Why am I going?

The way I see it is that one of the basic parts of claiming Christianity is that my faith ought to result in action. Christ reached out to others because of His love for them. So if I'm taking Him as an example for how to live my life, it stands to reason that any Christ-like love that I have ought to result in action as well.

Last fall I found myself wishing that people were more compassionate and caring and giving and not so self-absorbed and living in a little U.S. bubble because I think that happens a lot (myself included!). And I was frustrated with how little I was doing to meet the immediate and tangible needs of others, especially those in poverty - a call to Christians that is found so many times in scripture. So I was thinking about that and figured I had better do something about changing that lack of action in my own life unless I want to be hypocritical.

From there I started to think about James 1:27 and then other verses along the same lines and it became very clear that I'm supposed to serve these groups of people in a close contact way as well. Those verses weren't written for somebody else, but for me! I'm supposed to act in this way. I'm supposed to care for those in need. I'm supposed to go to people as well. And so is every Christian, we're called to do that as part of living out our faith, to show Christ's love to people. That doesn't always means going overseas for everyone, but it did for me so I set out after it. And I plan to incorporate what I learn from this summer into how I live my day-to-day life when I get back.

I want to provide the opportunities for summer classes to these kids because I think that Christ loves them just as much as He loves anyone else and that He would want them to have these opportunities. God loves these kids and wants a good life for them; and I want them to grow up with hope for a future that can be better than the present. For a kid to know that they're worth time and energy and resources, and that someone loves them and believes in them is so important and can change a life. So we plan to show them those things by providing opportunity and hope in Christ's name. That's why I'm going! And whether I'm studying for classes, working, or volunteering in Haiti, I'm learning to walk in Christ's rescuing love more and more every day.