We always hear the stories of what happens on mission trips, but we never talk about what happens after we get home. Here are some of the things I wish someone told me before I came home from my recent trip to the Philippines.
1. Home is never really the same again.
It's a hard thing to explain, but home is never quite the same. Of course, when you are gone you miss aspects of home. For me, I missed people, certain foods, and the luxury of air conditioning (it's funny that we always seem to take the little things for granted.) Once I returned back to the States, my bed didn't sleep the same, and it wasn't as easy sitting down for dinner with my family. I would lay in bed with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. It's hard sitting at a dinner table with your family while you know kids across the world are rummaging through trash trying to find their next meal. In our culture we live with a lot of extra luxuries, but once you experience a world without these things, your eyes are opened-- but for the better. You begin to appreciate all of the small things because you know that there are people across the globe without them.
2. The tears shed while saying goodbye aren't your last ones shed.
Saying goodbye, in the Philippines, may have been one of the hardest things I've ever done. It's crazy how so many bonds can be formed in two short weeks. I wish I could say that those tears were the last ones, but they weren't. There were nights when I would lay in bed looking at pictures and cry, and there are some stories I still can't tell without the waterworks. You might cry more about this experience than you have ever cried about anything in your life, and that's okay. It's okay to miss the place that left such a permanent mark on your heart--even when this means crying more than the average human.
3. Pictures and journal entries become your best "instant replay."
On those sleepless nights where all you seem to do is cry, photos become your best friend. While I took a ton of photos, I wish I would have taken more. They are my most tangible memories. Re-reading journal entries become your mental way of reliving the most amazing moments of the trip. They are also your best storytelling tool, so TAKE PICTURES AND WRITE IN A JOURNAL EVERY NIGHT OF YOUR TRIP!
4. Not everyone understands, and that's okay.
After coming home, people don't always understand how your experience could have been "that life changing." You will probably receive comments of people doubting how one can change in such a short amount of time. It's okay that not everyone gets it, but don't let their comments make you doubt what God has done in and through you. Just shake it off and know that the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. ;)
5. Leaving isn't the end of your mission, but rather the beginning of a new mission.
Contrary to popular belief, your mission isn't over once you board the plane or bus and head home-- instead, your mission just changes postal codes. You will forever be a "mission-minded" person. Now when you see a homeless man on the street, you won't want to make comments about how he could be out getting a job, but instead you look in your car for water or a little cash. The level of compassion you have for others dramatically shifts. While on your trip, your overall vision changes to seeing people through God's eyes, and thats not just something that "disappears" on the way home.
6. Home is never really "home" again.
I know without a doubt that I will return to the Philippines. While I was there, I found parts of myself that I didn't even know existed. I fell in love with a culture that was not my own, and I was immersed in a new place that I can now call home. They always say "home is where your heart is," and if your experience is anything like mine, you'll definitely feel like you left a part of your heart there.
