Is it Worth it?

By: Julie Nash

God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him” – Hudson Taylor

So many times I have been asked the question, “Is a short term trip worth the expense?” or “Will I really be making an impact on others?”

I had asked myself those very same questions many times before we moved to Guatemala. I remember on one of our trips, I was sitting next to a doctor on the plane ride down. He said this was his twenty-sixth year coming to Guatemala! He said the thought every person in the U.S. would benefit from a trip like this. I would soon realize the truth of that statement.

There is something that happens when we make decisions to serve the poor and needy. I believe investing in people, is priceless. Starving people need food and water and then they need hope. They need to know someone genuinely cares. Being the person that fills a hungry child’s bowl conveys that message. It gives credibility to the idea of living out the Gospel.

Recently, my husband Mark asked our friend Greg Turner to come down and help him for a couple of weeks on a large plumbing project. Greg left his business and came down to Hope of Life to serve. At the end of his time here, we took him to the Village that our church had adopted where he met the two girls that he and his wife sponsor. He went to their home and saw a picture of his family hanging on their wall. Greg witnessed first hand the impact that was being made in the life of this family. Any person, in any walk of life, is able to make a difference by just using their time and talents for others. That’s why the doctor keeps coming back. That’s why there is a picture of Greg’s family in a remote village home. That’s why short-term trips are always worth it.