Another summer comes to a close. I have mixed feelings; it has been good having my children home, cooking dinner. My son has returned to college. My daughter is quickly beginning her sophomore year in high school. Yet I see them growing and becoming adults...
Here is a journal written by Zoey from this past summers youth trip. If you:
"As I sit in the airport waiting to board, there's a lot running through my mind. Seas of faces, the sound of laughter, images of Vespa's. I've come to realize that the things I have learned and experienced on this trip are recurring more vividly as I begin to depart. Everything seems to be setting in, as my mind has finally been given a chance to process the past 11 days.
Being hit with everything at once when I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City was overwhelming to say the least. The country was both everything I expected, and the polar opposite of everything I have ever known. To say it was fascinating doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my thoughts on Vietnam. Since I have been exposed to such a different world, I've learned a lot about myself, my own life, and the lives of others around me.
Even when things seem to be going their worst, our circumstances are still a sizeable margin better than most of the people we've come in contact with on this trip, and I've come to realize that I will always have a plethora of things to be thankful for. Even if I have to search hard within myself to find them, I know they're always there.
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| Teaching sign language at Dorothea's Project Legacy community outreach |
I'd like to think I've always been relatively appreciative for the life my parents have given me. Not once have I lacked shelter, clothing, nutrition, or love. Experiencing the way that people live in the countryside (or even in the city, come to think of it) makes my one bedroom apartment look like a mansion, and the ill tasting OC water seem like it's coming straight from an Evian bottle.
The newfound appreciation I have for what I'm blessed with is something that I'm sure will continue to grow with time, especially when I find myself back in the states. There are a lot of things in my life that I naturally take for granted, just because so many things seem like a given if that's how the society places importance on a subject. For example, the American Disability Act. This is something that naturally protects people with disabilities, and makes the world a more accessible place for them. In places like Vietnam, there are hundreds of thousands of people left in their homes with no means of transportation, and never given a second glance. Even something as trivial as a ride to school can truly change someone's life. It's easy to forget that in a world where the focus tends to be on yourself.
Once seeing the radiating positivity of the children living in the homes we visited, it was clear I needed to make a couple changes. I frequently found myself asking, "if they're so positive despite their circumstances, why can't I be?" I quickly realized that it's not a "can't", it's a "won't". We choose to dwell on the things absent in our lives, instead of focusing on the things we already have.
Often times it's easy to lose sight of what's really important, unless the essentials are all you really have. The simplistic way in which these kids live has led me to believe that our over-complicated and privileged world is the cause of our perpetual wish for more. This past trip has been focused around sharing our fortune, and filling a need as it unfolds.
The way that the staff members immediately jumped on a project as soon as they found an absence (i.e. the bicycles for the two countryside children) has inspired me to want to give more. After all, the Lord loves a cheerful giver.
It's funny to think that my life has been changed due to this trip. The goal was to transform other people's lives, which I'm sure we fulfilled. But in the midst of that, my life has been transformed as well. I've found a sort of second home with the children of Vietnam, where I know I'll always be welcomed with open arms and a plethora of smiles."
I would just also like to thank you for allowing me to be a part of this trip, something bigger than myself. It was amazing to step outside a world full of my own selfishness and realize that there are things elsewhere that matter more. My whole perspective is changed.
Zoey 14 years old
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