I’m Compton Latture. I’m sharing how God’s been enabling me to live deeply through a CSPC church planting vision trip I took last fall.

“When [CSPC pastor] Mike Ford reached out and invited me on this trip, I was honored. He told me, ‘You came to mind as someone solid for this,’ and that meant a lot. But my initial reaction wasn’t just gratitude- it was hesitation. We had just put a new roof on our house, and our bank account was at zero. The thought of fundraising? Honestly, I wrestled with it. I didn’t fully understand the ‘why’ of going to Europe. The places we’d be going -London, Manchester, Edinburgh- sounded lavish, almost too much for a mission trip. My exposure to missions had always been places like Bangladesh or Iran, places where you’re laser-focused on stewarding every dollar for maximum impact. I couldn’t immediately see the ROI of this trip, so to speak. If I was going to ask people to give, I wanted to ensure I was stewarding their generosity well. But as I prayed, God made something very clear: ‘This isn’t about you. Go see what I am doing. Go see what your brothers and sisters are doing in this part of the world. You’ve got it wrong. Get past yourself. Come and see.’ His words convicted me deeply. I realized this trip wasn’t about my metrics or logic. It was about obedience and stepping into the unknown. And then there was Kate. Most of my involvement in missions over the years had been things she supported from the sidelines. But this trip? It was an opportunity to see and be a part of God’s Kingdom work together. Why would I say no to that? God’s timing was funny (tough love, really), but His invitation was clear: ‘Get over yourself and get over here.’ So we said yes. It wasn’t easy to get past myself, but I knew God had something to show me, something bigger than I could imagine. And with that conviction, we were all in.

What most took my breath away was Westminster Abbey. It felt like stepping into a different world. The intricacy of the architecture, the delicate sculptures of saints and angels, the sheer craftsmanship. It was overwhelming. I’m an engineer by training, and my engineering mind couldn’t wrap itself around how they built something so extraordinary centuries ago, without cranes or modern tools. We attended a service there, and it was like time stood still. The hymns, the prayers, the reverence of it all- it wasn’t just beautiful; it was holy. As I looked up at the vaulted ceilings, I was struck by this thought: believers have been worshiping our Creator here for hundreds of years. Generations of saints sang the same hymns, prayed the same prayers, and sought the same God in this very place. That connection with the past gave me chills. I was sitting in a church built with such honor, awe, and reverence for the Lord that its builders labored to make it perfect- a place worthy of worshiping the Creator. And here I was, centuries later, benefiting from their work. I was seeing other people fall asleep during the service, sort of disconnected. But I couldn’t get enough of it- I never wanted to leave. Even more than the architecture, though, it was the shared worship that moved me. It reminded me of the vastness of God’s Church. It’s not bound by time or geography. The same God who was worshiped here in the 1400s is the God I worship today. That realization has stayed with me and changed the way I see the global Church. It was the start of something deeper: a longing to connect with believers across the world and across time, to see what God is doing in places I’ve only misunderstood. To give you an idea of how that’s flowed into daily life for me, we were tearing down a wall in our house recently. I had the shop vac going, and then I saw a Knoxville newspaper from November 20, 1989 tucked back into a corner in this wall. I sat there for the next 45 minutes reading obituaries from back then while the shop vac was going: picturing these people I’m reading about, wondering if they were believers, if I was going to get to see them in heaven.

It’s been sweet to truly feel a connection with those who have gone before, those who fought the fight before me. I had an idea of it before, but this trip stamped the truth on my heart that God’s Church is global, and he is the same God who was and is to come. The God people so dearly loved and adored that they built these buildings out of reverence to Him, I get to talk to. He’s my God, He’s my Father, and I feel that at a deeper level now. So because of that, it’s changed the way I pray- it’s hard to articulate, but my prayers have become more personal, more natural. It’s like having a casual but deeply meaningful conversation. Now, I’ll be driving into work, and suddenly, I’m saying, ‘God, I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you in a few days. Things are good right now, and I think that’s why I forget. But I don’t want to forget. Thank you for how good things are.’ I didn’t used to pray like that. Before, my prayer life felt more stiff and structured, sort of like a checklist. But now? It’s just second nature. I even talk about it with my boss. (That’s the kind of place I work: a crane and rigging company where my boss asks me how my prayer life is! How cool is that?!) The trip also gave me something new to pray for as God opened my eyes to how the Church in Europe is struggling. It’s jarring to hear places like Scotland or England referred to as ‘unreached people groups.’ I’d always thought of unreached people as only remote, far-off, 10/40-window nations. But to hear pastors in London or Manchester say, ‘We’re struggling. It’s tough soil,’ really hit me. And yet, God is so strategic in how He places people. I met pastors and church planters who are perfectly matched for their cities- people who have hearts for their communities and gifts tailored to the exact challenges there. It’s undeniable that God is in control when you meet people like that. They’ve prayed dangerous prayers like, ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me.’ And He’s used them mightily.

Coming back from the trip, as He renewed my prayer life, I felt like God was calling me to lean in right where I am. To invest more deeply in the ministries He’s already connected me to. To be more engaged with the brothers and sisters I’ve met overseas. To be more present with the Sunday school class we’re leading at CSPC. There’s so much more I could give of myself: more prayer, more joy, more intentionality. Even financially, He’s giving us new opportunities to be good stewards. Over Christmas, we were generously given a pretty significant amount of money as a gift to give away. What an honor! So Kate and I are praying, asking God where He wants us to invest it. It’s humbling and exciting to think about the impact that could have for His Kingdom. It all comes down to leaning in- trusting that God has more for us, more for me, right where He’s placed us. I feel like He’s sort of teasing me, whispering, ‘You don’t even know the half of it. Lean in and be amazed.’ And while the connection with God’s people of the past has made a deep imprint on my soul, another of the sweetest blessings from the trip is rooted in the present: the community He’s growing among the other couples we went on the trip with. Before, we were barely acquaintances- faces we saw in the pews, mostly. Now? We’re close friends. We’re having dinner together, meeting up at the gym, doing life together. There’s something about experiencing God’s work as a group that draws you closer. We saw Him move in ways we hadn’t expected, and now we get to keep encouraging each other as we lean in, together, to what He’s doing here and around the world. That’s what I’ve learned: God calls us to be present where we are, to trust His timing, and to step into the work He’s already doing. It’s not about having the perfect plan- it’s about saying, ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me.’ And then watching Him amaze you.”