The other day we drove 90 minutes to church through the forest, up the mountains, and into the middle of Nowhere, Honduras. I couldn’t find this place on a map if I tried –and I’m pretty good with maps.
Of the 30-ish people at the humble and secluded church service, there was a young Honduran girl named Karin. I spotted her after the service was over and did a double-take as a familiar logo caught my eye; she was wearing a pink To Write Love on Her Arms title shirt. I approached her, of course, and excitedly told her I loved that organization and had interned for them. She was amused by my excitement, but seemed to not know what her shirt meant and told me she had just bought it in a market somewhere (luckily I was able to fill her in on the meaning behind the shirt she was wearing).
What are the odds that a To Write Love on Her Arms shirt would make it all the way to a market in Honduras, to the hands of a young girl, who would decide to wear it on a random Tuesday, and happen to go to church in the middle of nowhere wearing it, the exact same day that I volunteered to join a small team of people to attend the service.
I was reminded that day of why TWLOHA means so much in my life. I see someone wearing a shirt and I instantly smile. My heart fills up and I remember hope.
Towards the end of 2007, through a Google Search, I discovered To Write Love on Her Arms. I immediately became a supporter of the organization and the work they did, and in 2011 I had the honor of becoming one of their interns for the fall term. God used those months to radically change my life.
Having personally struggled with a lot of the issues that TWLOHA talks about, and having close relationships with many people who have also struggled, it had always been easy to relate to those who were also experiencing a similar pain. But during those months in Florida with TWLOHA I was reminded that my life had a purpose. The pain I’d been through was worth it if I was able to help just one person through their pain because of it. The beauty of working behind the scenes with the organization was knowing the impact that we were having on the people we were reaching. I can’t even recall how many responses to our messages came back saying “Thank you for saving my life,” or “Thank you for giving me hope.” In my own life, three people have thanked me for saving their lives. And it makes every single moment of despair I went through worth it.
Through my few months at TWLOHA, God taught me that He had a purpose for my life, and a purpose for my pain. God used those months to help me realize that my education mattered to me (and so I went back to school and graduated). God completely took away the sleeping disorder that had been weighing on me for years, because I had a bigger reason to wake up every morning. God used those months to teach me about community, and that healthy community is not determined by a lack of conflict, but rather by our ability to resolve conflict. God taught me the importance of honesty and communication. And God taught me a whole lot about task and time management, and about being a diligent worker (even if I learned those lessons late in my internship –sorry, staff).
I would not be the person I am today if I had not spent those four months in sunny Florida with the Nomad Interns. I would probably not be equipped to be on the World Race right now if it weren’t for that internship. Those months in Florida were a breath of fresh air, the beginning of a new life, an immense revival of my spirit, and a reminder of the beauty of life. I cannot express how much my heart was changed through those months, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity God gave me to intern for this amazing organization. Even a few thousand miles away, a young unknowing girl wearing a pink shirt can make me remember that there is a reason I am here, and there is a reason I still keep breathing.
There is a reason for you, too.
Believe it.
If you would like to support me so I can continue on the World Race until November, please click HERE to donate online, or you can mail a check payable to “Adventures In Missions,” to Adventures In Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta GA 30374 (be sure to write Appealed by StewartRaquel on the memo line so it gets credited to my account!!). If you cannot support me at this time, please pray for me; your prayers and support mean a lot more than you can imagine 🙂
