Someone I know went on her first mission trip recently. I cannot wait to talk to her this week…to see the fire in her eyes, the passion that has been unlocked.
I haven’t been on a mission trip in several years. I am way overdue. There is something inside of me that comes alive when I am on a mission trip. I know who I am when I am on a trip. I know my purpose, my mission, what I’ve been created to do.
I love other cultures. I love learning about the people, the customs, the food. I love introducing people to my culture.
I thank God that He created all of us differently. How boring would life be if we were all the same? Whenever I come into contact with a culture that is different than my own, I walk away enriched. I learn more about myself–what I have to offer and what I have to learn.
You don’t have to travel outside the borders of your own country for this experience. Some of my most potent life-lessons occurred when I was volunteering in North Camden. I learned faith, love, security in one of the most dangerous few blocks in the US. I saw kids full of joy and hope in houses that were barely inhabitable. Right now, I work in one of the most affluent areas in NJ, if not in the US, and I don’t see the same amount of hope or joy.
Something is brewing deep within me. I don’t have a name for it…but I do know that something big is about to happen.
For now, however, I know that I need a mission as much as I need oxygen.
Deneen White 