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Tomorrow I'm flying out to Mexico with my family and some friends. In Mexico we will be building a house, along with a group of people from Plymouth. There will be 3 other builds taking place at the same time, being built by people from all around the UK. We will all be eating together, praying together, camping together and hearing about each other's progress throughout the builds. The building will take 5 days and we will also spend a day either side of the build in Mexico to set up and pack down camp, and to hand over the keys to the families.
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"Why help people abroad when those on our own doorstep, in our own country, need help too?"
The number of times I've heard this response to mission work abroad is countless. So I thought I'd write an open response to anyone who has thought about this question before or to anyone who has no idea how to respond to this kind of question but would like to.
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There are people in the world who need help and there are people in the world who can help. In fact, I'm sure we could go as far as to say that everyone needs help and everyone can help. You see, the help we all require is different and relative. One woman needs help getting a job, whilst one woman needs help getting to and from her job. One man needs help with childcare, whilst another needs help and support after the loss of his child. Sometimes the help we require can be a long and seemingly never-ending list. Does that mean the list isn't worth denting? Checking some things off is surely better than none at all.
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What can you offer to someone who needs help? A friend is struggling to stretch their finances to the end of the month, could you bless them with a meal? Perhaps you are that friend that needs help financially, so could you invite a friend over for coffee and encouragement? Perhaps you are that friend that needs a shoulder to cry on and a whole heap of encouraging, could you smile at someone in the street to give them a warm and hopeful feeling that everything is going to be okay? Perhaps you are that person who needs a smile, could you bless a family with a meal? These small acts of love really do make the world go round. Not everyone can give everything, and not everyone needs everything but it becomes a beautiful cycle when we all give what we can to the people that need it.
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There are opportunities around us every single day to help people locally and, occasionally, the opportunity might arise for you to help someone further afield. A project abroad has a much bigger impact than the obvious: blessing one family with one house, blessing an orphanage with supplies and volunteers, etc. The 'help' reaches so much further. For the people who receive some help, they get a weight lifted off of their shoulders - an item ticked off of the list of things that they need help with. They feel loved and supported, and they feel safe. For the people embarking upon the adventure, they come home with a fresh new perspective on life, family, and what it means to be happy. They work towards helping a problem much bigger than they can imagine, empowering them to know that they can make a difference in people's lives back home too. For the people at home who have cheered them along, they get to see the fruit of their own hard work and support, which in turn encourages them in knowing that they are valued, needed, and that they have purpose. I could go on!
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Sometimes, no, all the time, the project is about the people. The people who need help, the people who give, the people who are inspired. The people. We're all people on earth in search of love and happiness, purpose and direction. So, let's get the ball rolling! Start helping out and start asking for help this week.
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Why Mexico? To make love look like something for all of the people involved.
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See you on the other side! Expect a picture-filled post in a fortnight's time!
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Amy xo
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