There is no need to go traveling around the world in eighty days when many students at Lambert were globetrotters for a cause this summer. If I were asked, I would tell all about my mission trip to Honduras. Sam Genzale would try her best to sum up into words her mission trip to Haiti. Emily Wickman would rave on and on about her missions in the Philippines. Summer Storm would add onto my stories from Honduras since she was serving by my side. Sam Glass would speak on anything and everything about missions in Costa Rica. And if Kristina Chapple were asked, she would spill every detail about her mission trip to South Africa.

On July 16, I found myself on a plane to Honduras. Little did I know that this flight was carrying me to a completely different world – a world with hearts overflowing with love.

Many Lambert students find themselves sprawled across the globe during the summer as they serve in other countries with the hopes of impacting these loving hearts, along with the hopes of encountering the purest love in the world.

Honduras (Part I): My Trip

It was hard for me to see these people living the way they are. Their homes are made of cement, and cement only. There are no glass windows and no doors. Everything is out in the open. The families very rarely turn on their lights because electrical bills are so high, so it was always very dark in the homes when we visited them. They deserve so much more than concrete floors and toilets that don’t flush, but they don’t mind. Their hearts are open to everything. There was no judgement and no envy present. I was treated with kindness from the moment I stepped off the bus on the first day to the moment I stepped back on the bus the last day.

Haiti: Sam Genzale’s Trip

“I could not have possibly been prepared for the things I saw there. For me, the struggle I had was seeing the conditions that the children and people were in. Children were dirty, starving, dehydrated, and diseased. There was only so much we could do for them. One little girl was attached to me the whole week. After playing, she fell asleep on me everyday. She was tired because she sleeps on concrete. Yes, concrete. In Haiti, they don’t need anything to have everything. I saw that lived out through the stories of the locals and the shining faces they had despite their broken lives. There was true beauty within the poverty. I think the biggest hardship for me there was realizing that there’s nothing different between me and a 17-year-old girl than where we were born, but our lives were drastically different.”

Philippines: Emily Wickman’s Trip

“While I was there, I definitely learned how blessed I am. I take so many things for granted that the people of the Philippines only dream of having, and it was just super eye-opening. Those people are the happiest and most joyful people I have ever met, and I know that God may have given them struggles, but ultimately He gave them the best gift.”

Honduras (Part II): Summer Storm’s Trip

“In Honduras I learned that there’s so much more out there, and the people in the village we went to had very limited supplies. I learned that I am so blessed with everything I have. And, the families were all so nice and inviting when we went to their homes. They were, for the most part, so content with how they lived and the things they did, and it truly changed my outlook on how I live.”

Costa Rica: Sam Glass’ Trip

“The people down there struggle with a lot of things, the most apparent being money or lack thereof. Within the slums, residents struggle with gangs, drugs, violence, and prostitution. But I learned that real love has no barriers like money or language. You’re able to connect with the people down there, whether it’s the kids, the local people working in the schools, or the tour guides. All you have to do is open up and love unconditionally. Everyone is going through things that we don’t know, and they shouldn’t be judged for it.”

South Africa: Kristina Chapple’s Trip

“They may be poor by the world’s standards, but they are so rich in Kingdom wealth, with their eyes transfixed on Jesus because he is literally all they have. The people struggled with meeting the needs of everyday life. There was a minuscule fraction of the taken-for-granted luxury that I experience on an everyday basis here in America. It’s overwhelmingly beautiful to see how much they rely on and surrender to Him.”

We often find ourselves hiding in our safe and warm bubble we call America. As the students of Lambert pop that bubble and venture across borders, we come to realize how much more there actually is to the world. The average American’s mind is plagued with desires of fame and fortune. But as we have learned from our missions, these materialistic values are replaceable while there are more important things we need to be focusing on. These physical items we place our values in clutter our hearts with envy and malice. When people have nothing, their hearts are no longer cluttered. Instead, their hearts are full, and their intentions are pure. This is a lesson that must be learned by exiting one’s comfort zone and venturing out into countries where people have close to nothing. It is said that mission trips are supposed to be about going out and changing people’s lives, but it is often our lives and our hearts that are affected.