Flashback, it’s around 1997.
My family is driving home from church (about an hour away,) my three older brothers are in the back, I am sitting front seat middle, pretending to be asleep.
Halfway home, dad pulls over to get a coffee.
It felt like dad was inside for a lifetime, in reality it was probably only 10 minutes, but for my 7 year old self it felt like an eternity- I mean come on, I was pretending to sleep.
My dad gets back in the car, and mum informs him that we need to get gas before heading the rest of the way home. He asks if she has any cash, she asks what happened to the $50 he had this morning.
Turns out- my dad met a couple who was traveling and didn’t look like they had much, he saw them trying to scrounge up money to pay for their meals- so instead of just buying them he gave them his last $50 from his wallet.
I remember so clearly my dad saying, “what if that was Alyssa, wouldn’t you wish a stranger would help her.”
This moment literally changed my life. It was a moment where on the way home from church I saw my dad act in a way that Jesus would. I saw him give, even when logically it made zero sense.
From that moment on, I wanted to give no matter what. I wanted to love unconditionally.
I wanted to make sure the people around me knew that they had value, that they were deeply loved.
I wanted to be the tangible hands and feet of Jesus.
My dad probably doesn’t realize how much that one moment changed my life. In fact, he might not even remember it. But in that moment he chose to help someone that most people simply feel sorry for, and move about their day.
You never know the impact you are going to make, but now 17 years later that is still my goal.
I want to help people no matter the cost. To hold loosely the things in this life, because everything I have is truly a gift from God. To let go of my wants for the needs of others. To genuinely put others before myself. To be willing to make myself feel awkward, if there is a chance someone will feel loved, seen, and valued.
To live the gospel in every moment.
So many people ask “why do you go?”
And this is why I go: If that one moment can change my life, what could 9 months of these tiny moments added up do to this world?
I am now in my final leg of this journey, only three months left! We will be serving in Nicaragua for the last three months!
Also I am not fully funded yet, and if you would prayerfully consider supporting me I would appreciate it. Every bit helps!
