Hello friends!  And welcome to all of our new subscribers!  I’m so thankful you have joined this journey with us.  My January was a blur of busy-ness.  How about yours?  I’m starting to see the “light at the end of the tunnel”…well, until I say “yes” to something else!

I wanted to write and share with you about my mission trip to Costa Rica in late January.  If you follow me on Facebook or YouTube (Lisa Morgan Moore) then you know that before this trip, I was afraid to fly.  I had not been on a plane in almost 20 years.  Being afraid to fly is quite a hurdle for someone who is endeavoring to become a professional speaker!  I’ve know for a long time that I needed to overcome my fear of flying.  And in my mind the only way to conquer a fear was to face it down and “just do it.”

God’s grace met me right at the point of my fear.  I worked with my therapist for weeks, talking about the flight, how to handle anxiety, and what things would help me stay calm in the airport and on the plane.  I had snacks, chocolate, a blanket, a stuffed animal, my favorite necklace and on all my flights, I sat next to “Miss Addie,” who’s the “Mama” to everyone in our church.  She held my hand and I put my head on her shoulder during takeoff!  I was so proud of myself – while medication was in my “tool box” of things to help me get on the plane, I did not need it.  Courage got me on that plane.  I did it afraid.

This was my first time out of the country.   

And while I have seen poverty in the mountains of North Carolina, I’ve never seen poverty to the extent of living conditions in Costa Rica.  There were connected homes (like apartments) that did not have drywall for their shared walls but rather there was open chain link fence.  There were windows with no screens in a country with poisonous snakes and I heard stories of families members being bit and hospitalized for months.  There were homes with no walls at all, while, at the same time, you saw homes built with great wealth.  There was no middle class.  And while what I encountered broke my heart, I also met some of the most grateful, hospitable people I’ve ever met.  I came home with a new perspective on thankfulness, and less of a desire to complain.

I will not lie – some days were really hard for me. 

I like quiet.
I like peace.
I like my routine.

You don’t have any of that when you are traveling with a group.  And while I truly love (and even like) every person on my team, there were days that I got my feelings hurt.  When people tease me, sometimes it can go to far, and I get hurt.  Once, I even sobbed in the closet. In Costa Rica I learned to stand up for myself and say, “You’ve gone too far.”  But other times, honestly, I shut myself off and kept to myself.  Sometimes it’s safe that way, but it’s not healthy.  I tried my best to forgive and move on.  

I fell in love with people in Costa Rica! 

The sweet lady that cried as she prayed for her family.
The young woman who yearned for God to forgive her for wayward thoughts.
The gentleman who suffered a childhood that you would not wish on  your worst enemy. 

By God’s grace, He helped me to just love these dear ones.  AND I was communicate with them in Spanish.  Before the week was over, I was helping my team as an interpreter.  I’ve already connected with many of my new Costa Rican family over Facebook and Skype, and we continue to grow our friendships.  Now that I have overcome my fear fear of flying, I might be returning to Costa Rica to lead a ladies’ retreat.

Overcoming my fear of flying has opened doors for me – doors to return to this country, this tropical paradise, this place that is surely what the Garden of Eden was.  Unspoiled.  Pure.  Verdant.  It is surely a place where God’s creativity and imagination ran wild while He created it.  I want to see more of what He created.  Now, I can go to other states.  I can travel to other countries.  If God’s plan for my life is to travel the world and share the gospel, I can do it with the courage and strength He gives me.

Flying is still scary to me.  Don’t get me wrong.  But I am no longer made earthbound by a fear of flying.  That’s a thing of the past.

“Soy Libre!”  I am free!  While God still has a lot of work to do in the life of this over-prepared, control freak, anxious woman, I have already grown by leaps and bounds.

This gives me hope for what God can do through women like us to reach a lost and hurting world.

Isaiah 6:8  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

A staff member at my church, Daniel Christian, created this moving YouTube video of our trip:

And this video, which I filmed when I got home, was about my personal takeaways from the trip:

What about you?  What fears do you need to overcome to take your next steps?  Let me know at Lisa@LisaMorganMoore.com.  

PS If you enjoyed reading this or it helped you, please take the time to comment, share, and spread the joy. Your comments and shares are very important to me! Thanks in advance. 

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