Bringing Good Tidings to the Poor

"This Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has annointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."
Isaiah 61:1-3

I can't wait to read the inspired words of the prophet Isaiah! I am only in Psalms after starting my journey through the Bible 18 months ago. My coworker, and friend Melanie, just gave me her business card with this verse from Isaiah 61 and the words are so beautiful. God is our healer, our salation, our comfort, our reason for praise. These words encourage me as Andy and I have started saving for this year's mission trip to Mexico. While in comparison to other mission trips, the fees are relatively small but it will still be a small struggle to gather the funds together and take the time off work. I have never been on a mission trip. Reasons (excuses) not to go have come up every year for the past five years of me attending this church. In my heart, I know that every reason has been fed by my fear to go out among God's people to preach His word. I never felt ready, but I know that God will prepare my heart and mind for this trip. He will prepare me and now is as good of a time as any to embark on this journey and solidify my faith. I have had such joy and peace in our Savior and I feel the need to spread such a joy to others. Please keep Andy and I in your prayers as we prepare for the trip. Andy has gone before and has always encouraged me to go and I am so excited about this trip! I just hope our finances will enable us to go. And I know God will make it happen for I am finally stepping out of the way and giving it over to Him.