In July of 2012, I had the opportunity to go on a short term missions trip to the country of Panama. Being the young, naive teenager I was, I expected the trip to be nothing more than a vacation spreading love to the teenagers we would encounter at one of the local high schools. Expecting my experience in Panama to be like a vacation was my first misconception of trip. From living outside of Atlanta for much of my life, I thoroughly understood what it meant to be considered poor, but I could not fathom what it meant to live (or even visit) in an advertised developing country. Prior to the trip, many of my friends and mentors were constantly telling me "Danielle, your life is going to be changed while you are there." to me, at the time, that phrase meant something totally different. As I reflect on my experience there nearly four years later, I can admittedly say my outlook on life has been unconditionally altered.
Aside from actually ministering to the students in Panama, I saw a genuine need among a select group of Panamanians. While I was there, there was a division among the citizens there, and it was pretty obvious. Majority of the population was either noticeably poverty-stricken or noticeably affluent. Those that were considered poor, were the epitome of poor. You could tell many of the students were living in homes struggling to make ends meet, and some of the students were undernourished. Just as those students were perceptible, so was the condition of the school.The high school that we were at was clearly in a need to be remodeled and revamped. From the aged desks to no air conditioning on hot, muggy July days to the vile public restroom, the school was suffering. Nonetheless the school was not in the best shape, many of the students had a contagious unwavering joy about them in the midst of their learning environment. For some of them, coming to school regularly gave them a chance to escape from the adversities and harsh realities they were facing at home. After returning to the States, I looked at public schools and my standards of living differently. I began to become more appreciative of every aspect of my life. Wistfully, I caught up with typical American way of life, and began to take everything in my life for granted once again.
While in Panama, I remember our host advising us to put bleach in the tap water before drinking it. Though the country was no longer without safe drinking water, the thought boggled my mind that there were people in the world that did not have access to an essential of life. It is one thing to watch the commercials about African children not having safe drinking water, but it is totally different being in a country where it was once prevalent issue. Having to drink bleach-infused water seriously changed my life. Because of that seemingly minuscule experience and heavily following the Flint Water Crisis, wanting to make sure everyone has both the opportunity and is not denied safe drinking water has given me a heart to pursue a career in ensuring people will rightfully receive a basic essential: clean water.
As citizens of a developed country, we should feel guilty of taking all of the life essentials, gifts, and high(er) standards of living for granted. Too often we get caught up in trying to appeal to those in a higher social class than us to feel a sense of acceptance. If we lost our possessions because of unforeseen circumstances today, many of us would want to feel victimized and would want others to feel pitiful for us, yet we do not think twice for those who are already lacking those necessities. As a nation, we have much room for growth in becoming more benevolent, however, keeping the advantages of living in a prosperous country in our mind should evoke us to count our blessings for not having to live through the several hardships and disadvantages of developing countries.
