From August 18th to the 24th, 11 people from my church went to the village of El Mirador (Dominican Republic) where we worked along side the ministry Food for the Hungry. If you've ever been on a mission trip before than you know that nothing can really prepare you fully for the experience. When you are doing GODS work, that means being open and flexible to the things He wants to do even when they may be uncomfortable. As important as it is to prepare yourself for a trip like this, it's also important to stay open to God doing whatever HE wants to do in you and through you. Every trip that I've been on has had a different impact on me. This trip specifically was unique because the organization we worked with is well established and aligns with everything I believe as far as what's really most important in life.
A little bit about (FH) Food for the Hungry:
FH exists to help people and communities around the world to become self sustainable. They connect churches in America to a community somewhere else in the world that needs support. They make 10 year commitments to teach and train people within THEIR community to become leaders who can carry through the steps needed for a life long permanent change. Then with churches, through child sponsorships and short term mission teams, they can better effect the community financially and relationally. Most of our trip was centered around simply building relationships with the people there and showing them that we are committed to come along side them during this time of transition. A lot of times in America we think helping means steamrolling into a poverty stricken area with money, materials, and our own knowledge as to how things should be done. When we do that though, we are creating a dependency and in the long run never actually helping them. It's like the saying "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." God desires all his people to thrive and have their own purpose. Sadly there are many people that have been born into cultures and places that don't have that opportunity quite as easy as we do here in America. FH recognizes that - but they are committed to God centered helping, through biblical principles and striving towards the end goal of self sustained communities. If you are struggling with this concept or want to know more about it, I highly recommend reading the book "when helping hurts". We read that as a team before the trip and it really helped us shift perspective. I'm grateful for this entire process because it changed ME. When you partner with an organization like FH, you really start to see people in a new light. You see them as people no different than yourself, with their own struggles and flaws. We are all poor in some way. We may not physically lack much living here in America compared to places like El Mirador, but we too have a lot to learn in many aspects. When we look down on the poor, we lack true understanding of what poverty even is.
One of the things that we did while we were there was home visits. These were separate from the sponsor child visits, and for me it was one of the most powerful things we did while we were there. Part of food for the hungry's mission for our church body is to actually get to know the people of El Mirador. The people there aren't just lacking material things, they also lack support and outside motivation. Visiting people in their homes showed them that we actually care about THEM as people. It also gave US knowledge and perspective into how they as a community actually live. Just like at our church we are getting to know one another through small groups in our homes and praying for each other, we felt that it was important for us to give El Mirador that same sense of community.
One home specifically stuck out to me, and it was the home of a man named Theodoro. Theodoro has a hernia, a parasite, and melanoma - all leaving him unable to walk. When we walked into his house he was sitting on the ground, where he spends most of his days. It was heartbreaking to see, but we also felt very welcomed and at home while we were there. Our time with Theodoro was more than just a feel good emotional moment though - it really gave me perspective as to what our partnership with the people there is fully about. The reality is that even here in the U.S. we have things like cancer and life threatening diseases that can unfortunately be a part of life. The difference is yes, we have access to medical care and financial stability. Most importantly though - as Christians we have family, friends, and church community that are always praying and able to come along side us during those times. A common theme in our team training for the trip, along with things we saw while there, is that poverty of any kind stems from some sort of flaw in or lack of relationship. When we lack support during times of suffering, we lack hope. And when we lack hope, we at times lack understanding of Gods ability to take care of us. My own dad has been battling cancer for 7 years, and almost lost his life from it about a year ago. Of course we are grateful that we have access to things like chemo therapy and now even other drugs to treat him. However, the amount of support and prayers my dad received during that time was so great that it was at times overwhelming. My mom will tell you that support and prayers was what got them through it, and still it is today. In El Mirador, they don't have the same kind of support systems that we have here, and that realization really shook me. So there we were in a different country and culture, sitting in a home which was probably the size of my kids playroom, praying for healing and health over a man that we didn't know. It was truly humbling. Personally I had this moment where I thought "this is it, this is what it's all about." In some ways, that is true. During this 10 year partnership we WILL be bridging that gap by showing these people that no language barrier, skin color, financial status, distance, or cultural differences are going to prevent us from being a part of their communities growth. My heart was broken that day when we met Theodoro, but that day in his home... we gave him hope. There is a temptation to see missions as a task to be accomplished rather than a lifestyle of loving others and sharing hope.
Part of the experience of mission trips is figuring out how to come home and transition back into your everyday life. This one was hard for me to come back from. Last time I went on a trip like this it was to Haiti - but it was 7 years ago and before I had kids. Unfortunately the world has also changed a lot since then...
In the team training manual we went through while on the trip, it talks about this concept of the "rocking chair kindness" that is all too true in today's society.
"We are often guilty in the church of a "rocking chair kindness". You know, the type that clucks and sighs over the griefs and woes of the world.. and goes right on rocking, never getting out of the chair to DO something about them. The "Good Samaritan" acted - even at risk and cost to himself. The Good Samaritan wasn't sitting at home in his rocking chair, tut-tutting the news reports of the terrible robberies that occurred on the Jericho Road. He was a doer."
This is not to say that everyone's calling is to go on mission trips or be part of first responding relief programs. However, there are people in need right under our noses - Widows, homeless, drug addicts, single moms, orphans.. the list goes on. Here's the deal.... I'm about to keep it SUPER real here...
The week before I left for my mission trip the Charlottesville riots occurred. It was terrible and awful and I have zero tolerance for racism of ANY kind. However, the amount of media coverage and fame it got was out of control. Social media was lit up with angry people... people angry at white supremacy... people angry at the people angry at white supremacy... finger pointing... president bashing... family shaming... political wars... on and on. It was disturbing on so many levels. We must find a way in today's world of hate and terror to have perspective. That perspective is this: Yes in Charlottesville there were hundreds of annoying white supremacists marching for HATE while also having a hand in the death of an innocent young women. Yes 2 brothers set off bombs killing and wounding many at the Boston marathon. Yes someone walked into a gay club and shot innocent people out of racism and hate. Yes on September 11th 2 planes were flown into the twin towers ending the lives of many. And yet.... We still have MILLIONS of good beautiful loving people in the world. On August 18th 11 people from my church got on a plane to a foreign place to walk along side people of a different color, as we began the process of helping them move towards a better quality of life. Every Sunday millions of people gather to worship the God of the universe. Everyday somewhere in the world a child gets adopted. Every year people are taken off the streets because of volunteer homeless shelters. Every year people all over band together to help places struck by natural disasters. The. List. Goes. On. Our heart should absolutely break for the things that break the heart of Christ, but that doesn't mean in the process forget about the good that HE is doing. So my question for you is this - What are you more focused on? The millions of hatful people and situations? Or the millions of wonderful people and beautiful organizations that you can be a part of? Are you just bashing the hate on social media? Or are you getting out of the rocking chair to be "The Good Samaritan"?
This trip gave me perspective. We can get so sucked into the negativity of our "evil world" that we forget to acknowledge all the good that there really is. I saw so much good, love, and unity that week in El Mirador that it was overwhelming. The Bible literally says to SEEK PEACE and pursue it - It doesn't say seek hate and complain about it. PRAY for the hate... and get sucked into anything and everything that focuses on God centered love, unity, hope, and moving people towards healing and happiness.
Those are the things worth fighting for.
