Well…here we
go. Some of you are probably wondering what has taken me so long. I’ve been
back from Honduras for over a week, and I am just now blogging about it. To
tell you the truth, this is the fourth time I have tried to blog about it. I
have tried so hard to find the right words to use to describe my trip. Don’t
get too excited, I haven’t found the right words yet. Honestly, I don’t know if
I ever will. I think Wade McCollum, one of the directors at Orphanage Emmanuel,
said it best: "Emmanuel is not a place that can be adequately described in
words. You must come see it for yourself."
Nevertheless,
I am going to TRY my best to somehow explain my experience to you.
This was my
third trip to Orphanage Emmanuel (OE) in Guaimaca, Honduras. Although, this trip
was not like my two previous trips. I guess they aren’t lying when they say
third times a charm. My first trip was just “Eh.” I remember being overjoyed
when I returned home. One week was MORE than enough for me. That’s why I
surprised myself by returning for a second year. When I returned home after my
second trip, I remember being sad for about two or three weeks, then I fell
back into a normal routine. I didn’t really think about OE very much, that is,
until we started talking about going back. I see now, how the Lord was already
working in my heart long before my third trip. The closer we got to my third
trip, the more I realized how much I missed OE. I recall feeling an actual ache
in my heart (much like the one I have right now) when I would look at pictures
from my previous trips. Needless to say, when August 1st, 2015
arrived, I was MORE than ready to be back in Honduras. It was during my short
(and I mean SHORT) week at Emmanuel this year, that it occurred to me that
MAYBE, just MAYBE, I wasn’t just meant to visit OE for one week every summer. Now,
before any of you flip out (looking at you Mom and Dad), you need to understand
that I don’t know what more than one week every summer looks like just yet.
Nobody has to worry about me jumping on a plane to Honduras next month and
never looking back (although, if I am being honest, that wouldn’t hurt my
feelings.) What I can tell you right now is that I know for sure that my trips
to OE haven’t been random. The Lord is orchestrating an awesome plan for my life,
and I have a strong feeling that OE will have a big part in that plan. Every
year that I go (whether I have realized it before or not) I have been leaving a
little part of my heart in Honduras (cliché, I know). One thing I would like to
ask of you is that you be in prayer for me, and all of my other teammates that
I know are having similar feelings. Contrary to what it might seem like in this
post, spending an extended period of time in a foreign country scares the mess
out of me. I am still human, ya know! If you had talked to me three years ago,
I would have told you that God was not going to call me to missions. I grew up
with the understanding that missions were for missionaries. Missionaries were
special people that were fearless, and that God saw fit to carry the Gospel all
over the world. Before you misunderstand what point I am trying to make here,
let me elaborate. My fear of foreign
countries, and mission trips is not what has changed. It’s my understanding of
the Gospel, and my understanding of MY duties as a Christian that have changed.
You see, I have realized recently that anyone that claims to be a Christian
IS a missionary.
2
Corinthians 5:20 reads:
We are
therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
If you claim
the name of Christ, you are His ambassador. You are His representative.
God has given us the ministry
of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18.) It’s YOUR job, and it’s MY job to bring
the good news of reconciliation with Christ to ALL people.
Now, does
this mean you have to go to Asia, or Africa, or Honduras to share this good
news? Of course not. There are people who live in your own neighborhood that
need to hear this good news. God calls a lot of people to stay right where
they’re at. BUT, if he hasn’t called you to stay right where you’re at, where
has He called you? And have you listened?
Am I scared
to death about where God will call me in the future? You bet! But once you
begin to understand what your purpose is as a Christian, it makes it easier.
Suddenly, flying into one of the most dangerous airports in the world isn’t
really an issue. Suddenly, going to a country who is mostly known for their
high murder and crime rate isn’t such a big deal.
Matthew
10:28 reads:
Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid
of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
So my
challenge to you is to think about missions. What are you actively doing to
spread the message of reconciliation where God has placed you? Are you where
God has called you to be?
I also
challenge you to consider a foreign mission trip. I know a lot of people have
their hearts set on doing mission work strictly in the U.S., and that is GREAT.
But doing
mission work in a foreign country, specifically a third world country, will
change your perspective on a lot of things. It will give you a new take on life
that you are unable to get in any developed (“first world”) country.
My favorite
line (and by favorite, I mean the line that makes me want to just scream) that
I hear when I talk about my trip is “Yeah, I get it!”
Well…not to
sound rude, but you really don’t get it.
I seriously
don’t mean to sound rude, but it’s virtually impossible for anyone that has not
actually experienced it to “get it.” And if you’re offended by that, it’s
probably because you’re one of those people that thinks they “get it.” I’m here
to tell you, you don’t. How do I know this? Because I was you three years ago.
I thought I “got it.” I didn’t.
Please don’t
misinterpret what I am saying here. I truly appreciate each person that has
taken the time to ask me about my trip. I appreciate the kind and comforting
words you all have to offer me. But please, please, PLEASE try to refrain from
saying “Yeah, I get it” when you really DON’T get it.
So to not
have to avoid those dreaded words, why don’t you consider foreign missions?
Then you can actually mean it when you say “Yeah, I get it!”
Anyway, I
think I have rambled enough for now. As I look back over this post, I realize I
went in a completely different direction than I had originally planned. I
really didn’t talk about my actual trip at all. Oops, sorry!
So, this is
me extending an invitation to anyone reading this. If you would like to hear
more about my actual trip, or you just enjoy hearing me ramble, please let me
know!! We can go grab coffee, or a cupcake, or Taco Bell, and we’ll talk about
it. Talking about OE and food/coffee dates are two of my favorite things.
Also, if you
have any questions or you are interested in knowing more about Orphanage
Emmanuel, just shoot me a Facebook message or Twitter DM (hannah_jsu). I will
be happy to answer any questions you have! You can also visit the official OE
website by going to www.orphanageemmanuel.com
Well, I hope
you guys have stuck with me through this whole post, and you weren’t scared
away by my “You don’t get it” rant earlier. This post ended up being a lot
longer than I intended, but I hope you still enjoyed it!
Until next
time,
Hannah ♥
