How Mission Trips Can Rewire Your Faith | 宣教之旅如何重塑你的信仰

Growing up, I was always quick to say “yes” to anything that needed to be done at church. I genuinely enjoyed it—but if I’m being honest, it was more about being seen, making friends, and feeling important. Glorifying God wasn’t really part of the picture. Over time, service became a source of pride and identity for me. I wanted others to see how “good” I was through what I did.

That started to shift after my first mission trip to Honduras in 2023 and going through baptism classes with Pastor Douglass. I began asking myself: If my motives are selfish, why does God keep giving me chances? It hit me that He allows us to be part of His work not because we deserve it, but because of His grace. That realization sparked a desire in me to serve for God’s glory—not my own. For a while, I was on a spiritual high, excited to serve and love others in His name.

But as time passed, I slowly drifted back into old habits. Leading up to the 2025 Honduras trip, I felt pride creeping in again. I began relying on myself more than on God. Eventually, the weight of that pride caught up with me, and I felt distant from Him. So, I prayed and asked God to use this trip to draw me back.

And He did. On the trip, I experienced a renewed joy in praising God—something that had started to feel like a chore. I saw how worship could unite people of all ages and backgrounds, all glorifying God together. I was reminded that praise only brings true joy when it’s focused on Him, not on us.

Even our time at the mission base was filled with moments of growth—through Bible studies, devotions, and conversations that constantly pointed us back to God. John 15:5 really stuck with me: “I am the vine; you are the branches... apart from me, you can do nothing.” It taught me how crucial it is to stay connected to God, especially when serving.

This trip rewired my heart. Now, I aim to check my motives before I serve, pray for God to work through me, and remind myself that service and worship should come from a place of joy and humility—not pride or performance.

在2025年这次洪都拉斯宣教之旅前的几个星期，我真的在为自己的骄傲挣扎。无论是在教会内外所做的事情，都让我开始觉得自己好像不再那么需要神了。这让我意识到我需要重新寻求祂，但我的骄傲依然非常强烈。于是我向神祷告，求祂借着这次旅程重新调整我，让我归回祂。每次我们出去帮助他人时，我都祷告求神使用我去帮助孩子们，同时也借着这些孩子和青少年来帮助我更亲近祂。

回头看，神真的做到了。在这一周的时间里，我重新感受到敬拜神的喜乐，而这原本对我来说已经变成了一种负担。我看到了敬拜的力量— —它能让原本不会跳舞的人跳舞，让各个年龄层的人一起跳舞、赞美祂的名，把我们之间的分歧和自我都放在一边。我真正明白了：唯有当敬拜扎根于神，而不是自己时，才能带来极大的喜乐。

神不仅在我们服事的教会中动工，甚至在我们居住的宣教基地也在工作。我们在那里有查经和灵修，而让我印象最深的是：一切的学习和对话，都在教导我们从神的眼光去看事情，而不是从自我出发。因为祂是葡萄树，我们是枝子。我们若常在祂里面，祂也常在我们里面，就必多结果子；因为离了祂，我们就不能做什么。（约翰福音1 5 : 5）

我学到要常常以荣耀神为目标，而不是荣耀自己，这并不容易，尤其当你处在一个被人仰望的位置时更是如此。但你必须在每一次服事之前，祷告求神检查你的内心，愿祂在你里面工作，而不是只靠自己。

这次洪都拉斯之旅真的是把我重新带回神的面前，无论是在服事还是敬拜中。在这次旅程之后，我希望能继续在每一次行动前反省自己的内心，看它是出于我的骄傲还是出于神，并祷告求神使我成为祂的器皿，去帮助别人，也帮助我自己，不再迷失在掌声与关注中。