​This article was originally published on Thu, 11 Jul 2024.

Some of my friends are amazed why I continue to join our mission trip to Nicaragua. There are many reasons why my friends believe I should not go, one of which is the government’s hostility towards the Church. But the more I think about why I go, the more I see how rewarding it is and how others should take the opportunity to join us for this life-changing experience.  While I was in Nicaragua I found it providential that the Sunday gospel was about Jesus asleep in the boat. His disciples were concerned not so much about the weather, but more because of fear. They were fearful they were going to sink and die. In this experience, I believe Jesus was teaching them something. In fact, He asked the question: “Do you not yet have faith?”  Jesus reminded them that faith is about a relationship. It is about trusting in a God who journeys with us. It is about a God who cares.  Jesus, sleeping in the stern, is not about Him not caring. Rather it is about Jesus teaching us that being engrossed in worry and anxiety are not helpful. Problems are realities in life, and no one can escape them. But how do we manage them? How can we respond to them positively?  Our annual mission trip continues to teach me what faith is all about. Digging trenches and carrying buckets of concrete are just at the tip pf the iceberg. Personally, the mission reminds me that God is actively present in our lives. The people we serve in Nicaragua remind me of our God who is with us. Despite the poverty they continue to experience, they can “sleep” because of that belief. Our missionaries bring the presence of Christ to them. We join them in the boat of life assuring them that God knows their needs and He does not abandon them. God was there and continues to be there and is here because He said so, “I am with you always.”  Perhaps this week we can think of ways to bring Christ’s presence to others. We should not just say “God is good all the time and all the time God is good,” but genuinely believe those words. If we can do that, we can certainly be like Jesus. We can sleep well no matter what kind of storm we might encounter. We might even find ourselves snoring.