Kickin’ it on Veradero Beach in Quoobah.
Not bad, huh?
Two weeks ago, I went on a mission trip to the island. The picture above is from our fun day at the beach. But the majority of our time was spent at a camp for high school kids.
As you can imagine, communist countries do not tolerate Christian-based organizations. The individuals running the camps risk their lives to bring these kids together each summer. I was told that the government runs periodic Internet searches to see what bloggers like me are writing about their country. Naturally, I will not be naming the organization and will mis-spell the island’s name throughout this post.
I’m sneaky like that.
And now I will share with you the top four lessons I learned while in Quoobah. I will do it David Letterman style, because you guys know how much I love my lists:
4. Be thankful for the small stuff in life.
Before visiting this beautiful island, I don’t think I had ever been thankful for toilet seats. Moreover, I don’t think I had ever been thankful for the ability to FLUSH the toilet. I’ve been to countries in which your morning shower was ice cold, but I had never thought to be grateful that water is actually coming out of the shower head. These are thoughts that entered my head every time I used the bathroom.
Here’s a picture of our toilet.
As you can see, there is no seat. Totally manageable. And it flushed. PTL! Sure you have to approach the toilet like you are scooting inside a booth at a restaurant due to the fact that the sink is over said bowl, but you are reminded that IT FLUSHES and you quickly get over it.
Here’s a picture of me eating pizza.
Notice…it came out of a plastic bag. We were SO HUNGRY that day, that I didn’t care that my cheese pizza was coming from a street vendor in a plastic bag. I’ve never been so thankful for pizza.
On a serious note, I’m thankful that I have the freedom to pray and worship however and whenever I want. These kids have to be a bit more careful. But when you put them in a group of other believers in a secure location…
it’s awe-inspiring. I love the kid in this picture.
3. There are no language barriers with God.
Anyone can relate to music.
A borrowed soccer ball can entertain for hours.
2. A servant’s heart can be used in ways you may not have expected.
Our purpose on this mission trip was to provide the staff of the organization with extra hands, arms, words, hugs and general encouragement. There were 300 kids at this camp and 10 staff members. Our extra 15 bodies came in handy for small groups, fun time and organization of activities.
However, on day two, three of our key people were struck with what can only be described as the mother of all food poisoning incidents. That toilet/sink combo sort of came in handy…I’m just saying.
Of course we weren’t going to send our fellow team members off to the Quooban hospital by themselves. Two of us went along to offer moral support.
That morning, I had thought about what a priviledge it is to wake up every day with nothing more to do than to serve others. There was no Blackberry, no website, no article to create, no newsletter to write…only my services to give. I prayed that God would use me mightily on the island.
I didn’t know that holding a bucket as my friend threw up was how He would choose to use me on the trip. It was almost comical as I followed my other friend to the bathroom (with no toilet seat) holding her saline drip to think about how the Lord gifted me with a merciful heart and THIS is exactly where I was supposed to be…not praciticing my Spanish on innocent school girls, trying to have a conversation about Twilight and if they are Team Jacob or Team Edward.
1. God is moving mountains in this place.
These kids traveled many hours to get to the small town where the camp was located. Some were packed in the back of trucks, where they had to stand the entire time. The facility was less-than-stellar, but you never heard a complaint from one of them. Not one. The girls were in dormitories that held about nine bunk beds. There were two girls to one twin bed. The boys slept on mattresses in the sanctuary. Our staff of 15 slept in one room together in one long line of bodies.
And did I mention there was one bathroom for the girls and one bathroom for the boys? That’s two toilets for around 350 people.
But these kids could care less. They were mezmorized by the talks. They were active in the small groups. They were not ashamed to worship and they were proud to carry their Bibles and eager to learn anything they could.
God is moving mountains in this place and it was a joy to wintess first-hand.
We are so blessed to live in a country where we can pray when we want. Sing hymns when we want. Gather together to study the Bible in groups. Read a blog about mission trips…or even make the decision to stop reading a blog because the subject is about mission trips.
And we are blessed that our toilets have seats and our pizza comes in boxes. PTL indeed!
Thanks so much for sharing, Lincee! Your trip sounds amazing. I’m so thankful for bloggers, such as yourself, who aren’t afraid to share this side of their lives.
My favorite picture was the last one of all the kids worshipping. The joy on their faces is inspiring. Thank you for going wherever He tells you to go! God is so good.
I enjoy these blogs as much as the others. It is awesome of you to give your time and heart to those who need it the most.
that’s amazing! thanks for the reminder that we are blessed. i’ll keep these kids in my prayers tonight.
God Bless you Lincee!
While I love your Bachelor recaps, I love this post even more. God bless you, those kids, and the work you are doing!
So I just came across your blog a few weeks ago during the whole Bachelorette excitement, and let’s just say that I’m SO excited to read a little about your personal life and find out that you are a Christian too! After reading your Pimped out blog from today, we sound like twins!
