On mission trips, you always hope that you can make a difference in someone’s life. For me, I find it does just as much for me as it does for them.

The summer of 2015 we journeyed down to Haiti for the second time. The moment we stepped off of that plane, we were so excited and nervous to see these orphans for the first time. When we found Joseph, the Haitian who runs the orphanage, he said he had a surprise for us. There behind the airport were all of the kids with the biggest grins on their face. Those smiles were priceless.

In that moment I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love for those kids I believe our Father has for us. For the first time, probably in a long time, those kids knew that they had people, who had never even meet them before, fight for them, loving them, caring for them, praying for them, and providing for them. And those of us who got to see those smiles and feel those hugs of gratitude were able to realize just what kind of impact we had on those lives.

This impact is not only an impact of earthly gains, but of heavenly gains. Not only do we get to provide food and schooling to these kids so that they can not only survive, but thrive later on in life, but we also get to show them the love that Christ has for all of His children. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and I truly believe that those kids can see Christ in us.

But what I gained on the trip, you can’t but a price tag on. I was able to see what we are before we are saved, and what we are after we are saved. We are all orphans, or were orphans without hope until God finds us in the darkness and pulls us out. In that moment God reveals Himself to us and shows us that there is hope for the hopeless and rest for the weary and that He is the ULTIMATE PROVIDER. And the fact that we were able to be a little piece of that to these orphans really opened my eyes to how loving God really is to His children.

I was beyond thankful to have experienced the first encounter with the kids and to be able to see the pure joy on their faces getting to see that they are loved and cherished. And today I am able to smile because I know that I am loved and cherished by our Father in the same way.