I had a somewhat unusual assignment in World Service Corps.  Typically, volunteers are sent to one location and spend the entirety of their time in that area; my partner and I were sent to three sites in a period of two months.  The South Pacific became my home for the summer as we divided our time between Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand.  On one hand, the opportunity to experience three distinct areas of the world was a thrilling prospect.  On the other hand, leaving became much harder as we were forced to bid our new friends goodbye time after time. 

Since my return home, family and friends have eagerly pressed me for details regarding what I got out of my summer experience.  At first, I shied away from their questions, not really knowing the answers.  Gradually, I began to understand the change I underwent this summer in the company of God and those I met halfway around the world.

I can pinpoint the beginning of this transformation to one definitive moment.  I began the summer in Hawaii, spending two weeks getting to know church members and helping out at summer reunion.  Near the end of reunion, as I was packing my belongings and getting ready for the flight to New Caledonia, an older Hawaiian woman called to me.  I set down my towel and walked toward her, expecting nothing more than token good wishes for the forthcoming summer.  But I have since learned that the most ordinary moments are the moments most apt to surprise and touch one’s heart. 

As I expected, the woman wished my partner and me good luck.  Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out five dollars.

“Here,” she said, “this is for your trip. I’m sorry it’s not more.  God bless you girls.”

There haven’t been many points in my life where I have been unable to find something to say, but I will admit I could find no words to express how truly appreciative and deeply touched I was by her gesture and her words.  She had reached into the very depths of her pocket and given me all she had.  I experienced true generosity this summer.

As I moved between countries, I began to understand the church as a global community, one in which we all move and affect each other, whether or not we are aware of the fact.  New Caledonia accepted us – the two English speaking World Service Corps volunteers – into their community with open arms.  Despite the difficulty of translation, we managed to speak the language of kindred hearts with the members there, and found that our own hearts were filled by what we found in the steadfast belief rooted in New Caledonia.  I experienced true acceptance this summer.   

In New Zealand, I found a small group of souls whose faith and resolve will forever place them, in my mind, among the most determined congregations in our world church.  Their unhesitating desire to build up the church, coupled with an ever open hand, pulled us straight into the center of their lives. I experienced true strength this summer.

In each place we went, it was as though we were long lost relatives returning home to our family and, in a way, we were.  The Community of Christ offers a family beyond our local congregations and mission centers.  We are all members of a much larger community, one that is filled with more generosity, acceptance, and strength than can possibly be imagined. World Service Corps is an organization that encourages the Community of Christ to reach out beyond the familiarity of home and recognize the family across the world.  It generously doles out opportunities to understand the meaning of a global community, much like the woman from Hawaii, reaching deep into a pocket and giving all to add to another’s spiritual experience.

So, as a final answer to the beginning of a life-long transformation, I received a more intimate understanding of generosity, acceptance, and strength in the Lord than I ever expected.  I expected to help those I found in other countries this past summer, but I did not expect to be changed by those that found me along the journey.  World Service Corps will remain one of the most valuable experiences in my life, having given me the opportunity to truly understand my place as a member in the family of our world community.  I will carefully stow away my experiences so that when I reach into my own pocket, I will reach farther into its depths to give of myself in a manner that reflects the generosity, acceptance, and strength of faith of those whose friendship I will forever hold in my heart.

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