As I met more people of El Salvador, I began to realize that many Salvadorans are exceptionally poor materialistically, according to US standards, but on the other hand they are extraordinarily rich spiritually. It amazed me how individuals who seemed to have hardly anything to their name were able to remain so happy and loving. I began to realize it was because these individuals didn’t find their happiness in their belongings; their happiness is rooted in God. Coming back to the US it became even more evident. In a country where the majority of people have an opportunity to obtain all they’ve ever desired, we still remain so poor spiritually. No belongings could ever fulfill and provide the same amount of happiness I was able to witness in the people of El Salvador.
I was blessed by not only their love for others, but also their love for God. We were invited to attend church and worship along side the people of Oasis de Gracia church. This experience redefined my understanding of what it means to worship our Lord and Savior. I’ve never seen individuals worship our Lord so strongly. They truly lay all their pain, sorrow, and love out for God every time they pray and worship Him. In my experience, individuals of the US tend to shy away from fully worshiping our Lord, out of fear of being judged by their neighbor. I came to the understanding during this trip, that when we are worshiping, we are there for God, not to impress others. That being said, our entire focus should be placed on God, worshiping Him with every ounce of our being, not focused on what others might think of you.
I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to have had the opportunity to experience this life-changing trip. I was humbled and shown that happiness is not found where US marketing seems to think that it is found. And while worshiping God, there is no need to worry about those standing around you. In order to experience joy and peace that is beyond what we can comprehend, we need to focus our lives around God. He needs to be where we find our self-worth, our joy, and our strength.
I was blessed by not only their love for others, but also their love for God. We were invited to attend church and worship along side the people of Oasis de Gracia church. This experience redefined my understanding of what it means to worship our Lord and Savior. I’ve never seen individuals worship our Lord so strongly. They truly lay all their pain, sorrow, and love out for God every time they pray and worship Him. In my experience, individuals of the US tend to shy away from fully worshiping our Lord, out of fear of being judged by their neighbor. I came to the understanding during this trip, that when we are worshiping, we are there for God, not to impress others. That being said, our entire focus should be placed on God, worshiping Him with every ounce of our being, not focused on what others might think of you.
I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to have had the opportunity to experience this life-changing trip. I was humbled and shown that happiness is not found where US marketing seems to think that it is found. And while worshiping God, there is no need to worry about those standing around you. In order to experience joy and peace that is beyond what we can comprehend, we need to focus our lives around God. He needs to be where we find our self-worth, our joy, and our strength.
