Another trip has ended and back to the “reality” of life.
My heart was broken once again when saying goodbye to a bunch of great kids and their leaders. I will never forget the Rozetta bunch or the Christ Church group. They interacted beautifully and really made the most of this trip. A few of the kids even said at the end that we should have made the “homeless experience” more intense!!! Not sure the next group we try it on will be appreciative but I am happy to “stretch” people as much as possible.
Rozetta Group – 1/2 of our team this week I enjoyed sitting up with the girls in the evening having our “girl talks.” They asked many questions and pulled as much out of me as they possibly could. I was happy to have the time with them even if I only had a few hours of sleep each night. Who needs sleep??? 🙂
The highlight of this trip was meeting a woman named Michelle. Michelle is 26 years old and lives in a nursing center. She doesn’t have any disks in her back and is confined to a wheelchair. Several of us were able to sit and talk with her for a few hours while I painted her nails and tried to pamper her. She made an impression on several of the members of the team but I think especially to Justin. He had the opportunity to share some things about the Lord and ask some tough questions. She mentioned that she didn’t have a Bible so we offered to buy one for her. Justin and his group purchased one the next day and we went back to take it and several other things to her. She actually encouraged us in our mission projects and admonished us not to give up when it get’s hard. She acknowledged how hard it is to meet people, fall in love and have to let them go. She has spent much time in hospitals and nursing facilities since she was a child so most of the people she let’s go of is through death. In the midst of all of that and her own physical limitations she takes the time to try to put smiles on other people’s faces.
I had just been lamenting on how hard it is to meet people, love on them and not know if you are ever going to see them again. I am at least fortunate that most of the people I meet are going on to other things in their life, not death. It reminded me that in all things we have to give thanks. I’m grateful for the people I meet, the lives I touch and the lives who touch mine. If the best I can say is that I have lived and loved then I am happy to relive each moment again and again. My prayer has changed from lamenting to asking the Lord, “Who am I supposed to love today?”
