excerpt from our pre-trip devotion

"Choices in life don't make character, they reveal it. As in any great love story, love must be tested. Your relationship with Jesus helps you through difficult times in life that test your faith. It is the hope, faith and love that you have in the Master that will get you through life's challenges. Life is a fragile exuberance. There will be times of much joy and times of sorrow. Sometimes things do not go your way because you are disobedient to God. Other times, struggles may occur because God has a different plan for your life than you thought. Either way, times of struggle are opportunities to show through your faithfulness that you value your relationship to God above all else. From a human perspective, a miracle occurs when God does something supernatural in life, but from heaven's perspective it is essentially the opposite. Everyone in heaven knows God is capable of performing a miracle at any given moment. Satan rolls his eyes and taunts God: "You had to help them again. They wouldn't believe if they didn't see more miracles. You are always giving in to them." When you show faith under difficult circumstances, the angels cheer you on and say to Satan, "Did you see that?" Satan is embarrassed and God smiles, "That's my kid down there, sticking with me even when it hurts." Your obedience in difficult circumstances honors God and humiliates Satan. Live in obedience and make Satan say when your feet hit the floor in the morning "Oh no! He just woke up again."