May 17: Commitments

I read through all the commitments and found out that I didn't disagree with any of them because I think they are good to apply in a mission trip and daily life.

Two commitments I felt strongly about are:

• We WILL dignify and respect the locals and the church we serve by not talking about them in demeaning ways.
• We WILL encourage journal writing on the trip, focusing on things that make us uncomfortable, questions that come to mind, and insights we gain.

For me these two are really necessary for a short-term mission trip because we are to build lasting relationships with the locals not making them feel bad around us and go away.
As Christians we are to be loving just like God is. And a way of showing that is by being respectful to others in all ways.

I also think that the journal will be helpful to let us keep track of the things we will be doing and reflect on how we will be feeling about a certain situation and realizing the changes that get to happen in people's lives as well as our own. Having the time to journal will help in our spiritual growth to have a lasting change in our lives.