I am constantly working on patience and my perspective on things that actually matter in life. In this holiday season, I’m reminding myself to take just thirty seconds to breathe, to remember what Christmas is all about, and to realize just how blessed I am to be surrounded by such great family and friends. God is teaching me how to be content and how to trust in Him in the sunshine and in the rain. A couple of weeks ago, I went on weekend getaway with one of my closest friends and her church. We went to HUT (Harding University Tahkodah), a stimulating, mission training village. When we first got to the camp, we took a tour. Our first “stop” was to the slums of Haiti. We got to look at the city and truly imagine what it’s like to have a literal hut with just planks of wood as walls and dirt as ground. The man over HUT, Mr. O’Neill, asked us to imagine ourselves as a child born into a family of one of those in the slums. I thought about how my “imaginary” parents were born to become rural farmers because that is what their parents did. But, since they moved to the city slums, and I was born, I didn’t have their skill of farming. If things didn’t work out in the city for my parents, they could just return to what they had done before, but me, I didn’t have anywhere to go and anything to do. I found myself helpless because all I knew were the slums of the city. When Mr. O’Neill concluded the simulation, I kept dwelling on the fact that I didn’t know what I would actually do in that situation. I would hope I could be creative in my thinking and make connections outside of the slums to build myself and my family up. But to be honest I caught a small glimpse of how some REALLY in this situation might turn to making money by selling drugs or selling their bodies to survive. I hope one day I can spread hope to those that feel like they are helpless and that there is nothing for them to do in this world. I want them to know that being helpless doesn’t mean their situation or their lives are hopeless! Back to HUT…we finished the tour going to Africa, Asia, and having lunch in Guatemala, where we heard from a new missionary in Haiti. After our tour we got family assignments and got ready to board our plane. My family of ten was moving to Phnom-Penh, Cheng Chang. We had three minutes until Flight T27 took off, so we had to hurry through the airport and find our gate. Once we landed we had to go through customs which consisted of men with guns and a woman yelling for us to stop talking and face forward. Once we got through customs and went back to our home in Phnom-Penh, it was time for work and then a clinic simulation. Mr. O’Neill was actually a part of a team who traveled to Haiti once a year to help the people. He told us of how there were miles of people lined up and so many helpless people crying out. So in the simulation those that in real life wanted to go into the medical field were the ‘doctors’ and those that didn’t were ‘patients.’ Patients were give a slip of paper that told why we were going to the doctor. I had itchy eyes and was told I was going to be blind very soon. I was also super pregnant. Before I could see the doctor, I had to talk with a nurse, but it was so hard to communicate because there were two other patients in the room. Everyone was screaming and crying for help, but the nurse wasn’t comprehending because we spoke different languages, and the translator couldn’t keep up with what patient had what symptoms. It was very frustrating. We ended up leaving feeling even more helpless than before. After the simulation, we got paid for the work we finished earlier that day. My family got four thousand dollars and after much bargaining, we left the outdoor market with five bags of rice, five potatoes, and a small bag of salt. We went home and gathered some wood to start a fire and cook our dinner. We spent the remainder of the night sitting on logs around the fire singing hymns, looking up at the stars, and having a time of reflection with one another. Although it was only one day living at HUT, I gained a new and fresh perspective. I realized even more how much God loves us. He loves me just as much as he loves the rural farmers and those that live in the slums. I realized that my faith is sufficient and that I can’t do anything to make God love me any more or any less. I realized that I am not blessed because I got a gift for Christmas, but I am blessed because God saved me, cleansed me, healed me, and loves me. I realized that there is absolutely no reason I should not be praising God constantly for all that He has, is, and will do. I realized that there is nothing on this Earth that can give me true joy like God can. Both you and I are constantly surrounded by negative things, and it’s so so easy to be accustomed to accepting negativity, but I pledge to turn that negativity into praise, positivity, and a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Just think about it. If every negative remark or comment you or I make was turned around to be a positive remark or comment, could you imagine how much more optimism there would be in our world?
