Encountering God's Love in a "Poor" Community
Blog post written by Caroline Menzia (age 17)
Newport Beach, CA
I was raised in a very strong Christian family where we always gave to the poor and volunteered in less fortunate facilities. Before coming on this trip I felt like things I would see wouldn't be a surprise to me because of the way I was raised. Yesterday our team had the opportunity to deliver rice, pasta, beans and Bibles to a "poor" community, where families live without electricity or running water. The minute I stepped off the bus I knew God was putting me in this place to open my eyes to his people that needed his love. Every family that my group met welcomed us into their homes with open arms and hearts. Each person began thanking us and thanking God for what they had and what we'd given them instead of talking about all the hardships going on in their lives. Not one person we met doubted God. That was amazing to me. They knew the food came from Him. We were just his hands and his feet.
These people have seriously nothing and yet they KNOW God will provide. We prayed over each family and got to remind them of God's love. He sees their needs and he remembers them. We got to pray over a newly born baby that was very sick. Even though a newborn baby's sickness can be extremely life threatening, the mother's faith did not waver whatsoever. That was truly incredible to me. While these people are poor physically, they are incredibly rich in their faith. I realized that they had a richness that most people around the world long for. They were wealthy beyond words in their hearts. After reflecting on this opportunity, I realize that God was shining brightly through all of the people we encountered. He was showing us how much he loves all of his people all over the world. God is so good and I'm so thankful for all that he is revealing to me this week.