Over the past five years, I have had the privilege of going several times to the small, third world country of Haiti. Those trips, ranging from one week to three months, drastically impacted my life in an extremely positive way. Because of those multiple trips across the ocean, I think everyone should go on mission trips, religious or not.
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People should go on mission trips because you gain new perspectives.
If I could describe America in one word, it would be “extra.” We live in complete excess. We want more stuff no matter how much stuff we already own. As college kids, we tend to always be looking for the next iPhone, the next great pair of shoes or the next best fashion trend. When you go on a mission trip, especially to a third world country, you see how people who do not live in a developed country like ours survive. You see what it’s like to live on less than two dollars a day, what it’s like to eat the same things every single day and what it’s like to wear the same dirty clothes day after day. When I went to Haiti, my perspective completely shifted. Now I can’t eat a single meal without thinking about those kids I saw only surviving on one meal a day, and it was only a meek helping of rice and beans at that. I guarantee after you witness that kind of desperation for life on a mission trip, your whole mindset will be changed.
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Mission trips allow you to see the world.
I feel like people in America don’t get out much. Yes, we live in complete freedom to come and go out of the country as we please, but we don’t do it enough. We are so satisfied with our iced chai tea lattes and air conditioned homes that we don’t want to explore. We don’t want to see what’s on the other side of the ocean. In a sense, I would say we have tunnel vision. We are so focused on what is immediately in front of us, that we are not too concerned on what is going on around us. With that being said, go on a mission trip. See the world and do some good while you’re doing it. Build a church, feed the hungry and donate to those in need. If we aren’t helping each other help, then what were put on this earth to do?
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In our history classes, we learned about the Seven Wonders of the World. Do you want to know how many are located in the United States? Not a single one. Here’s your challenge — get out. Visit different countries and do good. You don’t have to visit Haiti like I did, but visit a country that scares you. Visit a place that you are curious about. Go on a mission trip and be changed.