If you have been on a mission trip out of the country, you understand the heartbreak of having to say goodbye. I had never pictured myself as someone to leave the country and make a huge change in lifestyle. Little did I know I would soon leave my comfort zone and all I had ever known behind for an entire week. I soon grew to love another culture and the people within the country. This experience opened both my eyes and heart. It made me into a better human being. This mission trip not only saved the lives of those I was helping—it saved my life, as well.
I can remember every single moment of the trip, including every sensory memory. The pressure of my heart beating against my chest, the smell of the sweet ocean breeze, the sight of people waving in excitement, the sound of the foreign language and the taste of the homemade meals. Every single moment is forever stitched in my mind. The moments leading up to the beginning were not just nerves, they were feelings that simply cannot be put into words. The feeling was unlike any other. It felt like a sharp pain in every inch of my body, yet the feeling was satisfying. Once that plane landed, I knew my life was about to change. Fast forward to the actual mission and experience of the culture—this feeling was a hundred times more satisfying. There is no other experience quite like a mission trip.
Prior to this trip, I was in a state of depression; I knew it was time to find myself once again. I had just had my heart torn into pieces and was beginning to wonder why I even existed. At the time, life was difficult and it became evident that I was going down a dark road. When I heard about a mission trip to the Caribbean, something inside of me just knew. I knew that I was being led there by the grace of God. Months later, I was packing my bags up, ready to take on a brand new journey unlike any other. This would be my first of many other things, such as my first trip out of the country and my first time on an airplane. There was a lot ahead, but in the end, it was more than worth it.
The moment I laid eyes on a little girl dressed in only a pink dress with no shoes is when my heart sank into my chest. Her surroundings consisted of shacks that served as homes to the people of the village. Tiny children with worn-out clothes ran around the sand, nothing but giant smiles and happiness on their faces. The children all ran towards our missionary team. Once all of us gathered our things and ventured off into the village, there was nothing but welcoming faces.
Throughout the day, we began to build a home for one of the families in the village. The little girl that I had first laid eyes on was the daughter of that family. She was consistently grabbing onto my shorts, smiling wider than ever. I could not understand how she was so ecstatic. Her family was in serious need of a home to call their own in order to create a healthy environment for the children and parents. She had little to nothing to call her own, yet that smile continued to grow wider. I began to question why I had been so depressed prior to the trip. I had a home, food on the table and a healthy lifestyle. I hadn’t experienced a smile like the one on the little girl’s face in months. However, in that moment, I felt happiness again. That is when I realized why I was sent there. I was sent to have my life saved by another culture.
