My parents, if they had lived past 100, would now be enjoying 26 great-grandchildren. The oldest in this group, Hannah and Erika, are twins born to my niece Julia and her husband Drew. This week, Hannah (left) and Erika (right) have forfeited a fun family vacation in Florida to go on a mission trip to Guatemala.

These two girls have already had some mission trip experience – when they were only five years old. As they left home to travel with their parents to Ecuador, I remember their great-grandma (my Mom) wondering aloud, “Will ‘my’ twins be safe from harm?”

God’s mind, however, was on a different kind of safety, that of the soul. His plan was to expose these little girls to new experiences that would establish compassion and caring in their young hearts.

While Hannah, Erika, and their parents were in Ecuador, mission team members were told of families who were so poor they had to pick through the garbage at the village dump in search of food. Even the Ecuadorian children were sometimes enlisted in this effort.

Though each American on the trip was deeply moved by such poverty, the twins internalized the information in a different way. One evening shortly after returning home, the family was sitting down to dinner. Erika looked at the abundance of delicious, healthy food in front of her and made an important decision. Getting out of her chair, she picked up her plate and carried it toward the kitchen sink.

Julia and Drew watched her, wondering what she was up to. Then, without hesitating or glancing back at her parents, she overturned her untouched plate of food into the garbage.

“Erika!” her mother said. “What are you doing?”

She was ready with a logical answer. “I’m sending my dinner to the kids in Ecuador. They’re hungry, and they’re looking for food in the garbage.”

Surely God was smiling on  this young soul.

Today, 11 years later, Hannah and Erika are once again on a mission trip. The fundraising letters they wrote made it clear that the impact of the first trip was still with them.

To quote Erika, “A few years back, my family went to Ecuador on a mission trip. This opened my eyes. On this trip I hope that I will grow closer to God. And I hope to be able to share God and who He is in me, with the people.”

And from Hannah. “I have been blessed with an amazing opportunity to witness to the wonderful children of Guatemala. Not everyone can go on a mission trip.”

God is a pro at managing the who, what, when, where, and how of our lives. Much of the time we have no idea what he’s doing in someone else’s soul, but once in a while he gives us a glimpse – and reminds us (quoting from a 16-year-old’s fundraising letter)…

“With God, nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)