While on the mission trip this week here in Atlantic City, I thought a lot about Gethsemene… I have heard the word Gethsemene means 'place of pressing', and God has giving me many opportunities this week to be pressed. When we arrived to the volunteer center there was only cold waters for the showers, cots to sleep on, and no air conditioning. The physical part of this trip was exhausting as we prepped walls, painted, did insulation, and completed tile flooring for our homeowner, Joyce. Through these minor inconveniences the Lord has pressed upon me what some of the people here deal with every day since Sandy. The pressing happened when I realized that I had taken the conveniences for granted in my own life, and the Lord wants me to be more thankful for His blessings at home and also more compassionate toward people who presently have less than I do in the physical.
The pressing of this work brought me to the end of myself. I am reminded of the scripture that says "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Cor 12:9. We all prayed for strength before coming and throughout this week, and He provided everything we needed to get the job done. Throughout the week God answered our prayers for the right homeowner that we could assist, a lawnmower, and for sleep and rest, even on army cots… God is good. We are satisfied that God gave us the power and strength to complete the tasks that He had planned for us in serving Joyce. The greater blessing is that we became more Christ-like through this experience with a little more of 'self' pressed out. -Kim Galyen, Indiana
