Have you ever been scared of the unknown or the unexpected? I experienced this feeling for the first time this past summer. Last spring, I was going through a rough patch in my life when I had to rely fully on prayer every single day. For a long time, I heard God telling me to step out of my comfort zone and be active in my faith. I started to pray the same prayer over and over again, “God, take me out of my comfort zone. I’m trusting you!”
When I least expected it, I got a text from a good family friend who works at my church in Lexington. He asked if I would be interested in joining a mission trip to Ouanaminthe, Haiti, to run a sports camp. I play soccer in college, and I had the opportunity to play soccer with a bunch of kids in Haiti—I knew I had to take the opportunity God had provided me.
The anxiety leading up to the trip was unreal. I just wanted to get there and be in the presence of God and the amazing people He created. I didn’t know what to expect. I had never been to a developing country before, and to go without my family made me even more nervous. The trip was only five days long, and we ran the sports camp in 110-degree weather for three of those days. I didn’t know what to expect. It was a feeling that I can’t describe; it was like anxiously awaiting a moment you can’t even imagine.
We left in the middle of the night to make it to Haiti by the afternoon of the next day. We took many flights, and I slept through pretty much all of them. It was exhausting. We boarded our last flight out of Miami into Haiti, and that was the only flight I was fully awake, taking in every single moment. As our plane landed and we got off the plane in Haiti, I was brought to tears looking at all that were around me. The airport was one room, with so many people welcoming the plane full of Americans.
Our drive from the airport to the hotel took about an hour on a big bus with a crazy driver. To say I didn’t get sick on that bus would be a lie. There are people everywhere, and motorcycles zooming in and around cars. The bus full of white people got stared at the whole way, and all I could do was take pictures and deep breaths. I was finally in the unknown and unexpected.
This place was the most beautiful place I had ever been in my life. Yes, it may be the poorest country on this side of the world, but it is filled with the most beautiful people I have ever met. The people were so loving, full of joy, kind, humbling and happy. There is absolutely nothing these people should be happy about; there is nothing and they have nothing. Some don’t have a roof over their head. It's dirty, unsanitary and hot. I kept thinking, “How are these people so happy?” My question was answered the first day I was there. These people have Jesus living in and through them. They may not be rich in materials, but they are rich in love.
My heart truly started to change when I saw the soccer field that I was going to be playing on with these children. A dirt and sand field with water goes through the middle of it and cars every so often. These kids didn’t care, they just wanted to play and play all day. We got there in the early morning to start the camps, and we would play all day, no matter how hot it was. My heart truly fell in love with these people and the joy they have in their hearts.
