Number Twelve

Mission trips. You cannot come back from a mission trip without feeling change, refreshed, recharged, renewed. There is something about experiencing a new town or a new culture that opens your eyes to new side and aspects of God that you may never have noticed. After getting used to a routine in a familiar place, we sometimes hit a rut and feel like we have nowhere to go and no growing to do. We feel like we have learned all the lessons and gotten everything we were meant to get out of our situation. Then, we go on a mission trip, and God uses the new experiences and situation to teach us lessons that our eyes were just not open to. I just came home to Bolivar after spending 9 days in Baja, Mexico with a group from SBU. I did not have any idea what God would teach me... I was in a rut at school and did not even know that I had something to learn. But God started teaching me things and opening my heart as soon as we got to Mexico. Our group stayed at an orphanage called Door of Faith, in La Mision. We stayed in dorms on the orphanage's campus. In the mornings, we did service projects, like painting and weeding. In the afternoons, we went down to the playground and played with the kids. Our meals were brought to us by the pastor's wife. We went to the local church on Sunday morning and on Thursday night. We got to go to Rosarito on Friday to shop at the market and I watched some of my team mates play soccer against the orphanage's team, who are amazing. It is easy to say that, by the end of the week, I was in love with the kids. Their passion for life and their eagerness to connect with people and be loved, despite their hard family situations, amazed me. Though I was cautious and nervous the first time we went down to play with them, they crawled into my heart quicker than I ever imagined. I realized that the kids were just like every other kid in America. They just want to be loved and played with and receive attention. Even though they live at an orphanage, they still need the things that any other child needs, and I was so blessed to be a part of their lives for a week. Some things I learned over the week and things that I am still learning now that I am back and thinking about the trip: 1. If I had had an easy time on the trip, doing things that I was comfortable doing and talking to people that I could communicate easily with, I might have brought the glory on myself. I would be thinking, "Wow, look at all the cool stuff I did!" But instead, I know that the things I, and my team, accomplished are all because of God and His glory. I cannot take credit for anything that happened last week. It was ALL God. 2. My eyes were opened to the idea that when God leads me somewhere, He has a plan. I have to stop questioning and being afraid because God's plan is better than anything I could come up with on my own. Although at some points during the trip I missed my family, friends, and boyfriend a lot, I know that God wanted me in Baja over Spring Break. He taught me so many things and changed my heart in ways that would probably not have happened if I had stayed home for the break. 3. Life is all about oneness with God. No matter what we do or where we go or who we talk to, our purpose is to love others and share Christ's love. Whether that be in a foreign country or in a classroom in the States, oneness with God is shown through our love and compassion for others. Now that we are back, I am wondering, "What do I do now?" There are no kids to love on and I am not doing physical service projects every day. I am not doing anything that I can see immediate results from. However, I am filled with so much of God's purpose and His love that I realize that every day I can do something to bring glory to Him. And that's what I'm focusing on. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3