point. Through this trip we recognize how blessed we are and we do not want to 'flee' or be blind to those who are in need around the world.

This week will be full of preparation, nervousness, excitement and perhaps anxiousness as each person prepares in his/her own way for the journey that lies ahead. We know that our time in Honduras will be short; but we hope that it will have a long lasting impression for those we come in contact with and for each of us.