Two young people from our church wrote me letters recently about their respective mission trips.  I thought I would share a couple of insight comments they made.

The first comes from Don Paul Corbin, who just returned from a mission trip to India:

The next truth I learned occurred on many occasions when interacting with orphans and children.  The first day we were there an orphanage put on a program for us and then we interacted with the kids for a little while.  These kids had been orphaned by the tsunami just six months earlier. A couple of the other days we did a Vacation Bible School type program for younger children.  These kids showed me what true joy, love, and acceptance look like.  First of all, they love you in the same manner that Jesus does, unconditionally.   They didn't care one bit who I was, what I had done, or how I felt about them.  They simply loved me because I was there.  Also in all the time we spent with children I don't ever recall seeing one frown.  These kids exuded joy and even though we couldn't really communicate through talking we both spoke the universal language of smiles.  I guess in a way we put smiles on their faces and they put smiles on our faces.

This second comment comes from Staci Bowman who just returned from a mission trip to Belize:

When I worked with some prisoners who were HIV positive, I received hope.  When I spoke with a mother and her small children who were beaten horribly by her drunk husband, I saw God.  It wasn't that I saw God in them, but I saw a God who takes sides with the oppressed and those who are in need.

As Desmond Tutu said, "The church must be ready to speak the truth in love.  It has a responsibility for all, the rich and the poor, the ruler and the ruled, the oppressed and the oppressor, but it needs to point out that God does take sides.  Incredibly, He sides with those whom the world would marginalize, whom the world considers of little account.  That was what He did in the founding of Israel.  He took their side when they did not deserve it against the powerful, against pharaoh.  That was a paradigmatic act that gave an important clue aobut the sort of God He is."

Staci went on, "I saw God because I saw so many things that break God's heart and in an instance I felt God's compassion… I realized all of these people who were suffering didn't need a perfect, distant person to help them through their sufferings.  Instead, these people simply needed someone who cared.  For the first time in months, I felt a heavy burden released from my chest."