Giving and Getting

 "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." - 2 Corinthians 6:10

This summer I was blessed to spend a week in Haiti on a mission trip with a team of wonderful people from my church. Sometimes I feel the mindset with mission trips are that we (Americans) are going to a country to help them, and to to give them stuff. And we did. We had 20 suitcases filled with all sorts of donations: clothes, formula, medical and teaching supplies, games, arts and crafts and a small monetary donation. You can't argue the fact that we didn't give while we were there.

One night towards the end of the week we were privileged to have a Haitian woman sing "Give Thanks" in Creole to us. It was a beautiful, incredibly humbling experience, and part of the trip the team will remember forever. Since the earthquake the whole country has been through so much loss and suffering, pain and heartache- I can't even imagine what it must be like. Most of the country doesn't have the basic necessities that we as Americans take for granted everyday like a roof over their head, food to eat, and a clean supply of water. Yet they know the secret to life, and because of this, they as a country are far "richer" than America. They don't use medicine to cope with their depression, they don't sit and wallow in self pity or complain about what they don't have, they take everything to the Lord and constantly singing praises to Him for what they do have. Being in Haiti was such a great reminder not only of how much of my life I take for granted, but also how we as Christians should be living on a daily basis.

When you get on the plane to come back home with empty suitcases and part of your heart still there, you realize that you've still received way more than you gave. As Thanksgiving is a day of proclaiming what you are thankful for I thought it would be an appropriate day to share the song "Give Thanks" with you.

What am I thankful for? The list is too long and could go on for days. So instead of listing each individual thanks, today (and everyday) I am giving thanks to God because He's given me His Son. As Haiti knows all of the earthly possessions I am thankful for could be gone in an instant, but nothing can ever take away my gift of eternal life. Thanks be to God!