Can one month really be enough time to make an impact?
Journeying to 11 countries in 11 months can look selfish. Some people think we are trying to take a personal vacation around the world on other people’s money. If we are willing to dedicate a year of our lives to service, wouldn’t it be more impactful to spend that in one location to truly, and deeply invest into the lives of a community? One month seems like just enough time to build a friendship and then run off to the next place and leave the others standing in our dust.
Just 1 night, and maybe 1 hour total of conversation was more than enough for Joseline.
Last week, I had the privilege of meeting Beth Thompson who founded and runs “Esther’s House” in her own home. She works with orphaned/abandoned teen moms, their kids, and teen boys as a mentor and mother. She builds a family atmosphere so that these young men and women can break their family cycle of abuse, abandonment, and low education achievement. Beth works to get children sponsored for their education aspirations and is determined for them to see the opportunity to create change in their generation. And to build their lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Joseline is a special case.
She is a Honduran girl who was raised in an orphanage starting at age 3. At 17 years old, the directors of her home told her that sponsors would not continue to help her past age 18, so they transferred her to a home in El Salvador and put her to work as a caretaker for boys age 11 to 17. This was an undertaking, to say the least, and Joseline wanted a different life outside of the homes she had always known. And that’s when she knocked on Beth’s door.
Joseline is determined to finish her high school education and is studying hard for her exams. When we asked her what she dreamed of doing in her future, she said she would like to travel… starting in Israel to see where Jesus lived and ministered. That answer blew me away. Then in our conversation, she asked about my testimony: When did I accept Christ in my heart? (Age 17 on Easter!) What is the worst thing I have ever done? (Err…) Do I want to be married? (Yes!) Do I have a boyfriend yet? (No…) And so much more. Joseline is thankful that she was raised in an orphanage where she grew to know the Lord at a young age and is also thankful for the protection He provided her. She was never abused, molested, or raped during her years in the home- unfortunately this can be a common occurrence for the young boys and girls.
We spent a day painting at a government-run orphanage with the kids from Esther’s House. What a cool experience- these kids who no longer live inside those walls get to go back and serve those just like them through making the place a little brighter. It was a long day, but such a blessing to serve Beth, spend time with her kids, and labor for kids without families. Our time was quickly coming to a close and I looked over at Joseline as I packed up my bag… her eyes were watering.
“I’ll never forget you,” she said.
She gave me a bracelet. And that’s when this connection sunk in. A girl who has grown up with close to nothing, surviving on donations of generous people, aiming to “be a better person” gave me one of her very own silver bracelets. (Powerful.) I quickly grabbed her email so we can continue on as pen pals and had to jump on the back of the truck to take our team away.
It wasn’t a month. It was hardly even a day. And that’s all God had planned for our interaction. But He had it planned… This journey is not about what we can get for ourselves. It is about dreamers like Joseline that we can encourage, love, and hug goodbye trusting in the Lord’s plan for their life. And thankful that we were a small part of it all.
What’s next in His plan for you?
