They say you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. Reflecting over the past few months, I see the truth in that statement, but I also see its errors.
Through fundraising, I feel like God’s helped point out that I’m not only the sum of 5 people, but so, so many more.
In the beginning of this process in April, having to reach out and ask people for help felt uncomfortable, selfish, and just hard. The control was out of my hands and depended on the generosity of others. I became a little worried financially, but had a strangely firm confidence and hope saying “It will be done!” and that all things are possible.
Over time, seeing the donors who have given of them self to such a cause made me realize that every single person has added something positive to my life whether knowing it or not.
When asked how I got to the point of wanting to do the mission trip, the answer is now much more clear to me when I think about who and where I’ve come from! It’s been the summation of the tiny moments of inspiration from family friends since I was 6 years old, until now.
If you think that you are unimportant, irrelevant, have nothing to add, not special, think again.
I say this because it’s been through the “tiny” moments- one word of encouragement, one much-needed hug, observing the way my middle school priest carries himself, being motivated by my passionate teachers-that I realize all those tiny moments aren’t so tiny.
This brings me to where my heart is now.
I can be one of those people, too! Thanks to this collective, humongous, spider web of moments of love from all throughout my life, I realize I am made up of so many more than 5 people.
My only hope is to be one of those people, for people that need that moment. I realize how abundant my life is because of you, and I want to be able to give that back. To be able to spread those moments.
So here’s to the children in Guatemala, the families in Honduras, the citizens of Ecuador, and the people of Cambodia. This one is for you!
