Before leaving on the World Race over a year ago, my sister questioned my desire to go in many ways. The biggest question I remember hearing over and over again was, “how can you go, help these starving people, help the homeless, be with orphaned children for a few weeks and then leave them?” It was a valid question, and most of the time I had no good answer…in fact, I don’t think I ever had an answer.
Today, I will answer it…You Can’t.
In reverse order, I will answer why that is…
Thailand – Walking down the streets of the Nana Entertainment District (overshadowed by the Marriott Hotel) I had no clue how real the sex-tourism was. From the broken lives of the girls being treated as nobodies in this world to the hurting, lost men lurking the streets, there is not a day that I can walk and not think about the far reaching effects of Human Trafficking, and the need for people…US…to walk into horrible situations and bring Hope into them…Bringing Jesus and God’s Kingdom to them…everyday I think of them…everyday.
Cambodia – My stay was short in Cambodia, but in the few weeks there, I spent some time at the “Happy Tree Orphanage” where many kids diagnosed with HIV or AIDS were living. I remember two of the girls, who decided that they needed to have me do a photo shoot of them, and in turn gave me a tour of the AIDS hospital. As I walked through the halls and around the playground, it hit hard that these kids all have a very short life expectancy. I wonder today how many are still alive, how many are sick, how many of them know what they are up against in life. Also in Cambodia I can’t get out of my mind the faces of many victims of land mines, still active in the countryside. Or the stories of survivors of the mass genocide that took place in the killing fields. I saw the need for God’s healings, the need for Jesus to come into these places and truly turn around the future of the country. I still see the need for all of US.
Vietnam – A country that I love so dearly, faces that I think about every day. From the multitudes of orphans that have birth defects resulting from chemicals spread during the Vietnam-American War to the college students who are some of the most incredibly friendly people in the world, I can’t go a day without thinking of them all. I remember many of the people who I encountered in Vietnam, and see how God is moving in that country…a country where the government would rather not have anything to do with Christianity, to which laws forbid much of the freedom that we have in America. It’s a country that has prostitution and human trafficking that is growing quickly, they are in need of Jesus to use US to help direct the future of Vietnam as well as Christianity in the nation. I remember them daily…and don’t forget any of it…ever.
Thailand (Northern) – The villages in northern Thailand captured a special part of me. Maybe it was the growth of the church, the drug addicted villages transforming ever so quickly, the welcoming people, the smiles on everyone’s faces…there are thousands of reasons that I could speak of on why I loved northern Thailand. There is a huge and intense need for Jesus to use US in northern Thailand as there are people in great danger and living in fear of the Burmese Army. There are hundreds of thousands of people…humans…fleeing from Burma in fear of their lives. It is a really catastrophic situation which needs Heaven to be lived out on Earth…through US…not a day goes by that I don’t think of them…not a day.
India – A country that was a struggle for me…in many ways…is in great need for Jesus to create a movement quickly. A place where the government shuts down many Christian run organizations. It is a country where overcrowded streets create for dangerous (and rather humorous and exciting) travel situations. Many people in India come across as rather difficult and aggressive at times. It was a difficult place for many reasons, but I know that Jesus is moving there. The needs in India range from God breathed healings and miracules are needed for the orphaned children, the trafficked children, the lepers living in colonies, the hungry, the hurting, the lonely people living each day asking for distress…they need US…and I haven’t forgotten it one day.
South Africa – The orphaned children, the HIV & AIDS victims, the graphic living situations, the danger, the lack of value on human existence. There’s no way that I can forget many situations I found myself in in Africa…held up at gunpoint, sitting in the dirt with orphans, seeing the white vs black struggle, the physical/emotional/spiritual hunger that rages through many in S. Africa…not a day goes by that I’m not reminded of the needs for Jesus in Africa…not a day goes by.
Swaziland – What more needs to be said about a country so engulfed in the AIDS / HIV epidemic that the average life expectancy is near or less than 30 years old. The need for healing, food for the hungry, and education are in huge demand for this small country. The ways that God used US in Swaziland will continue forever. Not a day goes by that I don’t somehow think of the kids walking miles after miles for the one meal they will get in any given day. Not a day.
Mozambique – What a time it was for US in this beautiful country. The incredible healings that take place in Mozambique, the hunger for significance, the thousands of orphans, the grateful and welcoming people in Mozambique, the horrible roads…it’s all part of why I loved my time in Mozambique. Again, not a day goes by that I don’t think of the people WE prayed for, the lives that were transformed and changed in this country of hurt and poverty. Miss it daily…and never a day that I don’t think of it…
Bolivia – There’s no way I can forget this beautiful…beautiful…beautiful country. From the incredible mountains to the lush green of the rainforest, it is gorgeous. The landscape can’t fool you though, this is one of the poorest countries of South America, being landlocked severely limits it’s export capabilities, causing industry to overlook the country. The constant turnover in their Government causes turmoil daily in much of the country…yet Jesus is lived out in this country. I miss the time in the rainforest working on the orphanage…while I may not have met any of the children that are now living in the orphanage that we helped to complete, they are constantly on my mind. Never a day goes by that I don’t think of the nights I spent with Rusty and some of the girls of our squad talking (attempting to talk) to Remberto, an amazing missionary to his country, who left everything behind to build orphanages around Bolivia with his family. He is an amazing man…I miss him daily.
Peru – From the vast desert-like area of Chincha to the lush Amazon Jungle, I miss it all daily. I miss so many of the people at the Iglesia Berrea in Iquitos, or Templo La Mies in Nauta…I can’t get the images and lives they are living out of my mind. I can’t forget that Pastor Nester is living in Los Jardines, Chincha…and the earthquake torn area surrounding him. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of those days…not one day.
Through all of this, I come back to my sister’s question…”how can you go, stay there for a little while and leave?” and my answer is … you can’t.
Not a day goes by that I don’t wake up wondering what I’m doing of significance. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of these countries and the multitude of things that I could be doing to help any one of them. Not a day goes by that I don’t wonder how many people I encountered are still among us. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of the lives that could be turned to God…through you or me.
Yet things hold us back….that’s for another blog though…for now, oh sister of mine…my answer still remains empty…while I did see so many people, and sit in awe of so many things across the world, I still must say, I don’t know how…other than it changes your life in more ways than I can count…and (not to brag, but…) I can count pretty high.
“You Can” … the more up-beat blog coming soon!!!
