I was very fortunate to have grown up in the Church. And I
have my mother to thank for that. I learned from a very early age that as
Christians we are to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, care for the needy, etc.
And I got to put this into practice through volunteer and local mission
opportunities as a youth.
One particular annual mission trip to a poor county in North
Carolina that I attended throughout high school had a real impact on me. I was
able to experience and participate in the love of a Christian community as we
lived and worked together for 1 week each summer. The love of God was truly
evident there and I was always reluctant to go home.
I can by no means say that I have always been strong in my
faith. Throughout my life there were countless times that I struggled with my
belief and commitment. And I can honestly say that by college I felt like I had
the whole, “Love your neighbor as yourself” thing down. I mean, I certainly
still needed to work on living that way all the time, but I felt like I
understood that was what I was shooting for. But it’s so much more than this.
I walked away from these trips and my life experiences
hoping that I had done a good enough job “showing” God’s love to have convinced
others that maybe they should learn more about Him. But at the same time
struggling over what impact this had made beyond the physical. It wasn’t until
the last year or so that the Lord brought to my attention how much more spiritual
need there is. Everyone deserves to know they have always been pursued by God, that
He loves them perfectly, and they are his child. I can never fully show anyone
this perfect love God has for us, but I can help people to know God as their
father and then the rest will fall into place.
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| Group Photo in Glory Ridge in North Carolina |
