As I'm packing for Uganda (WE LEAVE SATURDAY!), I can't help but think about the people I'm going to meet, the stories I'm going to hear, and the blessings I'm going to experience. As I anticipate this exciting journey of being the hands and feet of Christ, I think of the past mission trips I've been on and the blessings that He gave me through the people I was able to love.
I think about Olivia, the sweet 7 year old I met on my first mission trip to Mobile, Alabama in 2012. It was impossible not to love this olive-skinned, big brown-eyed girl who longed for love and attention. I remember sitting down with her and explaining what prayer was to this girl who had never heard of it before and telling her, "Prayer is talking to God- your Heavenly Father-whenever you want to or whenever you need help." "Like help with homework?" she asked, which made me laugh as I continued to explain what prayer really was. Being able to love on Olivia was one of the biggest blessings God had ever given me the privilege to have. I will never forget when I returned to Mobile in 2013, walked into the gymnasium at the daycare, and before I could even set my stuff down, had two chubby little arms wrap around my waist, looked down, and saw sweet Olivia looking in my eyes and straight to my heart.
I think about Elijah- The kid who was "too cool" for Bible games and silly songs with hand motions, the boy who was rough around the edges and would try his best to push me away, the boy who wouldn't participate in anything and only wanted to play with his GameBoy. This same boy was singing every song as loud as he could and grinning ear-to-ear at the end of the week. This boy, who had never owned a Bible, was so excited when we gave him one of his very own that he immediately asked how to find the week's memory passage and read it out-loud for our whole small group.
I think of Ana, the precious 6-year old, blond hair and blue-eyed little girl who's smile could immediately make your heart melt. She had told me on the first day that she didn't have a mom, that her mom had gone to Heaven. A few days later, she was walking with me hand-in-hand when she stopped, looked up, and said, "Miss Alex, can I tell you something?" I smiled and said, "Of course." And then, looking in my eyes, she said, "If my mommy were still here, I think she would be just like you."
I think about the woman who worked at the daycare. She was so overwhelmed and grateful that we would come from three hours away to spend time with a bunch of kids and teach them about Jesus. When we left, she had each of us write something in the front of the Bible we gave her because she never wanted to forget us.
I think of all of these people who I had the opportunity to love, to show Christ to, and I know that it is worth it. It's worth it to take a week out of my summer to love a sweet 7 year-old girl. It's worth going out of my way to see a tough little boy light up when we give him a Bible. It's worth running around with a bunch of loud, messy kids to have that one who holds your hand and warms your heart. It's worth dealing with grouchy adult daycare workers to show them Christ and see just one of them see why we do what we do. It's worth it because Christ is worth it.
And I know that it will be worth it in Uganda. Going to another country, raising thousands of dollars, doing several Bible studies and cultural studies, travelling across the world, possibly having no AC, no WiFi, the risk of diseases, the hot, humid climate, wearing skirts when I'm used to wearing shorts, going to a foreign place and meeting foreign people, eating meals that may not be the best, going out of my comfort zone, leaving the safety and security of my home... all of it will be worth it. Every last "sacrifice" will be worth the unmatched blessing of showing the love of Christ to others, of giving of myself yet somehow gaining so much in return.
I have found something worth dying for. Christ is worth dying for. And for me, He is also worth living for.
