Dreams Coming True | 短宣梦成真

The day after my 16th birthday, I embarked on my first short-term mission trip. Going on a mission trip has been my dream since I was eight, and not only was I able to fulfill the dream, but I was also able to do it with an organization close to my heart. The only reason I was lucky enough to go on such a life-changing mission was due to the Living Hope Adoption Agency- the organization that assisted my mother in the process of adopting me from China. I never planned for my first mission trip to be with Living Hope, but with several phone calls, the trip was booked and I was able to give back to the organization that first gave to me. 

Prior to the mission trip to Honduras, I was able to do an internship at Living Hope, allowing me to have a preview of the trip. I thought I was going to be building houses, donating food, doing VBS, and visiting a prison. Yes, I did all that, but no, it’s not that easy to describe. While I did expect many things to come out of this trip, I could have never imagined the living conditions of the Tolupan tribe, the planning behind VBS, the testimonies heard, the number of prisoners coming forward, and the welcoming group of people behind the planning of the whole trip. I also didn’t imagine the wake up calls by chickens at 4am and the driving to be averaged at 4 hours a day. Although I didn’t like the chickens waking me up or the amount of driving, I soon came to realize these people would not be able to survive without the chickens nor hear about Jesus if we had not driven to them.

After the first day of the trip, the visit to the Tolupan tribe, I knew this trip would forever change the way I think, act, and understand. We had just arrived but we’re still on the bus, more than 50 adults and children gathered to greet the bus, all smiling, it’s a real smile, not one of the ones you always make to a stranger you walk past. Later that day, we were able to go to the houses of those in the tribe and donate bags of food. I had the opportunity of carrying one of those bags, it was about 15 pounds and we had to hike up and down wet, muddy, partially paved dirt roads with those bags. I wondered to myself, how are we all struggling to do this in tennis shoes while the local people run up and down here daily in crocs just to get to their house. It was then that I realized, this is not the trip I saw through the photos nor the one someone described to me, but one that must be experienced firsthand to fully understand the privileged life we take for granted and the challenging life the people of Honduras are grateful for. I do not believe I nor anyone who has been on this trip will ever be able to accurately describe what we saw in the mountains, in the schools or churches, or the prisons. I now wonder, what I saw, all the smiles and hugs, all the laughter and hope in their eyes, how are they able to be so happy when I along with others were complaining about the heat, bugs, long drives, cold showers, and when the power went out. At the end of this trip, I found the answer, the one thing they all had in common was their deep faith rooted in Jesus Christ.

在我16岁生日的第二天，我踏上了我的第一次短宣之旅。从我八岁开始，参加宣教一直是我的梦想。我不仅实现了这个梦想，而且还能与一个与我心灵紧密相连的机构一起实现的。唯一让我有幸参加这样一次改变人生的宣教之旅的原因是Living Hope Adoption Agency（新希望领养机构）这个机构帮助我的母亲从中国领养了我。我从未计划过我的第一次宣教之旅会是与Living Hope连接在一起，但经过几次电话联系，行程就安排好了，我得以回馈最初新希望领养机构给与我的新生命。

在前往洪都拉斯之前，我在新希望的办公室进行了实习，让我提前预览了这次短宣之行。我以为我会去建房子，捐赠食物，举办VBS，以及参观监狱。是的，我确实做了这些，但并不是可以这么容易描述的。虽然我期待从这次旅行中学到很多东西，但我从未想象过Tolupan印第安部落的生活条件，VBS背后的筹划准备工作，听到的见证，走上前来接受主耶稣基督的囚犯人数，以及整个宣教背后组织者的辛劳。我也没有想象到早上4点会被鸡叫醒，平均每天要开车4个小时。虽然我不喜欢被鸡叫醒，也不喜欢长时间坐车，但我很快意识到这些人如果没有鸡是无法生存的，如果我们不开车去他们那里，他们也无法听到耶稣的福音。

短宣的第一天，在访问Tolupan 部落之后，我知道这次短宣将永远改变我的思维、行为和认知。我们刚到达那里，人还在车上，就有超过50个印第安成年人和孩子聚集在车前迎接我们，所有人都在微笑，那是真正的笑容，不是平时你路过陌生人时常做的那种微笑。那天晚些时候，我们要去探访部落家庭，向他们捐赠食物和物品。我有机会提着放着捐赠物的口袋，约有15磅重。我们必须在湿滑、泥泞、半铺设的土路上上下下跋涉。我自问，我们穿着运动鞋都走得咧咧切切的，而当地人每天都要穿着别人捐的旧洞洞鞋在这路上跑上跑下。那时我意识到，这不是我通过照片看到的短宣，也不是别人描述给我的短宣，而是必须亲身体验才能完全理解。我们所认为理所当然的优越的生活和洪都拉斯人民怀着感激的充满挑战的生活。我相信我和任何参加过这次短宣的人都无法准确描述我们在山里、学校或教会、监狱中所看到的。我现在想知道，我看到的一切，所有的笑容和拥抱，所有的欢笑和他们眼中的希望，他们怎么能在我们抱怨炎热、虫咬、长途车程、冷水澡和停电时仍然如此快乐。在这次旅行结束时，我找到了答案，他们所有人共同的一个东西是他们对耶稣基督的深厚信仰。

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