“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” –Mother Theresa
I never thought it was possible but my life was changed within a month’s time. I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Haiti this December. I went along with a group of fifteen other people and my faith and life was truly transformed. In Haiti, we stayed with the Missionaries of Charity and I was able to do work that brought a fulfillment to my heart that I had never felt before. Each day my group and I would work in a children’s hospital, visit the home for the dying elderly, and truly experience the Haitian culture first hand.
There are so many stories I have about the people I met and the things I have seen. The lessons I have gained will stay with me for a lifetime. I served God and in the process of giving, I received so much more.
In the process of giving,
God granted me the gift of humility. I realized the things that we so often take for granted. People don’t think twice about the warm shower they are taking. We forget the luxury of air conditioning in our homes or the heat when it is frigid out. We don’t realize that most of us have never felt the pain of hunger or thirst. Clean water is a given to the majority of us and so is electricity. Going to Haiti made me realize that most of us are spoiled and often forget to stop and think about others and the things that they are deprived of.
God granted me the gift of understanding. God helped me understand that although I saw the horrors that these people go through, I understood that I must not feel pity for them. They may be physically poor, but our culture is spiritually poor. Only 20% of Americans attend church once a week and it shows in the way that our society lives. We lack the morals that we were made to uphold. The Haitian culture values helping others while upholding their faith. We were made to be so much more and to do so much more with our lives, and yet we forget the one who blessed us with it all.
God granted me the gift of peace. While I was in Haiti I felt a sense of tranquility. Although I was in another country with no electricity and water that was poisonous, I felt more at peace than ever before. All of the world’s outside distractions were gone. I had no phone, no sense of time, and the only question on my mind was, “What can I do to help these people and to grow closer to God.” It was easy to live deep in my faith without all of the temptations of our modern day culture while I was in Haiti. I encourage everyone to live in this simplistic way. A way that focuses on the big picture of life instead of minor problems that seem to overcast our thoughts. Are we giving enough to others? What can we do to become better people in a confusing and damaging society? Are we standing up for the right things? Is what we’re doing with our lives bringing us closer to God?
God granted me the gift of happiness. I will never fully be able to explain the happiness I felt on that trip. The joy was not found behind a screen, in forced relationships, or with temporary things. The happiness was found in giving myself fully to God and allowing him to work through me. The happiness was found in the joy of being around people who wanted the best for you and your faith. I cannot fully explain everything that I felt on that trip, but if I know one thing for sure it was that I was changed.
At the end of the day, you must realize that you are richer than you could ever imagine. Have you recently eaten a delicious lunch? More than 1 billion people are faced with chronic hunger. Did you spend 5 dollars going through the drive-thru at McDonald’s? Almost half of the world’s population lives on less than $2.50 a day. Did you turn on the sink to fill your glass of water? 1.2 billion people do not have access to a water source that is not contaminated. Did you complain about how much you hated school and your classes? More than 70 million kids of primary school age are not even enrolled in school.
The bottom line is that we have been giving a wonderful life and we have the power to make somebody else's life better. Go donate to an organization, volunteer at a local club, make a difference in a person’s life who is not as luxurious as your own. Work on becoming a better person and never take for granted the things that we have been given. Thank God for this beautiful life today and every day.
“Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made.” –Francis Chan
