Chiqutio

I just got back from my first mission trip.

I got the joy of spending a week, leading a group of 22 amazing college students to a tiny village in the island of the Dominican Republic.

Batey Chiqutio.

Little Batey.

And as I was praying for this trip,

Praying for the students on the trip,

Praying for the people we were soon to meet,

My prayer was the same.

Lord, use this week to increase our faith.

And now that the trip is over,

And I've began to transition back into every day life,

The question has been asked-

What was your biggest take away from this trip?

How did the Lord work in your life in those seven days?

What did you learn in that amazing week spent among the people of Batey Chiquito?

And I don't know if it's because of the lack of sleep,

Or the withdrawal from the power of the Dominican coffee,

But those questions have left me stumped.

What was my biggest take away?

How did the Lord work in my life?

What did I learn among the people of Batey Chiquito?

And at first, I had to fight against guilt.

Did I really just go on a mission trip, and not have the some big, life changing moment?

Did I really just have one of the best weeks of my life and not learn anything?

Did the Lord really hear my prayer?

But as I've been praying, and thinking about those seven days, I've discovered that I've had a lot of takeaways,

That the Lord worked in my heart,

And that I learned,

But not in big, earth shattering moments.

In the small, in the simple, in the quiet moments.

I learned that a game of duck duck goose ( or pato pato ganso) can be fun in any language.

I learned that sometimes, sitting together on a bench outside, while all the wild chickens and goats run around your feet,  can be spent in silence, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I learned that the most generosity can come from those that have the least.

I learned that true worship doesn't have to come in a big church, but can be best felt when you're sitting in a plastic chair, on a patch of dirt, with a child sitting in your lap, and although you're singing in different languages, you know you're praising the same Lord.

I learned that true fellowship can come over massive amount of yuca.

I learned that the sweetest times of prayer can be spent walking down a dirt road.

I learned that you can learn more from the group that you're supposed to be leading then you actually teach.

I learned what true joy looks like, as well as true grief.

I learned what it truly means to have faith like a child,

To thank the Lord for your daily bread, ( or rice and beans)

And not focus on the worries of tomorrow.

So, maybe I didn't have any one life changing moment.

But I think I prefer the small moments.

I think I like the simple.

I think I like the quiet,

Because that's where your faith really starts to grow.

When you force yourself to stop,

And listen,

And hear how the Lord is working.

And hear how the Lord is moving.

And hear what you're supposed to be learning.

In the sounds of the scurrying of wild chickens and goats

In the sounds of children's laughter,

In the sounds of conversations peppered in English and Spanish, friendships started over a strong cup of coffee.

That's my biggest takeaway.

That's how the Lord worked in my heart.

That's what I choose to learn.

That sometimes, life changing moments don't have to be big.

Sometimes, life changing moments can be small.

Sometimes life changing moments can be chiquito.