One Moment
Everyone has a moment in life that defines them, a minute, a day, or an experience that forever changed them. When we retrace the steps of our lives, we realize that they all lead back to this moment. They may stray off the path or seem to go in circles at times. There will be sections when you see footsteps walking beside your own and others when yours are the only steps around. The steps will change, some being leaps and others barely moving at all. Yet, every path will bring you back to this moment.
Try it. Take a second to look back on your life, on the accomplishments and the failures, at relationships formed and broken, at the experiences good and bad. Think of the moments that you hold in your heart. Remember the times that you knew your life was forever changed.
Many times we do not know when these moments are coming. It is not until after that we realize that they altered the course we were on. For me, this moment came in the form of an experience.
Yesterday, my Timehop reminded me of the moment I was accepted to my first mission trip. 3 Years ago I found out that I would be spending my spring break in Kingston, Jamaica. Little did I know, the experience would change the course of my life. Jamaica was my last choice for a mission trip. I had heard many things about how dangerous it was and honestly, I was scared. I knew about poverty. I had studied the causes and effects in school and could tell you where poverty rates were high. The fear had been instilled in me that poverty equaled danger. I thought I knew what it looked like to live without, to lack means of obtaining basic needs. Really, I knew nothing.
That spring I made a choice to put aside my preconceived notions and experience the world with my own eyes. I took on the challenge of working through complex issues with no real answers and listening to unfathomable stories. I wanted to gain a better understanding of the world and figure out how I could make my childhood dream of making a difference in the world come true. I expected to help others, but in reality, they helped me.
While in Jamaica I spent time at a children’s hospital where young children laid in bed for months, some even years, in full-body casts. I spent several days at a nursing home where the residents sat in chairs and starred into space all day, simply because they had no other option. I used sign language, a skill I thought I had forgotten, to communicate with an old lady who had not communicated with anyone in years. I played with school children in the trash filled village that was their home. I assisted in the nurse’s office at a school, which was the only medical care for many miles. I saw loss, pain, love, and patience....but most of all, I saw hope.
In just seven days, my world was changed forever. I specifically remember returning to the retreat house after spending a day in one of the villages. The village and school had been built on a dump. There was trash everywhere and animals roaming in and out of the school. A military truck, with four men holding guns, had driven past the school and the kids thought nothing of it. However, in the midst of all of this, there was so much hope. On each home, which was no more than a few pieces of scrap metal laid against one another, was a bible verse or a quote brightly painted for everyone to see. These people, who had nothing, had so much more faith than I did and I could not understand why. When I returned to the retreat center, I felt a sadness, guilt, and passion that I had never felt before.
The trip was a lot to take in, but I did not do it alone. My break trip group became more like a family and in them I found sincere love and joy. They were people I came to trust and genuinely enjoyed being around. They understood the emotions I was feeling and were willing to discuss them. For the first time in many years, I felt that I had a place where I truly belonged.
So, this was my experience, but let me tell you how it changed my life. When I returned to school I realized that many of my friends could not understand. This is normal; they were not there. However, some of them did not even want to try, and for me that was hard. I reassessed the people I was surrounding myself with. I broke up with my boyfriend who did not share similar motivations in life and began allowing other people in. I added a pre-medical track to my psychology major in hopes that someday I could help those without access to medical care. Throughout the rest of college I spent every break on a mission trip, both domestically and internationally. I met people from all over the world, assisted in health clinics, helped to build houses, and worked on expanding my faith. I found a home in campus ministry, where the students and staff shared my values and desires to make the world a better place. I began dating my long-term boyfriend, who was there with me in Jamaica from the very beginning and has continued to travel the world with me. And now, I am dedicating a year of my life to service, something I never imagined doing. Every aspect of my life can be traced back to a moment.
This is how I got to where I am now. Serving with Cabrini Mission Corps and searching for what comes next. I believe in fate and I know that I was placed on that mission trip and every one after that for a reason. I needed that experience to change the direction of my path and bring me closer to God. Much of who I am today is because of a moment.
Dear God, thank you for showing me that faith exists most abundantly in people who have nothing. Please continue to guide my path. Let us know in our minds and hearts that every second is a treasure, holding the power to transform us.