A question that I have been pondering quite a bit this past year is, “Why am I always willing to travel across the US or to another country to serve others, but I’m not as willing to serve the people in my own community?” or, “Why am I always willing to share the Gospel with people I don’t know, but I’m not willing to share the Gospel with my family?” These questions have been weighing on my heart a little more than usual this week.
Monday I spent the day with two of the teachers and a few of my teammates walking around town visiting the houses of the students. The teachers we’re asking different questions about the students while my teammates and I prayed for their intentions. What I saw and what I heard broke my heart, but opened my eyes. I really have no words to describe what I encountered, but I’ll do my best… The homes we visited were made out of concrete, stone, or tin and they were surrounded by garbage. The doors inside of these houses were sheets, curtains, or garbage bags draped from the ceiling. The floors were concrete – almost gravel-like; walking through the house without shoes on was not an option. The gravel roads that we walked through were lined with trash and smelled like sewer; there were times when it was almost hard to breathe. The last house my group visited completely broke me. This house was made of concrete and stone, and there was only one room – a tiny room. This singular room had a bed, a couch, a tiny TV, a fridge, a few chairs, and a pile of stuff in the corner. There was a back door and then a hallway made out of trash bags. I couldn’t tell exactly what was at the end of the hallway, but it looked like the inside of the front of a school bus. The people living in this house literally had a house made of concrete and garbage bags, yet are the happiest people I have ever encountered. I’ve seen poor living conditions many times before, but what I saw on Monday were inadequate living conditions. What really opened my eyes, however, was how happy these people were. The joy that these people have is joy that can only come from one thing – the Lord. These people have nothing to offer, but they have Jesus and that is all they need… that is all any of us need.
John 14:8: “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Later that night we sat together as a team and talked about what we witnessed and how we felt. The one thing that kept coming to mind was how there are people living in my own community that have similar living conditions – people living under the bridge or in run-down houses. What about the people who have everything they need and more, yet complain about the slightest inconvenience (yes… even I’m guilty of this) There are also people in my community that don’t know the Lord – there are people who have never even heard the story about Jesus. What about those people? If we aren’t willing to serve those people, then who will?
Now, to clear the air, I’m not going home. However, I am thinking a lot about home and what I can do to better serve the people in my own community. I will be back in the United States in less than 60 days, but I don’t want my work to be finished once I step off the plane in Atlanta. Serving people at home is just as important as serving people 2,000 miles away in other countries. Once I step off the plane in Atlanta, my time as a missionary in other countries will be done for now, but my time as a missionary at home will just be getting started. Instead of asking the question, “How can I serve those far away?”, I will be asking, “How can I serve those right next to me?” Being a missionary doesn’t always mean traveling to developing countries. Missions are needed around the world, but missions in our own homes are needed as well. Being a missionary means taking on the mission of spreading the Gospel which is something every single one of us is called to. Being a missionary isn’t always about leaving… more often than not, being a missionary means staying right where you are and using your God-given gifts to reach those right next to you.
“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”
-Saint Mother Teresa
Sorry for being all over the place with this blog… the Lord has placed so many different things on my heart this week, and I just had to share them with all of you!!
<3 Kenzie