I went on a month-long mission trip to Haiti about 4 years ago and boy was that a life-changing event for me! It’s absolutely amazing seeing how people worship God in different cultures, isn’t it? Thanks for the awesome-to-read blog and keep up the good work! Hope you find a great man too!
Thanks so much for sharing! How exciting to watch God move and then realize that He can move anywhere He wants if we are just willing. I have read your Bachelor recaps for several seasons and totally appreciate the sense of humor and gift for writing that God has given you, but never felt compelled to write until now. While I am pretty sure that there will not be as many comments on this post as a typical Bachelor post, I sincerely hope that there are lives changed for eternity because of your willingness to be open.
Lincee,
From one missionary to another! Lovin’ it.
We (30 of us from all over the US) went to South Africa to a shanty-town outside of CapeTown in February to work. The needs of the people were so great we ran out of supplies, but no one in the line (they were in it for 9 hours and it was 96 degrees) complained and simply asked that we Americans come back, because they loved our spirits and knew we were giving much, much, much needed supplies and medical attention.
Many of us held back tears when working with babies and kids.
I have been forever changed by the experience!!
thanks for sharing, lincee. i know so many were blessed by your work over there. thanks for having such a servant heart and i know God will bless you ten-fold because of it!!!
Rhat’s great, sounds like an amazing experience and it’s so good to hear about what God is doing!
Thanks for sharing — and the pictures are great. Truly inspirational — and another reminder of how blessed we are.
You’re amazing, Lincee! Thank you for being so selfless and sharing our Lord with these kids! Reading about your experience and the photos of the kids brings tears of joy to my eyes!
I love hearing about your real life & love that you aren’t afraid to talk about your faith. God bless you!
p.s. am i the only one that doesn’t know what PTL means?
PTL = Praise the Lord
Wow! What an amazing trip that must have been! Thank you for sharing with us. God bless, and keep up His good works!
#14 – PTL = Praise the Lord!
What a phenomenal post! A great reminder to all of us that we have the chance to serve him wherever we are – that His whole world is a mission field!
Fabulous Monday post – so encouraging!
TTF ~
Good work Lincee! You gave me chills and tears at the same time.
Thanks for sharing your life with us Lincee!!!! I love reading about every thing you do.
Wow – great work! So encouraging to hear about a new generation of Christians in that nation.
Wow- Thank you so much for sharing about your mission trip. What an inspiring way to Serve!!! PTL for safe travels, and that you were able to touch those children’s lives for Him!!!
Very encouraging… And a great reminder that we are blessed beyond reason… Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing, Lincee!! So glad God worked how He wanted to work – and you were available to be used.
Lincee – great blog. It actually made me cry at my office today…and reminded me that it’s been far too long since my last mission trip.
Wow…what a great blog post! Very inspiring and a good reminder that God is in all things no matter your physical location or emotional state, and through Him, all things are possible! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Your post made me weep. Many blessings Lincee!
Thank you for sharing your story Lincee. It’s quite inspiring.
You, my dear, are about fourteen and a half different shades of awesome!
this is amazing and awesome and i’m so glad to know that you are pimping out this side of you, as well. the bachelorette stuff is hilarious but the is the TRUE greatness of your blog right here. helping others and doing God’s work. i wish there were 500 comments on this post like there are on your bachelorette posts….but even though there are not, keep it up! it’s nice to know there are good Christian folks out there who are proud of their faith and not ashamed to share it with the world. keep up the great work!
Lincee, you are my blogging idol, and even more so now that I found out that you are a Christian!!!
Sweet lincee, very sweet. Loved reading all about it. Its life changing to go somewhere else like that. Changes perspectives in just about every way. So glad for you, sounds like it was amazing.
Lincee, my heart is so encouraged by this amazing post. My youngest daughter
has also been to “The Island” on a life-changing trip. God used it for His glory
in her life as well as in the lives she served. God bless. I’m also following
your “pimping” experiences both for you and your friends! Enjoy!
Lincee, thank you for sharing about your mission trip. In addition to changing the lives of those children, I hope your example as a Christian might also have a positive effect on your readers. God bless you.
I cracked up when I saw the picture of the pizza. I went to the island on a mission trip a few years ago and we asked for a to-go box for our pizza and she came back with a plastic bag and threw our pizza in it. We all just died! Any trip we’ve taken since with any of the same people, this story always comes up.
I left a little bit of my heart there and I hope to have the chance to go back. Thanks for sharing.
God bless you LIncee! God is awesome and mighty. PTL that you had a safe trip and made it back safe & sound. Thankful for your posts – no matter the subject they always make me smile and have some laugh-out-loud moments.
My family is originally from “the island” and I appreciate your truthful comments about what you encountered. I was afraid it was going to be another tourist account about how beautiful the country is and how much freedom there is. Thanks for the work you and your group did there.
Lincee, i was very lucky to find your site for bachelor related stuff, but this post has me tearing up! i want to tell you that you are an amazing person and i can see why all your friends and family love you…keep on doing God’s work, i am truly inspired by you! you go girl!!
Add A Comment