“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them…When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do, they have received their reward in full…But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” -Matthew 6:1-4

This week the EM staff and team from Fleming Island, Florida are learning about what it means to be humble as we serve together. This morning during team devotions, I stumbled across one of my favorite portions in Matthew. Chapter six talks about how we can keep our hearts in check as we serve people around us. Although I try to keep pure motivations when I’m serving, too often I focus on myself. It’s a strangely easy trap to get caught in during mission trips, a time when we are supposed to be focused on others.

Sometimes when I’m serving I think about how uncomfortable I am, or how tired I am. Even worse, I think about how my actions are making me look—Are others impressed by my efforts? Do they think I’m spiritual enough? Will people remember my name at the end of the week? Will I get credit for doing the little things? And when I start asking these selfish questions I have to remind myself, serving isn’t supposed to be about me.

The verse in Matthew 6:1-4 snapped me back into place this morning. As a servant, I must be humble. In fact, I shouldn’t even let my left hand know what my right hand is doing! Going on a mission trip or serving on a mission team is not about me.

Today I’ve made an intentional step toward humility. When I’m doing things merely to make myself look good, when I’m serving others so that I get a warm feeling inside—I stop. Because the truth about serving is, I should be invisible. When I step out of the spotlight, others can see God’s work more clearly.

Atlanta, GA

Heather D. Moline

July 2010

Stepping out of the Spotlight

Note: Experience Mission is sending our many more great trips to Atlanta and many more great communities throughout the summer of 2011 and are now posting trips for 2011! Check out our website for more information at www.experiencemission.org.

As I sit here in my room reminiscing about the past couple days, I can hear a rain storm rolling in. The clatter of the rain on the roof reminds me of the moments shared this week between the community and the team members. As it is the beginning of Costa Rica’s rainy season, the weather played an important part in each day’s work and progress. Many times work had to be halted  in order to take cover for the sudden bursts of pouring rain- more rain then I have ever experienced in my life. While the rain may have stalled work for a while, it also was the cause for many relationships to be formed and connections to be made.

One of the most touching effects of the rain took place at Crispin’s worksite. At this site, the teams are working hard to build a house for a family. They have the pleasure of working with Franklin, the maestro, who has been lovingly deemed the Clint Eastwood of Costa Rica. While the relationship between Franklin and the group has truly been a blessing, the real story is seen in the love that the family expressed for the students. After the first day of rain the team left wet and dirty, caked with mud from head to foot.

Granted, this is half the adventure and joy of working in Costa Rica. However, when they returned the next day they were surprised to find a shelter that the family made for them out of bamboo and leaves. The beautifully handcrafted structure not only provided shelter for future outbursts of rain but also from the beating rays from the sun. It doubled as a place to rest and eat lunch together, providing shade to keep their water supply from boiling.
            
I loved hearing about this shelter and being able to see it later in the week. More than the resourcefulness of the shelter and the people, I found the love of God that they expressed through it heart warming. They didn’t have to build a shelter from the rain and they don’t have to be at the worksite with the teams every day to help – but they are and they come to simply love and be loved. While we are out here to help families by building homes, painting schools, etc. the main reason we are here is to love God and love the Costa Rican people. The teams showed this love with every bag of sand they carried, every nail they hammered, and every smile they extended to the people. But the love of the community cannot be overlooked, for they too love unconditionally – through smiles, through hugs, through shelters, and through their willingness to welcome us into their lives.
In awe of God’s love,

Alex