Mission of Hope is the amazing organization that we volunteered through. MOH's vision statement is this: As an organization following Jesus Christ, Mission of Hope exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti. At orientation on Sunday, it was pointed out to us that we were now in Haiti so they fully expected that this experience would be transformative for us as well. WOW - they weren't kidding! It was an amazing week and one that I would HIGHLY recommend everyone do at least once in there life. You DO NOT need to be a member of St. Joe's to join the group. Given the opportunity, I will definitely do it again at some point along my life's path.
During our trip, we updated our parish website with highlights from each day. You may read about our amazing week at: http://stjosephcommunity.org/mission.aspx. You may also check out our photo album at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.963263800362997.1073741835.742220645800648&type=3.
The week away wasn't the only tranformational time of this journey. Preparing for and reflecting back on the experience certainly gave me plenty of time to examine my own life. We were informed on our second to last night on Mission of Hope: Bercy/North Campus that now that we hopefully had been transformed by everything that we had witnessed and experienced in Haiti, it was up to us to bring this effort back into our own communities. They spoke my heart. As we discussed our day that evening among our St. Joe's group, I read for the group the last Facebook post that I had made prior to our departure for Haiti which echoed this exact sentiment......
Facebook Post - July 3, 2015
"By Saturday night, those of us on this year's St. Joe's Adult Mission Team will be settled into our home away from home for the week at Mission of Hope in Haiti.
As I was packing today, I had to decide if I wanted to take 'this' or 'that'. If I didn't have something, I knew I could easily pick it up at my local store before I went. I enjoyed lunch and supper with family and friends (both meals purchased at a local eatery and eaten on the deck in beautiful weather) and we were capable of getting fresh, drinkable water out of the tap.
It wasn't lost on me as I packed that my luggage probably contains more 'stuff' (remember, that I had to debate over) than the average Haitian probably even owns. I'll be honest, I wasn't able to finish packing without a few tears welling up. I kept coming back to the reality that the luxuries that I take for granted really are just that - luxuries - and I take them for granted way too often. Yet, am I any happier than the people that I will meet this week? I don't think so and I am so excited to meet these people because I know that they have so much to teach me about love and compassion! I haven't even gotten on the flight yet and I can already tell you that this trip has changed my life!
As we celebrate the 4th of July this weekend, I pray that we will all remember that we live in a land of great freedom and with that freedom comes many privileges and great responsibilities. With our freedom, we have been granted access to many amazing 'take it for granted' items. We have also been given endless - absolutely endless - opportunities to show respect, love and compassion to all within our homes, our communities and our world.
It's not about the 'stuff' any of us have or don't have. We can show respect always and in every situation. It's not about agreeing or disagreeing with the other person. We can love them unconditionally and always be like Christ towards them. It's not about caring for only those who share similar ethnic backgrounds or religious views. We can show compassion to all people without discrimination.
I am so excited and so humbled to be going to Haiti but don't think for a minute that traveling abroad is what makes a mission trip. The mission field is in our own homes and our own backyards. Love one another - the greatest mission in the world. It just really doesn't get any simpler than that. That's what I know the Haitian people are going to remind me of this week, smile after smile, and I can't wait!
But what about after my return home? How have I been carrying on the mission work that Jesus commissioned us to do over 2000 years ago? I'm not so sure that it's always so obvious. Even while in Haiti the effort could seem overwhelming at times. After all, I'm just one person - how can I make a difference in my big, big world? Well, yesterday was one of those amazing God moments that reminded me that our lights can shine even in the smallest everyday & ordinary activities. We don't need to 'search' for ways to make a difference. We simply need to go about our daily lives and God will present us with incredible opportunities to make a difference one after another. This I also shared on Facebook......
Facebook Post - July 24, 2015
"Are you in need of a feel good story tonight? Allow me.......
