[sportstar]

I recently got back from a mission trip from Mexico. Below is a little about the trip and how as Christians, we're taking the easy way out...

The day we went to the dump probably impacted me the most. It was literally like a place where the "feed the children" commercials are taped. It was the closest thing I've seen to hell on earth. Regardless we went out with translators and invited the people who lived there to a service and for the food that would follow. I want to be clear on this; these men, women, and kids lived there. They dug through the trash to find a potato chip crumb for dinner. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs. They walked without shoes and they whistled while they looked for something that would sustain them. I'm with this awesome translator and we're walking around in crap. Literal crap over this expansive area inviting people and giving out tracks. My first thought was try not to barf. Do whatever it takes so you don't chunk it. I mean seriously the waste trucks were there dumping out stuff everywhere. These people live on hills of dung and their river is literally flushed liquid. It's rank. Seriously rank. And with the hurricane this place is super muddy/mucky and one has to be careful not to eat it on every step. And it begins to rain. It couldn't get much worse. Here we are walking around in crap, my shoes and socks are completely soaked in this stuff, the crap is literally all over my legs, and I'm one moment away from chunking it. It was miserable. Eventually we have service and the the group of us are kinda positioned like a choir on the side of one of the dunghills, and by now the sun has came out and the sky is blue but all I can see is trash. And here we are praising God in trash. The people are just smiling and laughing at the lighter songs and sharing their testimonies of how God has touched them and provided everything they need. Everything they need. They freakin live in a dump with nothing to eat and no changes of clothes and they're satisfied. I'm in this desperate, disgusting place and God is just pouring out His Spirit. It was just amazing to see the people's faith. They didn't question God. When we prayed for them, they soaked it up without doubt knowing that God would continue to take care of them. They had nothing but yet they had everything in Christ.

During our last time together as a group, Pastor Jason said something that really impacted me. He said, "As Christians, we're taking the easy way out." We're taking the easy way out. Dude, we go through so many trials, attacks, and judgment for standing up for Christ but yet we have it easy. Jason talked about "what's the worst that someone can do to you?" Like ok, they threaten to kill you, so what. If I die I go to heaven. Not really a loss at all for me. Yeah, I'm sacrificing my life on earth and my desires for what He has called me to do/be but that's nothing. It's a joy to sacrifice myself for Him. It's easy compared to going to hell for not accepting Christ. What hope do people have who are going to hell? Wow, I'm on a soapbox but seriously. When they die, they burn. They don't have anything after this life.

One thing Jason said right before we got off the bus was that now is when our mission trip begins. Not in a place where we will never see these people again but back home where we can light people up for Christ. This is our mission trip. It's time to roll. It's time to bring our A-game.