This past week, I had the life-changing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Haiti, where I and a 21-person group from my church served the people of a small mountain village through hard work and fellowship. Throughout my trip, I conversed with my mission team about important lessons we were learning while actively serving, and this is what we came up with.
1. How to sweat it out instead of venting it out.
Haiti had temperatures every day above 95 degrees, along with 85 percent humidity. It was hot. Complaining was not the answer. My mission team had a specific service project of planting trees throughout the community. We were trekking all over to find the perfect spots for the small trees in order for them to grow, and we all did so without complaining. If we had resorted to complaining about how hot it was while we went through our days, they would have been 100 times longer.
2. Education is taken for granted.
We were inside a small church with no air conditioning but a slight breeze, seated on small benches filled with about 20 people leading a language exchange. The Americans were teaching English while the Haitians were teaching Creole. I looked across the room to see a small girl using a dull pencil to scribble English translations into her leg. After we offered her a piece of paper and a new pencil, it dawned on me that she was diligently taking notes because this was her only opportunity to learn English. In the U.S., students complain about having to go to school each day, while kids in Haiti would love the opportunity to do the same.
3. Comfort zones are meant to be broken.
For myself, traveling to a developing nation is well out of my comfort zone. While preparing for my trip, several thoughts were running through my head, from the language barrier to the bugs to the food and even to the necessary adjustments to a different way of life. For a week, I was without air conditioning, hot water, familiar food, or even a decent bed (given that I had to sleep in a mosquito tent). Now that I am home and have had time to reflect, I can see that I broke all the way out of my comfort zone, and I would not change that for the world. I brought back so many lessons from my trip to Haiti, and I urge you to find your comfort zone and go beyond it!
4. Smiles are truly contagious.
Playing with the children in Haiti alone was a life-changing experience. The kids in Haiti do not seem to get as much attention as kids do in the States because their parents are out all day long trying to find food and clothes for the family. The way of life is hard there, so when missionaries come to spend time with them, they treasure it. It seems as if they are smiling 24/7 despite their hard way of life, which in turn made me smile. We would play a game of tag with them, and the kids would purposefully get caught just so that you would hug them. The smiles that came across their faces could make you smile for days. The smiles on the children’s faces is an image I will never forget.
5. The little things you do matter.
Holding hands with someone may not seem like a big act of kindness, but in Haiti I learned that it is. It is an enormous way to connect with someone, especially when there is a language barrier. The first day in Haiti was the first day I got to hold a little girl’s hand, and she did not let go of her grasp until she absolutely had to. A small hand-hold can and will go a long way.
6. You don’t have to be able to speak the same language to be able to communicate.
Over the course of my trip, myself and three other people from my team had the pleasure of spending the week with a driver named Sheslaire (pronounced Chee-slay). Given that the roads were very dangerous and not exactly fit for Americans to drive on because they were unpaved, he was responsible for driving us where we needed to go. Sheslaire was limited to French and Creole, and he was stuck with English-speaking Americans for a week. Our entire week was filled with laughter, smiles, and belting of Celine Dion which leads me to say that music really is a shared language. While in Haiti, I found that sharing a language of happiness and positivity is just as effective as sharing a spoken language.
7. Life is a bumpy ride.
The people of Haiti significantly opened my eyes as to how each and every person goes through struggle in their life, and how it is essential for everyone to stay strong throughout whatever they are going through. Whether the struggle is finding clean water, not having a shirt to wear each day, or figuring out how to pay your next bill, life is filled with struggles. The individuals I met on my mission trip are the most perfect examples of perseverance, strength, and humility. I want to challenge you to adopt those qualities the next time you are facing something difficult, and then notice how much easier it was for you to face your struggle.
8. Hate is taught, love is not.
As we drove by homes while traveling to the community we worked in each day, we had the humbling opportunity of waving to families looking at us go by. The small children were so excited to see us, they would wave their hands while jumping up and down -- some would even shriek with delight. These small children did not know any better. As far as they were concerned, we were the same and just there to help and play with them. But as we looked at the teenagers and waved to them, we often received blank stares and angry looks. My mission team came to the conclusion that this is because their families may have taught them to disprove of the missionaries. It is often found in the USA, as well, that children are taught what to believe and what opinions to have. Love is a very valuable emotion, and I learned in Haiti that we should strive to promote love and acceptance of all.
9. It is never too late for you to do something
You can make a difference from your home just as you can on a trip like this. It is never too late to do something! One little change in the world can and will spark a fire, so use whatever gift you have to make a difference in this world. Once you make a difference, the resulting emotion you get out of it is something you will never forget.
10. Forming relationships is such an important thing to do in life.
My mission trip to Haiti was my first mission trip, as well as my first trip to a developing nation. But for other members of my team, it was their second, third, or even fourth time to Haiti. They got to be reunited with people they had met on their previous trips, and it was so amazing to witness their hugs and catching up. For myself, I got to form new relationships and friendships that I am now waiting anxiously to go back and spend more time building up. Haiti is full of amazing people, and I am so excited to go back and reunite with old friends and make new ones.
I want to give a special thanks to my mission team for contributing to this list of ten things!