This afternoon I went to my primary doctor for a check up. While there, I ran into one of Roch's former INR nurses. For those of you that have been through a lengthy and serious illness you know that your medical staff gets to be a lot like family. She gave me a huge hug and asked how things were going. We each talked a little about what's been going on since I last saw her about a year ago. As I shared, I told her I had just gotten back from Haiti and she was mesmerized. She was full of questions and wanted to hear all about what we'd done there, who I'd gone with, etc. As conversations often do, we transitioned quickly from topic to topic and eventually began talking about the importance of a faith community especially when a loved one is ill or passes away. Then at one point she simply stopped and said, "You look so good - you look younger and full of energy. What is it?" She caught me off guard - not so much that she said it but that I've been told this by more than a couple people since returning from Haiti. Part of me always wants to ask "Why - what did I look like before?!"
But the best I can muster most of the time is a simple "Thank you" or an "I'm not sure why that would be if you think so" in reply. I'll be honest, there's been a few times when I've wanted to say "Well, I don't feel young, I feel old - really old." You see, I've been in a funk. Our 30th wedding anniversary is coming up shortly and regardless of the fact that I've already celebrated alone twice doesn't seem to make this third time any easier. But I refrain from that reply and try to keep those comments to myself and a few poor unlucky souls!
Our conversation was interrupted when I was called back for my appointment by a new nurse that usually isn't with my primary doctor. As the nurse began taking my vitals she ran through the standard "Have you been depressed" questionnaire. I said "No - no - no" to her questions and somehow we got on a question where I replied that I wasn't depressed but as a widow, I certainly was in a funk lately but there's a difference. I told her that it's okay to be in these funks - for any of us - as we work through a grief of any kind - death, job loss, divorce, etc. It doesn't mean we're depressed, it means that we have sad moments that pop up every so often especially when thinking about a special event such as an impending anniversary and I think that it's truly okay to embrace those moments. In fact, I said, I think it's absolutely necessary to sit with them and acknowledge them a while before we can let them go. I truly believed that even these melancholy moments are all part of the process and that I have been truly blessed to have such a great faith and friends' community to always see me through.
She reiterated what a lot of people say - that I'm too young to be a widow. I reminded her that there are a lot of us out there - many younger than I am. I informed her about the widows fellowship that we started for the community at church and how nice it is to connect socially with others who share a similar bond.
The conversation transitioned and as we began talking about my malaria medication (that you also have to take for a few weeks after returning), she asked where I had traveled to and who I had gone with. Well, again my faith community came into the picture as I told her I'd traveled with my church's adult mission team and I shared with her a few of the more amazing moments in Haiti when she inquired.
This lady, who by this time I could tell was in a funk of her own said, "You're so lucky. You have that faith foundation and support. I've never had that." Talk about a God moment! I assured her that it was never too late to get involved with a faith community and I could almost guarantee that she'd be welcomed wherever she ended up with open arms because we were all children of the same God. By this point, we'd already taken up a little more time than we probably should have and she stepped out. A few seconds passed and she knocked, stepped back in and asked, "I'm just curious - where do you go to church?"
Wow! WOW!! I LOVE moments like these. We talked briefly about St. Joe's and how welcomed I knew she would feel there. But I also made sure that she understood that wherever she connected with a faith community, they would welcome her because that's what belonging to a faith community is all about - being accepted and being loved for who God made us and not who others think we should be or what our bank account is. She gave me the biggest smile that completely touched her eyes and walked out. This unknown nurse absolutely made my day!! Will she ever come to St. Joe's or connect with another faith community in the area? I certainly hope so. I will most likely never know though but that's okay. I'm just a small part of the picture and this afternoon God put me where He needed me the most.
It was then that it dawned on me that when people have said I look good or younger or more energized, I don't believe that they are really seeing me. It's my belief that they are seeing God work through me just like He worked through those beautiful people in Haiti that stole my heart. There is nothing here that's about me. That's what I saw in the Haiti people. That's what I hope this nurse finds in a faith community somewhere. And I hope that's what people have seen when they look at me - even through my funk. We are all sacred. We are all loved. We are all made in His image. And how amazing that we get to share in the wonder of that together in our own faith communities or even with complete strangers? God is good!"
God is indeed good! We just need to be open to see all the small miracles that He allows to glow through us each and every day. We all have that light from within. To allow God to work through us doesn't require big changes in our lives or the lives of others. It simply requires us to continue to shine one small act or word of kindness at a time.
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