Grow Together through Internantional Missions

After a week in Honduras, Clay and I felt like we had grown exponentially closer to one another and to the Lord. What is it about getting on a plane for a few hours that creates the perfect environment for growth?

I think it's because we are forced to rely on one another and in our over-scheduled, frappucino land, that's rare. Clay and I have found that serving on mission teams for only one week each year improves our marriage during the other fifty-one weeks of the year.

While Clay and I were riding on the bus in Honduras. we were undoubtedly out of our usual comfort zone. We were bouncing, turning, and running red lights through the streets of Tegucigalpa...holding hands the entire way. Below are eight comfort zones you leave behind as you volunteer for an international mission trip. They are guaranteed to force you and your spouse to hold on tight to one another:

Language Comfort Zone - Communicating with your spouse suddenly doesn't seem so tough when compared to speaking Spanish, French or Italian. While you are out of the country, you start to realize that you and your honey have more in common than you thought.

Food Comfort Zone - Trying new tastes, textures and delicacies together will create memories... good, bad, sweet. sour and slimy.

Routine Comfort Zone - At home, we often fly on autopilot because our daily schedules dictate where to go and when. On a mission trip, we are more open to the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit and you can experience God's power as you seek His call.

Cellphone Comfort Zone - Even if you carry a phone that works in foreign countries, you will not be texting, calling and e-mailing all day on a mission trip. As you look up from the technology, you might actually see your spouse as you have never seen them before.

Friend Comfort Zone - Our buddies can be like cushions, surrounding us and protecting us from outsiders. When we get out from the middle of the huddle and open ourselves to new people, we can't help but see the world anew.

Culture Comfort Zone - New sights, new sounds, new ideas... ponder them all together.

Church Comfort Zone - As join the body of Christ worldwide, you will certainly be overwhelmed by the omnipresence of God. He does not live in your little church at home or within the boundaries of your worship service from from 10:30 AM until 11:45 AM every Sunday morning.

Transportation Comfort Zone - There is nothing like placing your life in the hands of a busdriver nicknamed, "Whiplash Willie" to increase your faith and remind you how much you treasure your life and marriage.