I recently had the privilege of traveling to a third world country. I realize that using the word "privilege" when talking about an underdeveloped country may seem incongruous; however, it proved otherwise.
I was part of a group of nineteen, along with my husband and 16-year old son, who traveled to Ghana, West Africa. Although this was not the first time I'd been in a foreign country, it was my first short-term Missions trip.
Our main focus was to teach and train church leaders in several villages as well as provide medical treatment for the locals. Many people there understood English; however, they had difficulty understanding our American dialect. Therefore, all teaching or training was done with the aid of an interpreter.
At my first teaching post, I was asked to explain what I do for a living. How do you explain to people who have so little that you help others organize their "stuff" because they have so much? Most of the people we came in contact with lived in small, concrete or mud huts, without running water. They cooked their meals over an open fire and owned only a few changes of clothing.
Day after day I would look around at what you and I would consider extreme poverty. And yet, the Ghanaians appear to be content and even happy people. When my children were young, I taught them that being content was being thankful for the things they already had. The Ghanaians seem to get this principle.
What surprised me the most about this trip was how hard it was to leave. I had grown to love these people and felt as if I was abandoning them. They have so little and I have so much. To say that this experience has changed my life is an understatement.
Although the focus of our trip was to bless the people of Ghana, I felt like I was the one who got the biggest blessing. As you look around your home and the life you have, I hope you see the incredible abundance and blessings you experience each and every day. I know I do.
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