June 15th, 2026
By: Angie Drummonds
Here am I.
As I prepare for our mission trip to Ecuador, there are so many things I’m doing to get ready.
I’m packing clothes, choosing the right shoes, gathering essentials, making lists, and trying to think through everything I might need while we are there.
That’s part of preparing. We plan. We organize. We do our best to be ready.
But as I’ve been preparing for this trip, God has been reminding me that the most important thing I can prepare isn’t my suitcase…
It’s my heart.
Because a mission trip is about so much more than getting on a plane and going somewhere new. It’s not just about the places we visit, the things we do, or the people we meet.
It’s about being available.
It’s about allowing God to use an ordinary person who is willing to say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
And the truth is, we can prepare every detail. We can have schedules, plans, and expectations. We can think we know how things will go.
But ultimately, God is in control.
He already knows the moments we haven’t planned for.
The conversations we will have that we haven’t prepared for.
The people who will cross our path.
The opportunities we don’t even know are coming.
Our job is not to control every moment.
Our job is to surrender and be a vessel.
I’ve found myself praying…
“Lord, prepare my heart before You prepare my feet.”
Remove anything in me that would distract from what You want to do.
Help me lay down my expectations and pick up Your purpose.
Give me eyes to see people the way You see them.
Give me ears to hear the things You want me to hear.
Give me a heart that is willing to love, serve, and show Your kindness wherever You send me.
Because the reality is, being used by God isn’t reserved for those who travel across the world.
Sometimes our mission field is another country.
Sometimes it’s our neighborhood.
Sometimes it’s the person standing beside us in the grocery store.
Sometimes it’s a coworker, a family member, a stranger, or someone who simply needs to know they are seen and loved.
God is looking for willing hearts.
Isaiah 6:8 says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”
That is the heart I want to carry into Ecuador.
Not a heart that says, “Look what I am going to do for God.”
But a heart that says, “Lord, what do You want to do through me?”
Because the greatest thing I can bring on this trip is not what’s in my suitcase.
It’s a heart surrendered to Him.
A heart willing to be stretched.
A heart willing to serve.
A heart willing to say yes.
So as I prepare my bags, I’m praying God prepares me.
And maybe today, wherever you are, that’s a prayer we can all pray…
“Lord, make me a vessel. Use me wherever You send me. Let my life point people back to You.”
Please keep our mission team in prayer over the next couple weeks as we allow God to work through us to reach the lost, the hurting, and the broken.
Here am I.
As I prepare for our mission trip to Ecuador, there are so many things I’m doing to get ready.
I’m packing clothes, choosing the right shoes, gathering essentials, making lists, and trying to think through everything I might need while we are there.
That’s part of preparing. We plan. We organize. We do our best to be ready.
But as I’ve been preparing for this trip, God has been reminding me that the most important thing I can prepare isn’t my suitcase…
It’s my heart.
Because a mission trip is about so much more than getting on a plane and going somewhere new. It’s not just about the places we visit, the things we do, or the people we meet.
It’s about being available.
It’s about allowing God to use an ordinary person who is willing to say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
And the truth is, we can prepare every detail. We can have schedules, plans, and expectations. We can think we know how things will go.
But ultimately, God is in control.
He already knows the moments we haven’t planned for.
The conversations we will have that we haven’t prepared for.
The people who will cross our path.
The opportunities we don’t even know are coming.
Our job is not to control every moment.
Our job is to surrender and be a vessel.
I’ve found myself praying…
“Lord, prepare my heart before You prepare my feet.”
Remove anything in me that would distract from what You want to do.
Help me lay down my expectations and pick up Your purpose.
Give me eyes to see people the way You see them.
Give me ears to hear the things You want me to hear.
Give me a heart that is willing to love, serve, and show Your kindness wherever You send me.
Because the reality is, being used by God isn’t reserved for those who travel across the world.
Sometimes our mission field is another country.
Sometimes it’s our neighborhood.
Sometimes it’s the person standing beside us in the grocery store.
Sometimes it’s a coworker, a family member, a stranger, or someone who simply needs to know they are seen and loved.
God is looking for willing hearts.
Isaiah 6:8 says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”
That is the heart I want to carry into Ecuador.
Not a heart that says, “Look what I am going to do for God.”
But a heart that says, “Lord, what do You want to do through me?”
Because the greatest thing I can bring on this trip is not what’s in my suitcase.
It’s a heart surrendered to Him.
A heart willing to be stretched.
A heart willing to serve.
A heart willing to say yes.
So as I prepare my bags, I’m praying God prepares me.
And maybe today, wherever you are, that’s a prayer we can all pray…
“Lord, make me a vessel. Use me wherever You send me. Let my life point people back to You.”
Please keep our mission team in prayer over the next couple weeks as we allow God to work through us to reach the lost, the hurting, and the broken.
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