Throughout high school and college, I always found myself grasping for more. I would apply for various conferences and internships, but I never really found what fulfilled this need for something greater. Not until College Missions.
Going on mission to Gallup, New Mexico was the first experience I ever had with missionary work. As we rode up the steep road to the Little Sisters of the Poor, I saw the property for the first time, and could sense immediately that this was a place that was built on God’s love and generosity. Our first night, we sat in a circle, introducing ourselves to the sisters.
The light in the sisters' eyes was undeniable as they told us how excited they were for us to be with them. What I’m not sure they knew was how excited I was to finally feel that my actions had meaning - putting Him above all. During our time, we met a man who lived on the reservation, in a meager house that looked like it was built with his own hands. While he had so little, he still gave all he could. He stopped to give us all cokes from inside, wanting us to feel welcome. Then, showed us a picture of his wife who had passed, all with the resign of someone who had accepted life’s darkness a long time ago. We asked him to pray with us, maybe expecting him to not accept. He then grabbed our hands and joined us in a circle connected in prayer. It was in this moment that I realized why I was called to be on this journey. Before this mission, I was not known to be someone that stepped outside of my comfort zone. I preferred to live almost exclusively within its boundaries. But once I heard the passion of the people serving beside me for God and those on New Mexico’s reservations, I knew this was not something I could pass up. During our time in Gallup, we painted diocese offices, delivered water to reservation residents, and served the underprivileged with the Missionaries of Charity. We used our hands and feet to pass on the message that we’ve been fortunate enough to hear- the most purposeful mission of all. 1 Chronicles 28:20 says:
“Be strong and steadfast, and go to work;
do not fear or be dismayed, for the LORD God,
my God, is with you.”
This is my advice to anyone considering mission with College Missions, or any mission - go to work, don’t be afraid.
Grasp for more.
