Walking is Awesome

I was asked to submit a 500-2000 word article for the New World Outlook magazine. 
Myself and a few other missionaries were asked to write an article using the prompt: Mission Is....
This is what I wrote :)


I have a tattoo on the inner arch of my left foot that says 'Walk Humbly'.  These 10 letters are few that I believe to be some of the most truest, beautiful, and powerful words that I have come across since becoming a missionary. 

I love to walk barefoot around as much as possible.  There is something so freeing about feeling the earth beneath your toes, not having anything between you and the ground, and feeling a connection to God that only comes from the sense of walking.

I love the idea of walking by faith.  To walk by faith is having the courage to wander into the unknown with God, relinquishing all control, and letting God do the rest.  People who dropped their entire lives and followed Jesus knew what great things come from walking by faith. 

 I know that Jesus is the coolest person to have ever walked this earth, and I strive every day to live like Him, talk like Him, and walk like Him.  To walk with as many people as possible.  To walk to as many places as possible.  To walk in love.  To walk by faith and not by sight.  To walk humbly.

A year before I graduated college, I got a calling to become a missionary.  I was so excited that I felt this push to go out into the beautiful world of unknown, and take on something new. 

I have lived in Miami, FL for just under two years.  I have been working at a faith based non-profit organization called Branches, and I work for Project HEAL (Haitian Emergency Assistance and Legal-Aid) which provides free legal and immigration services to Haitians who reside in Florida.  Working with immigration was something completely new to me, and it has taken me quite some time to understand the significance that it has in people's lives. We meet people exactly where they are in life, and walk with them through this part of their journey.  The services that are provided are a significant bridge builder for families and individuals to open doors to work opportunities, making money, supporting their family, and having a life that they can enjoy.  Working directly with Haitian people, my coworkers and I hear the stories of families and their journeys since before and after the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010.  Stories that range from a family who has come to the states to rebuild their lives, stories of families trying desperately to bring their families to the safer environment that the states provide, stories of families being devastated by death and destruction due to the repercussions of the earthquake, or stories of people trying to make ends meet while living in the states. 

In March 2012, my coworker, Debbie, and I had the opportunity to go to Haiti and experience with them life as they know it.  Going to Haiti was one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had.  We were working to build a clean shower in a tiny village called Don Don, a two hour bumpy drive from where we were staying.  Throughout the days, I made friends with most of the kids, and when I spoke my absolute best Creole, the children would still laugh hysterically!  So, we bonded through playing games and singing songs we all knew the tune to.  I was struggling to make deep connections with the young adults and adults due to language barriers, but still made connections that I will always cherish.  Debbie is Haitian and speaks Creole as her first language.  It was wonderful to see her connect with local people and to hear the amazing stories that she got first hand.

Over the years in Haiti, there have been the introduction of motorcycles and cars, making it easier to get from place to place.  Debbie had bonded with an elderly woman who remembers what life was like when the only way to get from place to place, was to walk.  This woman was able to cary 50+ pounds on top of her head, without hesitation.  She walked everywhere she went.  She also had no shoes, and all she asked from us was to get a pair of shoes. 

Debbie had told her that she would try and get her pair of shoes before we left Haiti.  On our last day up in Don Don, we were ready to leave, when Debbie remembered about this woman and her desire for a pair of shoes.  Debbie took the shoes off her feet and gave them to this elderly woman, without hesitation.  For that moment, Debbie was walking barefoot in love and in faith.  That moment was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever witnessed.

This moment perfectly encompasses what it means to live like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and walk like Jesus.  That moment was a reminder of how we should live always.

Life as a missionary would not be possible without the ability to walk on this never-ending, beautiful, and powerful journey with God.  I believe that God provides instances in life that requires us to relinquish all control and put our full trust and faith in God.  That ability and willingness to relinquish control (even something as small as giving the pair of shoes that are on your feet to someone else), is what it is to walk in love, to walk in faith, and to walk humbly.  My hope for myself as I grow as a missionary, and as a child of God, is to find a way to take off my pair of shoes, and walk barefoot in love and in faith.

Technically, I am not barefoot in this picture!  But my TOMS are second choice to walking barefoot :)