My Heart.

I was going through some old pictures of my Missions Trip to Mexico last year and came across a few that touched my heart all over again. I am SO glad that I documented that whole experience on this blog because going back and reading it totally refreshed my heart and reminded me of what God did inside of me there. It was such a difficult trip physically, as it was exhausing, SUPER hot and I experienced some mild sickness but in the end it turned out being one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far. I was able to get a glimpse of God's heart as I reached out and embraced children who were victims of the most horrendous poverty. Their contagious little smiles and innocent love changed my world.

We journeyed to a poor village very far up in the Mountains where there is hardly any civilization. No shoes on little feet, box homes with large openings, people living under trees, no running water, no sanitation whatsoever and absolutely no form of entertainment or luxuries that we're afforded every single day. It was definitely foreign. Something I had seen on television before but never something I experienced up close and personal. It was hard to adapt and at first, I was leary of the whole idea but once I was confronted with those endless amount of adorable, lovable and precious children, I simply couldn't help but produce tears through my smile. It was so heart warming and it really opened my eyes to so much. I immediately fell in love with these children as they tackled me, reached out and took my hand and began to take me on a very interesting adventure through the moutains as we gathered more and more children to come and color with us. I've never in my life seen so many kids so completely elated about coloring a picture. They sat there and colored until every bit of the picture was filled in. They were so content with a piece of paper and a crayon. So grateful.

God spoke to me through these beautiful, big brown eyed and absolutely loveable children. He reminded me that He knows every single hair on their head and that He does in fact have a purpose and a destiny for them. I struggled to see this poverty first handedly and began to really question God. I couldn't understand why so many across the globe suffer in so many ways because of poverty and neglect and my heart was literally breaking from it. I just couldn't bear to look at these babies and know that many of them will never know any different. I just wanted to scoop them all up and bring them back home with me. God showed me His heart for them and His love for them. I imagine that if my heart breaks that much for just a small fraction of the population of people who live in these conditions or even worse, how much more does His heart break? It really put things in perspective and reminded me that we are called to these people, whether they are in our backyards or across the ocean. We are called to be a light unto them. Yet, in some strange way, they ended up being a light to me. It opened my eyes to see how my priorites were so out of wack. For the first time in my life, I got it.

I don't want to lose it.

This is my heart.

As ready as I was to come home after that trip a huge piece of my heart didn't want to leave and I believe it stayed there. I just had such a life changing experience. These young ones and their zest for life despite their circumstance completely captivated me. Their innocent trust and faith was a lesson in itself. They were so open to what we had to give and say. I have no doubt that many encountered Jesus. They were so hungry for love and attention and they were so in love with all of us. I never felt so loved by complete strangers.

There was one little girl in particular who latched onto me the first day we arrived. The moment I met her, she put her little hand into mine and didn't leave my side. It was so sweet.















Should you wish to read more about what happened on the trip and see pictures here are the links.

Mexico- Part 1
Mexico- Part 2
Mexico- Part 3