My first mission trip ever was in 2013. I went to Honduras with my youth group. I remember one of the things that broke my heart was not being able to understand their language. My group and I went to visit a school, and I was just sitting and watching the kids play; I can still remember this one girl. She came up to me and started crying. She kept talking and crying and I didn’t know what to do. I remember feeling so helpless and even a bit frustrated with myself. Since I couldn’t say anything to her, I started playing with her. She forgot within minutes she was crying and started laughing. Then, during those short moments, I realized love knows no boundaries. There’s no language barrier strong enough to stand in the way of love. I didn’t speak Spanish, so I wasn’t able to tell that little girl what I wanted to tell her verbally. But, I let her know through my actions, that even though I didn’t understand what she was saying, I still cared.
Then just a few days ago here in Albania, I found myself feeling frustrated and sad over the fact I couldn’t understand what these precious kids were saying to me. When you see the smiling faces and the love in each kids and how much they want to talk, you wish nothing more than to be able to speak to them and understand what they’re saying. Then a friend reminded me that Jesus is able to break any language barriers. I might not be able to speak their language, but sometimes just a simple smile is all you need to make someone’s day ( just don’t smile at men here in Albania). “We all smile in the same language.”
I have Two more days left in Albania. This first month of ministry has been challenging, exciting and very eye opening. The homesickness has already started hitting hard. It’s funny how the smallest things make you miss home. I haven’t been feeling the best for the past week, and all I wanted to hear was my mom’s voice and to know she is close by (call me crazy, if you’d like). The longest I have been away from home before the race is 12 days. So, this is a big step for me. 11 countries in 11 months means leaving pieces of your heart to 11 different places. Each month, I will have to say bye to new friends. If you know me well, you know how much I hate goodbyes, and there is a reason behind that. But, I am excited for the next stop. I am excited to start being bold and FEARLESSLY serve Christ. Fearless is a word that has been on my mind the whole time I have been here. I think so much of my time is spent on worry and what others will think of me if I act a certain way. I don’t want to be that way anymore. I don’t want to fear man anymore. I want to be me and be bold for the kingdom of God.
Month One Photo Recap:
