My heart is heavy as I begin to try and process and transition home to the states. No one ever talks about what happens after coming home from a mission trip for they only want to talk about the glamorous side of things and process the hard things alone. But working on the field for two months I learned mission work is all but glamorous. It seems amazing seeing all the pictures posted in the media with cute children and yes we did serve with children but we also served the elderly, sick, mentally and physically impaired. It is far from glamorous to know children are unable to attend school because either they can’t afford to or they are needed at home to work, to walk by and see and personally experience that because of lack of resources injuries are not receiving proper medical attention and knowing there are people dying because there physical needs are not being met and not being able to help them. But you will never see that in the media. People won’t talk about poverty but the thing is poverty exists, but so does the faithfulness of God. Just because I talk about the poverty in which Haitians and Dominicans walk through does not mean it defines them. People have a well intended thought not to talk about poverty in other countries because they think that makes it seem like America is so much better and puts a negative connotation on other countries or makes other countries seem lazy. I can say for a fact that other cultures are far from lazy. In fact, I woke up every morning to hear the sound of men and woman hard at work crushing rocks and scrubbing at clothes only to go to bed knowing some were still hard at work. Living and walking alongside other cultures I’ve learned that they have something much greater than us. While we are so focused on the monitory differences, there is an even deeper difference on faith. Want to know the glamorous part about being a missionary? What is glamorous is having nothing to rely on besides having complete trust in the Lord, knowing that He will come into any situation, get His hands dirty and walk alongside you. This complete and utter dependence on God is something we lack in the states. Most Americans are used to living practically and having their immediate needs met and not knowing what it means to depend on God for everything, let alone their next meal. I begin to wonder why I got so lucky to be able to live in a comfortable home when 44% of the world lives in poverty. Why do I get to come home to air conditioning, food on the table and a bed to sleep on when there people sleep on the streets? Did I just get lucky on where I was raised? Well the thing is there is no such thing as luck because God has a perfect plan for everything. I may not have been born into the same circumstances but I want to place myself in these circumstances in order for God to help pull others out. Coming home it breaks my heart not to be able to partake in ministry yet live in the comforts of electricity, running water and air conditioning. But my time in the Dominican Republic helped me realize ministry is everywhere as long as you seek it out, for God is not bound but is completely free as long as you let Him have control. ministry has no time limit or location but rather ministry as World Race puts it, “life is ministry and ministry is life.” Everything we say and everything we do is ministry. Though it look very different than what I’ve grown used to and I’m struggling learning to adjust and walk in this season of life. So I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I am transitioning home.
