Well, our mission trip has come and gone, and we've been home since Sunday afternoon. It was nothing short of incredible, to be totally honest. The van ride down was pleasant and fun because my van group was just full of great kids who were quiet when it was appropriate to be (like 4:30am), and full of joy and laughter the rest of the time. Our community puts a lot of effort into maintaining this sense of comraderie and togetherness, and to stress the fact that no one's ministry is any important than any other. I was doing outreach, but there were also five manual labor sites, a VBS, and a nursing home ministry. So, we did a lot! It was exhausting, but totally awesome.
The ministry itself was amazing, and we met so many people who have left an impact on my life. The first day, we set up shop in the parking lot of an apartment complex and began knocking on doors to let people know we were outside. As a natural introvert, the prospect of knocking on stranger's doors to let them know that I have free clothes and school supplies to give out...well, it's a little daunting. But as the leader, I had to go ahead and do it, or else none of the kids would have. At least I thought that. In reality, many of them were a lot better at it than I was. Can you imagine being fifteen years old and just talking to a total stranger in a place that's so different than your own home? It was impressive.
We met a young woman fairly early on, and her story has stuck with me. Her name is Jessica, she is 22, which, if you didn't know, is exactly how old I am, and she is the mother to four children. FOUR CHILDREN. The oldest child if eight, which means that she had him when she was a mere 14 years old. She's also raising them virtually by herself, since her boyfriend is in Iraq and will be there for the next year, with little to no communication. And here's the craziest part: she didn't want to take too many clothes because she wanted to save it for the people in the complex "who need it." I'm pretty sure she needed it as badly, or even more so, than many of the residents of that area, but she didn't want to be greedy and she wanted to share what little clothing we had. Her selflessness astounded me. We ended up talking to her for a long time, and we felt an immediate connection with her. What great courage she must have, to raise four children in poverty when she is barely out of adolescence herself. It struck me how vastly different our lives have been, and how my worries pale in comparison to hers. It was an incredibly humbling feeling. When we were about to leave, she gave us two small pictures of her with her family. She said that she wanted us to have them so that we had "something to remember us by." I don't need a picture to remember her, but Jessica and her family's faces now reside in the photo section of my wallet, so that I can carry them with me always.
This was just an example of the many, many families we met last week. Not only was our ministry amazing, but I had the opportunity to bond and grow closer to many of the teens whom I have ministered to all year. In a hilarious moment of humility, one teen said to me, "Liz, I had no idea that you were fun!" Well, better late than never, right? I am filled with gratitude for our trip, that we were safe and successful, and that we ended our volunteer year on a really high note.
So now I'm packing. Our send-off prayer service is tomorrow night, where the community will show up to show us their gratitude and to say goodbye. I'm trying to pack and fit my life into my car, but it's difficult. Before I move to Boston, I'm going to need to seriously downsize. And you know what? It's completely possible to live with less. I've seen it, and I can do it. So, even though I asked for a Kindle for my birthday, I've decided to rescind that request, because I don't need one more expensive electronic in my life. A digital camera would be nice, but really, I don't need it. It's a freeing thing to realize that you can live with less. I've been inspired by the people who cried with joy because we gave their child a new pair of pants or for the group who put new siding on their house. I witnessed true joy, and it's something that means more than any shiny new toy could ever provide.
Pray for us in our final 48 hours. Peace.
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