My name is Katie Wig and from late May through the end of June, I was blessed to serve as an intern with the Strong Missions team. Now, as I look back on my month in Carrillos, I am certain that it was the most incredible experience of my life. Growing up in a big family in a small town, my life was enjoyable, safe, and comfortable. While a part of me longed for adventure and to try something new, I had always subscribed to the belief that I wasn’t brave enough or strong enough for a real adventure, especially a long-term one. Then I found Strong Missions.
After studying Spanish for six years (four in high school, and two in college), I finally went on my first-ever mission trip in January of this year. I went with my uncle’s church for a week and a half, and was the youngest and least experienced person on the team. Though I was very nervous to go so far from home, especially with a group of people I didn’t know well, it hardly took any time for me to forget the fears that I was clinging on to. Over the course of the week and a half, I was so blessed to get to know an abundance of incredible people, both in my group and in the community. The children of Carrillos, especially, are such caring and beautiful souls who I came to love dearly. I very quickly knew that God was calling me to return to this place.
On May 25th I returned to Carrillos for my internship. Though the first week was hard, with a great deal of homesickness and anxiety, over the course of the following four weeks, I grew emotionally and spiritually in a way I didn’t know was possible. The work we did through Strong Missions gave me the opportunity to test my own “limits,” motivated by the fuel of a great purpose. Before Strong Missions, I never would have thought I’d be able to lead large groups of people without being paralyzed with nervousness, or that I would be physically strong enough to help assemble steel bleachers or mix concrete with a shovel. Most importantly, I had no idea just how much the sharing of one’s own Light can ignite the souls of so many others.
The smiles of the children of Carrillos, La Carpio, and Los Guido were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Through their positivity, warmth, and unhesitant love, every group that came through felt the unshakable strength of God’s Love. Because of this Great Love, this incredible sense of purpose we all felt, any physical or emotional weakness felt insignificant compared to the strength and determination we felt through the Holy Spirit. Because we knew we were working for the Kingdom, God gave us all the strength we needed.
Today I am back home, looking out at the sunset on the lake, and I can’t help but miss the beauty of the land and the people of Costa Rica. I cannot emphasize enough what an incredible blessing this past month has been in my life. Though I was skeptical at the beginning, I know now that God’s Love moves each one of us in every moment of every day. We are all designed to serve and love one another, and when we do that, the true capacity of our strength is made known. Through God, we are capable of truly amazing things.
No comments:
Post a Comment