Home Sickness, BUT I’m Not Walking This Bridge Alone

I promise that by the end of this blog, you will understand why I choose the title of it; hang in there, I promise it will all come full circle. This past weekend the GAP team had the opportunity to spend four days in the mountains working with two of the local villages there. We did some cleaning projects as well as two children’s programs. The programs were a huge success! I have been involved in programs like this, even when I came to the DR last year, but this was the first time I participated in one that was completely in Spanish; we didn’t use a translator.

After one program I began to speak with a young girl and she shared with me many different things. The whole time I was praying because I wanted to be able to continue to speak to her and understand her. The language kept coming and it was probably the longest conversation I ever had in Spanish. It was great to begin to build relationships with the people, because there is a possibility that we will be able to return to the same villages in the spring. The kids were very receptive to the message we shared with them, and seemed to understand the importance of not putting their joy into to earthly things that can be taken away. As I walked through the poverty, I realized that many of them live in hopeless situations, and this is why the love of Christ is of great importance to them. It was so encouraging to see how God used my teammates to share real joy with these children. We all have different talents, but they came together perfectly, and within that we were able to express genuine love to these people.

This week we have a little bit of a break for Thanksgiving. There are no classes and it is a time to recuperate and refuel; with that comes the realization that I will not be home for Thanksgiving. With that comes some painful memories of an eight year old girl. As many of you know, Thanksgiving is a tough time for my family and I must say that it has been difficult for me to not be with them for the first time since my brother and sister went home to be with Jesus. I’ve cried a lot over the past few weeks. This weekend was good because it took my mind off of things, and when the sadness begins to creep in, I try to think about the weekend and smile because I cannot forget that I am exactly where God wants me.

Well… sometimes I do forget. Sometimes I get tired. I’ve said from the beginning that I want this blog to be a real expression of my time here…the good, the bad, and the ugly. About an hour ago I sat down on the bathroom floor (The only place where I get enough service to Skype) and called my family. It was so nice because my brother, mom, and dad were all home, this has only happened once since I’ve been here. I was so happy to see them all, but we barely got a greeting out and boom, the power goes out. This is not an abnormal event, we lose power all the time, but emotional, homesick Meghan did not want to think rationally. So what do I do? I sat on the floor and cried. Actually, crying might be an understatement, I sobbed. Just picture this for a moment, 6ft 1 Meghan curled up in a ball, crying on the bathroom floor. That was quite a sight for my roommate to see as she walked up the steps. & how does she respond? She sits down on the toilet, rubs my back and just begins to pray, that is exactly what I needed in that moment. I felt alone, but I wasn’t.

Flashback… Sunday morning in the village, it happened. That moment when you do something and think “I would never do this in America!” In order to get to the poorest part of the village, we had to walk across a bridge. This bridge belonged in an Indiana Jones movie or something. It was a swinging bridge, with broken pieces of wood, and it seemed like with every step you took a little bit of a risk. But when I looked in front of me, or behind me, I saw people I loved and that brought me a lot of comfort. It brought me comfort as we swung, back, and forth, suspended over water, that I was not alone. And I’m not alone now. With all these emotions jumbled up inside of me, I’m not alone. I have people here who love me, but even in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep, God is right there. In the darkest of nights, in the deepest of valleys, on the most rickety bridges, God is there. His love is the fuel that keeps me going.

This week, as you reflect on the things you are thankful, be thankful that you’re not alone. Be thankful that God is there and His love is great. Be thankful for the people near and afar. Love a little more. Give a little more. Give thanks.
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."